the beauty of an ordinary life
"Your blog reminds me of Julia Reed's books," a friend said to me a year or so ago. "Really?" I answered, pretending I knew what she was talking about. "Yes," she said, "The one I really think about is Ham Biscuits and Hostess Gowns, but all of her books are great. They're about the new … Continue reading Make food that tastes good.
I was in Houston this week, speaking at a training and HR workshop for independent blood centers. Yes, I know you're surprised there would be such a gathering. And you're probably wondering if I mean the Red Cross, which I do not. I could get all technical and explain the complicated volunteer blood supply in … Continue reading Come to Bethlehem and eat.
We have to have a talk, me and you, right now.Yes, I broke a grammar rule. My mother, the writing teacher, said it was acceptable on occasion to break rules for dramatic effect, and I needed your attention. We have to have a sit-down, come to Jesus, fireside chat about who does and doesn't belong … Continue reading Me and you and them.
There is no food problem so complex as scientific marketing, complex because so many elements enter into a day's dietary. Marian Cole Fisher, Twenty Lessons in Domestic Science; 1916. A number of years ago I read an article in the New York Times about a cult favorite home-keeping book titled Mrs. So-and-So's Something. Obviously, that … Continue reading 20 Lessons in Domestic Science.
I must warn you, at the beginning, that this is not a post about weight, eating disorders, or the harm of reality TV. This post is about parenting and worrying about the wrong things. And then, later, it's about celery soup. These are all things I felt required a bit of advance notice, but then … Continue reading Proper gander.
About a year ago, when Super Bowl XLVII rolled around, we were six weeks into Mom's awful food makeover (that's what my family called it). Inspired by Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food, I had wiped from our house virtually every one of my family's favorite junk foods: Go-Gurt, Nacho Cheese Doritos, Kraft American … Continue reading How to cook absolutely nothing.
The first time I tasted limoncello I realized I’d been wrong to think God made lemons so we might enjoy lemon curd. Tart, sweet, chilly on the tongue but warm in the throat, limoncello is the adult version of every happy lemonade stand you’ve ever visited, ever. It’s possible that the adventure associated with my … Continue reading Lord, let there be lemons.
My grandfather, my father’s father, and his sister Julia lived next door to one another from the mid 1930s, when they built their houses, until they died decades later. Their yards were connected by a garden path, their lives communal. My father was an only child, and his four cousins living next door were more … Continue reading Are you my family?
jenny's lark 