When you spend three weeks on an unbridled culinary adventure through France, Israel and Spain there are many, many stories to tell.  Of course, there are museums and family visits and landmarks to explore, but when you are traveling with my clan, who specializes in coordinating all travel events around the food, there is so much more.  Who else makes the 400 kilometer journey from Madrid to the unforgettable Basque country for a lunch date, albeit one at the memorable Mugaritz, the number four restaurant in the world?  Yes, there are stories to tell and images to follow.  And I promise, I will tell them all.  I have been back in the States less than a week and I still have trouble processing all the flavors.  All the sights.  All the food.

But really, truly and honestly, I can’t …Read on

In my last post I announced fruits and veggies would be on my mind, and so I have been thinking about pineapples. I feel they’ve been shamed in my sub-tropical turf of South Florida: they keep appearing packaged in odd, cylindrical shafts in the supermarket: peeled, cored and ruined of outer beauty, all for the unbeatable price of $5.99. The pineapple, known to scientists as ananas comosus, has a rich and long history, dating back to its origins in Southern Brazil and Paraguay before the Spanish explorers got wind of this delectable fruit when they reached the new land. After the Spaniards got in on things, they took it back to Europe where it made its way to the Phillipines and eventually Hawaii. The rest is history. And that’s history I don’t want to see pre-packaged …Read on

What she didn’t know is that I dream of being a fish, a dolphin, a whale; anything slick and fast that navigates easily through salty waters, pushing all worries away.  Night after night after night I’d become this aquatic creature and slip through miles upon miles of space with only speed serving as my guide.  Occasionally I stir things up a bit and jump to the surface, sporadically breaking the wall of water for a moment of bright blue sky, hot sun, and prowling birds.  But that is gone in an instant, because once again I dive low and deep and swim, swim, swim, fast and furiously.

“You’re here practically every day, honey” she noted, slightly amused.  She was an older woman from one of the islands and she’d been working here for years, parked between produce and …Read on

It all started simply enough, as, I suppose these things usually do and then quickly and sloppily exploded into its own life force, as, I suppose, these things usually do. A subtle vibrating of my cell phone and that was it. I was lost, irrevocably, hopelessly lost. Only I didn’t know it yet. Up until then my cell phone had only been for, obtusely enough, phone calls. I stared at its tiny frame in complete confusion. Was that a missed voicemail message? Did I change my ring tone? The unfamiliar noise gently prodded me to poke around the menu of my ancient Nokia to see what else lay within its neglected screen. The icons glistened with excitement as my clumsy fingers roughly navigated over them in a desperate attempt to solve the …Read on

It’s been a dreary week for us here in South Florida. Early mornings begin soaking wet and seem to continue the same pattern for the rest of the day. This may be okay for folks in Norway or our Brit friends across the pond, but, for delegates of the Sunshine State, endless drizzle mixed with downpour doesn’t sit well. On the other hand, there is something downright comforting about rainy days (when you aren’t caught in the midst of it with a broken umbrella). Nature’s wrath begs us to seek shelter and suddenly, the confines of our home instantly becomes more inviting. Inside we are dry and safe and eating a good meal tastes even more delicious.I always crave carbs when it rains. Maybe it’s my caveman instinct of hunkering down that calls …Read on