My first tiny inkling of discrimination came when a friend’s dad said to me, “You know, your dad is the only Italian I ever liked.” I was a teenager and it left me confused. On one hand I was proud that he liked my dad, on the other, I felt bad that he felt that way. That was the first time I wondered, Was it bad to be…
I am not a couple with plans to mate today. There are no flowers, no candy and, unless I get very imaginative; no sex. So I wasn’t expecting much. I started the morning with a beautiful handmade valentine from my nephew Nate, who is five. Then I spent 2 hours on the phone with one of my best friends from college, who acted as therapist as I detailed…
I don’t know what comes over me. I had a million things to do today, half of which I got done, but something told me that since I’d fixed Jesus, it was now time to deal with St. Joseph. I don’t even go to church, why do I feel compelled to do these things? It must be a combo of residual Catholic guilt and missing my dad. I’ve…
I just attended my first Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. I’ve never seen so much cheese under one roof in my life. It was awesome. There were creams, blues, goat cheeses, cheddars, mozzarellas, Parmigiano Reggiano and cheeses rubbed with coffee, wine, and pepper (to name a few), so, of course, in the name of science, I had to try every one.…
I was in a funk most of November and December. I got my freelance work done, but didn’t have the drive to do anything except sit on the couch and watch every episode of The Gilmore Girls, while shoving food in my mouth. I didn’t want to decorate for Christmas or even bake Christmas cookies, which is like Mother Theresa not wanting to help the poor. I just had…
In Western Pennsylvania, there are traditions you just have to keep. One is pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day. I may not live there currently, but I’ll be damned if I’m giving up this tradition, it’s too good. It’s said to be good luck to eat pork on New Year’s Day because pigs root forward, so, your year will start in a positive direction, unless you’re a…
You can either live life, or write about it. This year for Christmas, I lived it. The great thing about living is you notice things like little Christmas miracles you might have overlooked. (The bad thing is your blog is late.) I lived it so well that I now have one mother of a head-cold that only responds to hot tea with lemon, honey and Rock n’Rye. I’m…
This post is for anyone stressing out over their house not being perfect for the holidays. Here’s what I know: I don’t ever remember thinking about what our tree looked like when I was very little, except that I liked to sit and watch the colored lights and play with the wise men and Jesus. I do remember our family being together around the table, talking for hours, and…
I just read an article in the LA Times about an Austrian chef who re-creates Christmas dinners like those in his homeland because he has such great memories. I loved that, instead of sinking into a depression over what he’s missing, he’s re-creating it with braised duck and roasted chestnuts. I remember forcing myself to do that the first year I spent Christmas Eve away from my large,…
Remember the nice story I wrote last week about my family loving each other because my mom was a great cook and so nurturing and wonderful? Most of the time that’s true, until it’s time for the cutthroat Annual Tunno Pumpkin Pie Contest. It commences right after Thanksgiving dinner, which is a good thing because we’re all too full to move, let alone hurt each other. I’ve only…