Cozy Comfort on Blustery Days

Weekend winter days allow me to have time to paint, read, write, cook, and nap.  All the things I enjoy and need to nourish my spirit.  This weekend I spent most of my time reading, writing, and napping.  I was slow to rise and allowed myself a late start.  When I emerged from the layers of comforters, I went right to the stove to put on a kettle for tea and a pot of water for making oatmeal. 

Persimmons in Winter

Persimmons are a new fruit to me.  I began eating them only two years ago.  They were not widely available in grocery stores.  They are seasonal and show up in the produce aisle for a few short weeks in winter.  They are rare and expensive.  I treat myself anyway much like I treat myself to … Continue reading Persimmons in Winter

Memory is Hunger

Memory is hunger. When I read this recently, I paused, I underlined it, I wrote notes beside it in pencil. I’ve been concentrating on Hemingway this summer, and this quote came from his memoir, A Moveable Feast, about his time in Paris in the 1920s with his first wife, Hadley. It is Hadley who says these words as they reminisce about shared experiences: “There are so many sorts of hunger. In the spring there are more. But that’s gone now. Memory is hunger.” In this post I describe the power of food to trigger memories and help create healthy recipes with fresh, simple ingredients.

The Art of Cookies

For our 30th anniversary five years ago, my husband and I returned to our honeymoon site - Montreal. Since that time, we make sure we return to Montreal every summer, sometimes twice a summer.  My husband found a wonderful boutique hotel in Old Montreal - Georges Marciano's L'Hotel. Marciano, the founder and designer of Guess? … Continue reading The Art of Cookies