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Birthday List
In celebration of my birthday month, I was going to come up with a cake to share, but then I remembered someone else will whip one up. Instead, I am sharing a list of things I adore. Of course I treasure my favorite people, intellectual exchange, true kindness…this is not that list. These are some of the simple pleasures. I hope you will celebrate along with me by enjoying something off my list. (And if you happen to whip up a cake, find me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and share it!) Lobster rolls with lots of butter. Now top that with some more butter. Oh yum. Rainbow sprinkles, especially…
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Grow Something
Small, and sometimes secret, spaces make the best spots for growing. Acres of fields have their vast beauty, but I have always been drawn to the figs peeking out of a city garden or the potted olive tree. The most flavorful produce is often grown right where you live. It’s hard to get much more fresh than ripe, just-picked tomatoes, and the sweetest, albeit tiniest, strawberries I’ve ever eaten were from a plant I grew at the age of six. Whether you care for a lone berry plant or commit yourself to the summer-long haul of coaxing vegetable vines upward in a narrow yard, find a place to grow something.…
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Kitchen Moves
Cooking is a vein that runs through my family. When my great-grandfather arrived from Italy, he opened a butcher shop and became known for having the best sausage in the neighborhood. While the store has long since closed, its legacy carries on through stories and the ongoing quest to recreate its recipes. We talk about the short-sightedness of not writing such things down, but it tests the memory of those who actually tasted them. They will know if we ever achieve the right combination of pork fat and spices. Beyond those who worked for the butcher shop, many became dedicated to baking and perfecting recipes within the home. Rarely did…
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Valentine’s Day Inspiration
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and I have to admit that it’s my favorite holiday. As a child, I was thrilled to head off to school with a heart-shaped bag my mother would sew out of a few pieces of red patterned fabric, and which I would stuff with little notes for everyone. Two hearts sewn together simply with a handle long enough to hang off my shoulder. Perfection. Of all the holidays, Valentine’s Day can be fraught with disappointment for those expecting declarations, gifts, and romantic messages. The greatest love letters come at random times, with motivations often ranging from loss to apologetic desire. Consider the closing lines of…
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Foxes, Burning Love & Venus
Image: Shimomura Kanzan / Public Domain / Wikimedia If a bowl of kitsune udon is your ideal comfort food, you may have the palate of a fox. According to Japanese legend, foxes (kitsune) adore fried tofu, which is why your dish of udon topped with the thin golden slices bears their name. While eating my way through the weekend, I learned this tidbit, which is the kind of fact that makes me enjoy what I’m eating even more. Inside the red gates of an Inari shrine, fried tofu may sit beside fox statues as offerings to messengers of the Shinto deity. Not all foxes are benevolent, but even those that…
food + love + creativity
