My stove and I have the greatest time together.   I probably spend about 50% of my time in the kitchen. When we bought our house (many moons ago) the stove in the house was a tank; a double oven; cast iron grated, porcelain workhorse that we decided to keep because it was just…so…cool ..read more

I wanted to kick off 2022 with some thoughts that I believe are on a lot of minds these days. Our inboxes and newsfeeds are filled with stuff we love, but also with lots of stuff we don’t want or need. There’s so much noise. As the pandemic continues to morph, twisting and changing; as we continue to lose people we love to this virus, I confess that I have little space in my heart and mind for nonsense and silliness. Always an optimist, I believe we will see the light at the end of this tunnel, but the journey continues to be long ..read more

ProPublica published an article a couple of weeks ago that had me scratching my head in confusion. And then I got well…angry. It seems that back in May of 2018, a rare and quite virulent strain of salmonella (infantis) caught the media’s attention. In less than two months, the bacteria had made more than a dozen people sick. Strains of the bacteria were found in chicken breasts, sausages and wings during routine sampling at poultry plants.  ..read more

As the holiday season shimmers on, I am feeling sentimental this year. My family was big and loud and a bit…pazzo as we say in Italian, but they made me the woman I am and I am missing those wild holidays of my childhood. Family was everywhere all the time, it seemed. I was smothered in kisses and hugs…and food by aunts, uncles, cousins and other loved ones from dawn til dusk, holidays or not but so much more during this festive season. I am not usually one to live in the past or to get maudlin ..read more

I returned from Rome two weeks ago, after eight weeks of working in our lovely travel business, hosting gloriously fun groups of tourists from Ravello to Naples, Cortona to Rome. We followed it with two weeks’ holiday in my favorite city on earth, the Eternal City…Rome ..read more

I’m in Italy as I write this, sort of post pandemic, sort of. The streets aren’t teeming with tourists, which is great for me, but not so great for Italy’s economy. It’s bouncing back, slowly, like the rest of the world. It’s a slow and painful process, mitigated by fear, politics and misinformation, but I’m not here to write about that. I have missed this beautiful country more than I can say ..read more

This past summer has been a challenging one for me on a variety of levels. There have been tragic losses and great triumphs. But the big one? Our little family had a serious health scare on Memorial Day and I am still reeling as I write this blog. After weeks of saying WTF?!?! in my head several times a day; after weeks of questioning whatever fate brought this on us; after weeks of wondering how to put one foot in front of the other, I am ready to tell you what I have discovered ..read more

I grew up in a pretty wild, outspoken household. I was considered the wallflower because I didn’t yell (still don’t). My Italian and Irish clan was politically diverse and loved to give their opinions. They fought and debated. Then they kissed, laughed and went on with their lives until the next round. I do not often venture into political discussions and this isn’t one either, so take a breath. I am writing today about kindness…or lack of it ..read more

How are you spending the long weekend? Working? Playing? Finishing up the pandemic house projects we all seem to have started and now want done, done, done so we can enjoy the summer to come? Maybe you’ll spend the Memorial Day weekend cooking for a picnic, or prepping your grill, patio and garden to host outdoor feasts. Maybe you’ll host or attend, your first post-pandemic potluck. Maybe you’ll make some sandwiches and take them to the park or the beach ..read more

As light begins to glow at the end of the long, dark tunnel known as the worst pandemic in our lifetimes, I thought I would write about something that has turned out to be a bit…controversial. While the pandemic decimated lives (literally) and businesses, turning our lives into deep wells of isolation, despair and terror, I wondered how we would overcome this pandemic. What would we do that would give us even the smallest chance of creating a new post-pandemic life ..read more