Remember the scene in the movie The Jerk when Navin Johnson (Steve Martin) gets a delivery of phone books? He grabs one from the delivery man, frantically flips through it to find his name, then shouts joyously “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!” That’s how I feel about my kitchen towels….
Odds & Ends
It’s a New Year!
Happy New Year! I‘ve been on a much-needed hiatus from writing, busy enjoying family, travel, upgrading tech components (with a few more things to come) on my blog, AND creating flour sack kitchen towels! Here’s a peek: Getting the towels onto the blog for sale is taking longer than expected, but stay tuned and I’ll…
Hard at Work
Sorry folks, no recipe or post this week. I’m hard at work doing a little refresh on my blog, even adding a few hand-crafted items to sell, so please stay tuned — I’m hoping MDB 2.0 will be ready very soon. And in case I haven’t mentioned it lately, thanks for tuning in each week –…
The Poetry of Food
I love the inspiration for this blog post, which was originally published October, 2015. It’s a fitting time to re-circulate it, since southwest Florida is coming into its growing/harvesting season after a long, hot summer, and farmer’s markets are in full swing. So, I’m looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things growers are harvesting…
5 Uses for Fresh Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a lovely, citrus scented herb in the grass family – it has a very pleasing lemon scent, and cooking with it offers none of the bitterness of the actual lemon, so it’s versatile in sweet or savory dishes, spicy or mild. But do you find yourself with lots of lemongrass and don’t know…
A Frittata to Save the Day
Things have been topsy turvy here in southwest Florida due to a long-running episode of red tide in the Gulf, along with algae wreaking havoc in our canals. I’m not gonna mince words. . .it has been horrible. I think it’s the worst bout of red tide I’ve seen in the 28 years I’ve lived here….
So Long, Irma!
September 10th marks the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Irma, the storm that wreaked havoc on Florida in 2017. Today I realized that last year at this time I was glued to my TV and preparing our house for a big hit. But I also reflected on our blessings, challenges and opportunities, and I’m still amazed…
Have a Picnic!
(Note: this is an updated version of the original blog post I wrote July 20, 2017. Because it’s prime picnic season, I thought it was worth another look!) In July, 2017, I wrote an article for Edible Sarasota titled Florida Picnic which included my own creations for summer dishes like chicken sandwiches with mango-mayo, lime-infused berry…
Mango, Peach, Basil & Ginger Salsa
It’s mango season in Florida, when we see them on trees, at roadside stands, in supermarkets, at farmers markets, and in bags carried by neighbors sharing them with friends, like these beauties I got recently: Those who have trees know that the timing of when to pick them is sort of delicate, because the longer…
Summer is Here!
The approach of summer in Florida has telltale signs including afternoon rains, high humidity levels and pesky little Lovebugs that fly into our hair, stick to the grills of our cars, and generate exclamations of ‘Yuck, it’s Lovebug season already?!?’ Those little pests are also harbingers for fishermen who know that when they show up,…
Family Time
I married into a big, fun, loud and wonderful family, and my husband and I love to have them visit us in Florida. During this chilly Spring Break week, we’re hosting loved ones from Manhattan and Chicago, laughing a lot, and enjoying big family dinners, like this one. Still can’t believe we squeezed twelve people…
Tips on Cooking Fish
I’m often asked about the best way to cook fish at home. . .it seems that folks have had bad experiences doing so, with horror stories including overcooked fillets, dry edges with raw centers, fish stuck to the pan, and that ever-popular one about lingering smells of ‘fishiness’ in the house. While I’m no expert,…
