Sformato di Spinaci - A Spinach Flan for you

I love theatre. I adore theatre. It's breathing to me. I've gone from an often-unemployed-but-professional actress to "employed -yay" theatre teacher to "employed - yay" director to "freelance but produced - yay" playwright. I love figuring out the lights, playing with sound, agonizing between words and creating characters. Except when I...

Read More >>

Of Cauliflower Soup and the Innocence of Tea Lite Globes

It all started innocently enough.I brought home four tea-lite globes to place by everyone's supper plate in the dark December eves. I had the best of intentions - wishing to bring holiday cheer to the table.Then, Kirsten brought me two more bird globes from the Sprawl. They're sweet little baubles. Innocent Christmas tchotchkes. Or so I thought....

Read More >>

Pignoli Cookies, Citrus Cookies and Italian Knot Cookies

An Italian Cookie Christmas... Pine nuts, almond paste and citrus make these 3 cookies very Sicilian. The ingredients are so sunny and bright with flavor, they shake up winter.Pignoli CookieI did consider doing a post using grapefruit, cottage cheese and raw carrots. It is possible that your eyes may glaze over if you see one more preparation...

Read More >>

50 Women Game Changers (in Food) #28 Anne-Sophie Pic - tomato chutney

 I am going to digress for just a moment with the post regarding Anne-Sophie Pic. It's coming. My mind is fluttering.  There are things you think about when you first have a child. "Will they talk?" comes to mind. And of course they do - and they not only talk - they have opinions. And they belong to themselves. And it's a...

Read More >>

Embracing Vinegar: Reinforcement Salad

It was in an apartment development in Fresh Meadows (Queens) called Meadowlark Gardens, New York City where I began this love affair. It was a one-bedroom apartment. The living room held a black and white TV console complete with rabbit ears. There was a sleep sofa against a long wall (where I was sure a skinny werewolf could hide) and the...

Read More >>

Spiced pears? Almond-vanilla cookies? Yes, please.

I'm nesting - prepping the home for family. This happens every winter when the days are shorter than the eves. I gaze at my home and think "This doesn't work" and then I move everything around. Saturday I changed everything in my kitchen cabinets. Confusing my family who now cannot find the cereal but are grateful I left the coffee in the...

Read More >>

50 Women Game Changers (in Food) - #27 - Anne Willan - Parmesan Cheese Balls

Anne Willan has been off my radar. As a cookbook author of more than a dozen internationally acclaimed cookbooks that include From My Chateau Kitchen, Cooking with Wine, and the 17-volume, step-by-step, illustrated Look and Cook. For a more detailed listing as well as a blurb on the books, please click here. The pure romanticism in the...

Read More >>