musings about food, travel, creativity and life
Hi again and welcome back to “Bring Joy to the Table.” This summer John and I are enjoying and thankful for the comfort and pleasures of home. We are “vegging out” by harvesting our first tomatoes, eating Peter Pan squash, and looking forward to […]
This week I needed some “uppers.” Natural ones, of course! And I found them in little things along the way… Like… *savoring my first cup of coffee, with my homemade Low Fat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, a David Lebovitz recipe *being greeted by our bright […]
“To have a basic ingredient that can be prepared a million different ways is a beautiful thing.” […]
Pasta is one of my comfort foods, so I decided to make some this week. Oh, my. Good thing John and I have a sense of humor. I started with a recipe I found in Heirloom Kitchens by Anna Francese Gass, a cookbook of classic recipes […]
“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces. Just good food with fresh ingredients.”–Julia Child I cooked a lot this week–it felt good and centering. One meal in particular came together in a wonderful serendipitous way. It all […]
This week with all the news and realities of “re-opening, ” I felt a mix of emotions. As we leave the known shelter of “shelter in place” and experience this uncertain next phase, I wonder, “How will it go? What new decisions will we […]
A little while ago, we happened onto a bit of happy news. It was an interview with San Francisco illustrator Wendy MacNaughton. She was talking about her #draw together project–free drawing lessons for children who are sheltering and educating at home. She presents these live […]
This Mother’s Day weekend, I want to honor my mother in a very simple way–by sharing one of her risotto recipes. I had planned to make the risotto on Mother’s Day, but I just couldn’t wait. So Thursday night, I prepared it and it was as […]
We all need a little hope and healing these days. Earth Day provided me with that when I became John’s assistant in our garden. Since I had played the role of Mother Nature in my first grade play, I figured I might have some as […]
This post is short and “sweet.” I am including a recipe for Cornmeal Cranberry Cookies that I baked last week. We thought they were quite good. Apparently, we are becoming a nation of bakers. I’m in! How about you? Are you, or have you […]
One afternoon this week, as I was riding my emotional roller coaster through the daily policy pronouncements and health warnings, I read a text from a friend saying that at that particular moment, her husband was enjoying dunking a cookie in his tea. I liked […]
This past week was a gift. John and I had the privilege of joining family and friends for a week- long catamaran trip through the British Virgin Islands. We experienced fabulous food, new places to explore, natural beauty, the excitement of wind in our sails […]
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” Federico Fellini The other night we met a friend at a local restaurant called Mezzaluna Pasteria and Mozzarella Bar (https://www.mezzalunapasteria.com.). Mamma mia–it was molto buono–with all the elements of a good night out. It was a Friday […]
Having dinner with friends is a joy, partially because talk flows freely and naturally. Topics, though unpredictable, often include weather, news, health, sports, challenges, politics, good books, new restaurants in town, travel. There are seldom lulls because curiosity and the desire to connect keep conversations […]
* I began this year vowing to read more books. I was thinking “quantity.” Then I started reading a travel book about Italy and food and I just had to slow down. Why was I rushing through what was beautiful writing about topics I love? […]