I get excited about baking and cooking, like some people get about shopping or vacations. It’s a sickness; and my two brothers, two sisters-in-law, several nephews, a niece-in-law, and my kids, share it. Nuclear annihilation could be imminent…and all someone has to say is, “I could go for a little more of that pasta we had for dinner, wasn’t that good?” And the floodgates open: “Yeah, wow the…
Thank God the holidays are over. I can finally stop baking. Who am I kidding? I never stop baking. Here’s proof. I just stayed up until 12:30 a.m. baking cookies for my sister-in-law’s birthday. Today is January 6th. Her birthday was October 7th. But that’s why I had to bake cookies, I rationalized. This way she’ll know she’s special even though I’m three months late. They’re restitution cookies.…
Not every Christmas gift has to be one a child craves… some can be symbolic, like the one I just left under the tree for both my kids. My daughter was having a crisis of confidence a few weeks ago, before finals and holidays. She burst into tears over an avalanche of schoolwork she put off, and put off, until it became overwhelming. She didn’t want to tell…
My most vivid memory of my mom takes me back to Saint Joseph’s Elementary School and the cultural event of the year, the Christmas play. In first grade, Jan Rigatoni (not her real name) got to portray a “cute toy doll” sitting in Santa’s lap. She wore a beautiful light blue dress with a big bow in the back and a very fluffy petticoat AND she had a…