[I]s it possible I’ve been hypnotized by a fruit? If so, it is the plum that has seduced me, once again. Fortunately — or not, really — the season is woefully short, but during it, I find myself drawn, again and again, to the stunning array of plums, pluots and […]
“To eat good food,†says Italian chef Primo in the 1996 film, “Big Night,†“is to be close to God.†[A]nd truthfully, over the 20 years since I first saw this movie, I have said, again and again, that my idea of heaven was the kitchen where Primo, played by […]
[I] have always been able to make sense out of things (somewhat) by writing about them. Even still, lately, I have had trouble writing. It made no sense and yet perfect sense that on a rainy November evening, while I received the news of a loss of life as close […]
“The Heart wants what it wants, “ poet Emily Dickinson wrote, “– or else it does not care.†[M]y heart, or at least the scones I made into hearts, wanted jam, and who was I to deny them? Scones and jam have gone together since the clocks could strike three […]
[B]e wary entering the pages of Southern Living magazine. You may be entranced to the point of pie-making. Take me, for example. A couple years ago, I was given a copy of the Thanksgiving issue of Southern Living by a colleague. A year hence, I was not only a subscriber […]
[S]ometimes, nothing else but soup will do. As the whole country has been enshrouded in cold and darkness this winter, why not make up a soup fit to fight this foe? I’ve been spoiled by homemade soups these past few years, as I am fortunate enough to work where a […]
[T]he phenomenon of reaching for the crunchy/salty in times of need — stress, depression, boredom, etc. — is not new. Studies have shown that the crunchy/salty elevates the mood, with both a texture and taste satisfaction. Thus, popcorn and other crispy sorts have always been high on my list. And […]