Opera for the People
Like so many people, I’d pooh-poohed opera, but then I realized, maybe it’s just because I hadn’t really paid attention to it. The only exposure to opera I’d had was to satires of it, such as the “Kill the Wabbit” Wagner Ring spoof sung by Elmer Fudd. The doorway in for me was a serenely … Read more
Celebrate the New Year with Americana
Sure, you could ring in the new year with some California “champagne,” or Italian prosecco, or even if you can afford it, real champagne from the Champagne region of France. But I propose a less expensive, tastier, and more historic celebratory beverage: hard cider. Cider used to be the beverage of choice for most Americans … Read more
Pizza Nite at Palazzo Pisano (Food, Art + Love)
Menu: Home made pizza (including the crust) Wine (including champagne during preparation, a must) Salad (with homemade crotons + homemade dressing) Partners in crime: Suz and Tom Pisano (happy accomplice Me) So I invited myself over to Suz and Tom’s place after a missed opportunity to eat pizza and wine the week before, I was … Read more
Piano, 32 Years Later
I took piano lessons from age 8-11, until my teacher moved away. His name was Dean, and I know now that he was a very accomplished musician, but I didn’t appreciate him at the time. As a pre-teen, I was super self-conscious and this got in the way of everything, as did my budding perfectionism. … Read more
Living with a House Bunny
Butter (full name: Butter Buns Sutton) comes from Lollypop Farm animal shelter outside Rochester, New York. Believe it or not, she is my first adulthood pet. My family had two pet store bunnies when I was a kid, and that was kind of a disaster. (For starters, they’d assured us they were both female … … Read more
Grandma’s Ravioli = Cute Men in the Kitchen
Not sure what is sexier than men cooking. I really don’t. I had dinner at the lovely new home of Tim and Suz Pisano recently. Tim: amazing sculptor, painter, etc. and Suz: amazing designer of fashion, bags, hats, etc. Well there was a major ravioli making fest happening. Including the making of fresh dough for … Read more
Monarch caterpillars
Hatching monarch caterpillars is a tradition in my family and a year hasn’t gone by since we haven’t talked about seeing a monarch caterpillar or discussed how many chrysalis we have hatched. Once I moved to the Hudson Valley I was a little worried that the monarch butterflies didn’t exist here. The first couple of … Read more
Hurricane Irene can’t have all the fun
Here in the Northeast, we’re bracing for rough weather. Up in the Hudson Valley, we won’t have it as bad as people on, say Long Island, or the Outer Banks, but power outages are still a definite possibility. So what’s a powerless girl to do on a rainy day? First stock up on candles (tapers … Read more
Camping supplies
What is it about camping that makes it so wonderful? Is it the fresh air, cooking over the fire, the freedom? I actually can’t pin point exactly why I love camping so much, I just know that during the warmer months it is always in the back of my mind. Before you head out the … Read more
On the 5th Day…we had Hol-e Mole: Chicken/$5/5/5
Day 5 Chicken Hol-e Mole Since I like to leave the dark meat for the tacos, I look for other ways to use the white meat. Again on the Mexican vibe, mole. Love the stuff. Now no this is not “Like Water for Chocolate” so I am not going to give a mole recipe … Read more
