Madison—and the World!
”Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” —James Beard I love traveling—here, there, everywhere. Right now, we are in Madison, Wisconsin, where […]
musings about food, travel, creativity and life
Restaurants
Close to Home
We have been doing mini-trips lately…easy little jaunts that give us new tastes of local-ish life. I have been amazed at how “little” and “close” can give so much. Take our trip to Santa Cruz the other day…just under 60 miles from our Carmel Valley […]
Wow!
How do you begin a New Year? Create goals? Join a burning bowl ritual? Eat black-eyed peas or lentil soup for good luck? For good measure, I do all of them! And this year, I even started the above vision board. The first word that […]
My Kind of Camping
The traveler in me is looking for creative ways to be happy. Right now, close-to-home VW van trips seem to be doing it for me and us, and for that I am thankful. Our latest trip in Baci—our van’s name, meaning kisses in Italian—was to […]
Let’s Have S’More
I think there’s a fire pit in our future! We’ve been around a few, so to speak, in the last few weeks, and I t’s been wonderful— cozy and fun, a celebration of togetherness, a setting for uplifting conversations and a scene for great desserts—S’mores. […]
A Weekend in San Francisco
“What I like best about San Francisco is San Francisco.” —Frank Lloyd Wright It was time. Time to visit my childhood hometown of San Francisco. And to even stay over a few nights in the Marina District—woo-hoo! I got to see Golden Gate Bridge, hear the […]
Plums Galore
Hi Everyone and Welcome Back! As I look out our window across Carmel Valley, the first thing I see is our Satsuma plum tree. It is my nature calendar. Right now it is signaling the end of its harvest season with its west-facing branches turning […]
What Now?
Here we are…emerging from what has been an historic time. As I slowly peek out from under the covers, I want to take stock. I want to move forward, keeping what was good about “then.” And I want to look for the good and right […]
As Spring Approaches
Over the last few months, I have often visited a local coffee shop. I order a latte from the shielded doorway and then find an outdoor table and chair for my café-like experience. Simple and pleasureable. Sometimes John joins me, or we meet our doggie […]
Pasta, Please
“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 […]
“Comfort and Joy”
‘Tis the season of many emotions. Certainly this time of year can bring joy. There are parties with family and friends, Christmas Carol sing-alongs, and, if you’re lucky, tuba concerts… really–just imagine 200-plus tubas playing “Silent Night” in the Rotunda of a state Capitol! But […]
Around the Table
“It’s not what’s on the table that matters, it’s who is in the chairs.” Over the years, I have often seen this quote. As a food lover, what’s on the table is important to me. But “who is in the chairs” is equally important. To […]
Three Ingredients
“Good food with friends and family is the cure of souls.” (from a Leigh Standley Curly Girl cocktail napkin) It was a very warm day on the Peninsula and I had a series of in-town appointments. Highlighting the day, though, were three events with […]
In the Kitchen
Saying “A woman’s place is in the kitchen” might cause a stir. But I just finished a book called A Woman’s Place (2019) that addresses that concept in a unique, positive, and assertive way. “Yes,” the authors say, a woman’s place is in the kitchen–as […]
Superior, Indeed
“On the road again,” and we found ourselves “on the shores of Gitche Gumee,” Longfellow’s rendition of the Native American Ojibwe name for Lake Superior. To begin our Midwest adventure, we landed in Minneapolis and then drove to Duluth, Minnesota–a first-time visit for us–along roads […]