Book Review

Victoria Magazine Dreams

“Behind every successful woman is a tale of self reliance, persistence, and the joy of following one’s heart.” from the Victoria publication The Business of Bliss I have been in love with Victoria Magazine since I was 16.  I picked up the premier copy back in 1987. The breathtaking photography of Toshi Otsuki was the…

Book Review-The Art of Eating In

In the city where dining is a sport, a gourmand swears off restaurants (even takeout!) for two years, rediscovering the economical, gastronomical joy of home cooking Gourmand-ista Cathy Erway’s timely memoir of quitting restaurants cold turkey speaks to a new era of conscientious eating. An underpaid, twenty-something executive assistant in New York City, she was…

Mother’s Day Weekend

I may need a weekend to recover from my weekend. It was so busy, but it sure was fun! On Friday, Nancy and I had plans to make mud pies in her back yard (commonly known as gardening to most adults…) but since it was about 40 degrees and raining we decided to stay in…

Book Reviews-My Favorite Garden Themed Books

“God gives all men all earth to love, but since man’s heart is small, ordains for each one spot shall prove beloved over all.” ~Rudyard Kipling My favorite garden-themed books: Two of the most beautifully illustrated books I’ve ever read are In and Out of the Garden and South of France-A Sketchbook by my friend…

Serendipity, Tea and Me

“I don’t drink coffee, I take tea my dear.” ~Sting If I told you about all of my adventures in tea I could absolutely write my own book…maybe two. I’ve already given you a little history in my blog entitled “The Mysteries of Tea.” How I just ‘happened’ to buy my first home a block…

Cooking Together ~ Cottage Cheese Dill Bread

“Here is a collection of recipes for soups, breads, sauces, dips, spreads, entrees, and desserts influenced by many different ethnic cooking styles. The recipes are all vegetarian, utilizing a large variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, grains, herbs, and spices. This cuisine is about celebrating the bounty of nature in general, and a garden-and orchard-based…

Book Review-The Mercy of Thin Air

When I was going through book titles deciding what one to review next I could hardly believe that I’d somehow forgotten to tell you about this book. It’s one of my favorites. Such a beautiful book. A perfect springtime or “beach bag” read for summer… A historical take on Alice Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones,” “The…

Our Long Weekend

“Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.”  ~Bill Watterson John Mayer is singing in the background and I’m sipping a glass of iced sun tea. Aahhh, I love a lazy Sunday Morning. I wasn’t quite sure what to write about this morning, and then decided to tell you about our fun…

Current Crush-Apples For Jam

I  fell head over heels in love with Apples for Jam when I saw the cover with little red shoes on it. The shoes reminded me of shoes I wore when I was little. Red has always been my favorite color, and so it seemed the book was speaking to me before I even opened…

Current Crush-Mark Bittman’s “Kitchen Express”

“I’m not a chef, and I never have been. And though I’ve cooked with some of the best-known chefs in the world, I’ve never had formal training, and I’ve never worked in a restaurant. None of which has gotten in the way of my mission to get people cooking simply, comfortably, and well.” ~Mark Bittman…