Frozen Fruit Snacks
Years ago, during a particularly hot summer spell, a friend told me about her favorite hot weather snack. She would clean a bunch of seedless grapes, put them in Ziploc bags, and freeze them. I was…
What's the Most Useless Kitchen Applicance?
What’s the most useless kitchen appliance? After my experience this week I’ve concluded it’s the garbage disposal. I lived for years without a garbage disposal (not allowed in my Chicago building). I did have a disposal…
Foil Dinners
When I was a Girl Scout my very favorite thing to make at cookouts was a foil dinner. Our 10-year old version of this gourmet delight started, quite obviously, with a square of foil. On top…
Surprises at the Farmers Market
It’s time for the farmers market! Okay, if you live in a southern climate this probably seems very puzzling to you. After all, you have fresh produce year round (or so it seems to this native…
Not My Mother's Bean Salad
My mother loved to make three-bean salad. The minute it turned warm this dish began appearing on our dinner table as a regular side dish. Now don’t get me wrong; my mother was a wonderful cook….
The Care and Feeding of our Aging Pets: Part 2
I awoke this morning at 3 a.m. to loud shrieks and pitiful wails. I immediately jumped out of bed and ran to find my cat Princess. These weren’t her usual “I want to play” cries that…
Memories and Collections
Do you have any collections? Do you think about them very often? Do anything with them? Or are they just something that you periodically stumble across and then remember. Two of my collections — art and…
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day
Will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today? I don’t have any Irish ancestors but like so many people around the world, have long celebrated the day in one way or another. A dear friend has…
Dress in Blue Day, Friday, March 2
Will you wear something blue tomorrow? If not a whole outfit, perhaps a blue blouse, a pair of blue earrings or a blue bracelet? Why, you ask? Because Friday, March 2 is the Colon Cancer Alliance’s…
In Search of a Few Good Salmon Recipes
For years the health benefits of salmon have been touted in the media. As a source of Omega-3 fatty acids – one of the good fats – salmon’s health benefits also have been widely researched. Chief…