[I]n my youth, I was resistant to cranberries. My over-sensitive tastebuds (as is the case with most childhood tongues) couldn’t tolerate their bitter tartness, nor could they handle dark chocolate or hot sauce. Today, my tastebuds, matured and more dulled and ready for strong flavors, make staples of all three. […]
[I] have complete respect for the days set aside to honor, including Jan. 19, which is also National Popcorn Day. That being said, it occurs to me there is no day set aside to honor the First Americans. Some of us choose not to forget. In so doing, I honor […]
[I] put up my tree recently, and as with many a Christmas tradition, this ritual sent me back — footsteps clearly marked despite the drifting snow of thoughts flurrying in my mind — to trees of the past. Of prickly cedar trees whose feathery branches could barely bear the weight […]
[I]’m not the only soul who feels light-deprived this time of year. Though I love the wee hours of the morning when I’m in the dark, pondering, and feeling as though I have the world to myself, I still find every December to be a race against the dark, from […]
[I] have no idea how I came to be here so long that I had not only never made nor eaten spoonbread. Coming from a household that was decidedly Southern, despite their geographic location, it seems odd that this delightfully moist cousin of cornbread never graced our holiday or potluck […]
[I]’ve long been intrigued by Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Halloween is my favorite holiday and in its truest respect, it honors the night that is not only the fine dividing line between seasons, but the barrier — at its thinnest — between the living and the […]
[O]ne dark night, a long time ago, I sat down on the couch by myself after a very rough day, probably one of the worst in my life. I’d been handed down some news so devastating that it seemed insurmountable. My life was different from that point on. I no […]
[I] don’t like competition, but like many other beings at times compromised by human nature, I often fall under the spell to compete and compare with others. It’s a losing battle, really. As a very wise friend once told me, comparing yourself to others is “dangerous.†No matter what, if […]
[O]h, give me September and long light and fading days and pungent air. Fiery colors, dropping leaves, the smell of earth as she bakes, then cools. Spiders and squirrels, equally industrious. Give me September’s National Biscuit Month, and I’ll give you…biscuits, no question. A biscuit is mostly considered a bread […]
[M]ove over peanut butter and jelly. Apples and cheese go together almost as well, maybe even better. I’ve long revered this pairing, whether on a simple fruit and cheese board, or a melted wedge of golden cheddar atop warm apple pie. It just works…the cold, tart, crisp sweetness of the […]