Well hello. It’s been a very long time. What was I doing? Well, I was in California visiting family and friends for much of the month of July. And then there was this little matter to be taken care of. But as of September 1, it’s off my desk. (At least until edits come back; […]

This is what we had on New Year’s day at my house: And it was perfect! The holiday season is over, and as much as I heartily welcome it each year; I am always ready to bid it farewell in January. Having the holidays fall on a a Tuesday this year really messed with my […]

Last year my dear friend moved away. And he left me booze, a lot of booze. This friend was not implying anything about my alcohol consumption, it was just that he was moving cross country. You know how grumpy police can be about traveling with open containers, especially over state lines. So when he moved, […]

It all started with some leftover New England (split down the middle) hot dog buns from a weenie roast last week. Or maybe it was our first CSA pick-up and a small bunch of of almost chartreuse, baby dill. Correction– it could have been the radishes, straight from the ground in our small vegetable garden. […]

As in the soup, because I made my own cream of mushroom– for a very specific purpose. This week I had my first tuna-noodle casserole. I did not grow up with casseroles. My dad never liked a one-pot meal, and my mom didn’t really care, so I had a childhood free of Durkee French Fried […]

Have you ever looked through a cookbook and seen a recipe that was so bizarre, with such a unique list of ingredients, that you could not imagine what it tastes like? It recently happened to me. I checked out the New York Times Heritage Cookbook by Jean Hewitt from the library. It is an out […]

Live Maine lobsters! Growing up in California, eating lobster has a bit of stuffy reputation. The only restaurants that serve them are the starched white napkin sort. Served with mini forks and pokers, sometimes you are given a grown-up bib with which to eat them. But in the summers in New England, it seems you […]

Did all of you have a nice Thanksgiving? It’s hard to believe this Fall holiday has come and gone as quickly as a potato waiting to be mashed. Now, gearing up for the Christmas holidays begins. I must say, that for as excited as I get each November, I am always happy to say goodbye […]

Recently, I was invited to a small party. It was at a typical apartment in a college town, a house that had been sub-divided, all sharing a front door. Paint was peeling off the door jamb, and the remnants of stickers from some forgotten band, no doubt a favorite of the previous tenants, were stuck […]

I love to entertain. The days before I have a dinner party are spent ruminating over what I will serve, deciding what is at the peak of freshness, thumbing through food magazines for inspiration, furiously cleaning the apartment, and oh yes, thinking of how each of my guests will get along with one another. Though […]