Nibbles

I am amazed how friends have managed to get tasks done during this pandemic isolation. The Fitzgerald's garden looks like something out of a French painting with pots of herbs on the fence,  homemade cushions with seating for friends and two gorgeous cocker spaniels lazing on my legs, adding to the ambience. The Robertson's grass look like a golf course and their … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Pesto is Perfect for Pasta … and More

This was a rather lovely week -- I actually spent an hour on a beach chair on the patio, reading and watching the birds on my feeders. I thought I had seen a Baltimore oriole, so I went to Johnson’s Hardware and bought a curlicue feeder that I could thread oranges, since I knew orioles like oranges. At the same time, I filled the hummingbird feeder. Mostly I saw a lot of … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Luscious Lamb Never Disappoints

Well, summer is here, but it doesn’t seem as if the music is “Under the Boardwalk” or “Polka Dot Bimini.” At Eastern Point Beach, where I live in the City of Groton, weekends will only be open to City residents. There will be no day passes to the glorious beach and Town of Groton, Noank, half of Mystic and Groton Long Point will have to sun bathe and play with their … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Forget the Calories and Savor Every Bite of a Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwich!

Oh, my, it was a long-overdue restaurant week and perhaps it will never be a forever restaurant week. But those restaurants lucky enough to have an outdoor space may now see our faces, and we theirs. Yes, it is still distancing and wearing masks and will be so until there is a vaccine that works and is available for everyone. But last week was wonderful. Last Wednesday I met … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Princess Calls it ‘Filthy, Sexy Mush’ … So Much More Exotic Than ‘Zucchini Pasta Sauce’!

I grew up in a house where, if something needed fixed, my mother called someone. My brother also grew up in the same house and, generally speaking, he didn’t learn how to fix things, either. I went to college and majored in English. My brother went to MIT undergraduate and then got himself a masters and Ph.D. in metallurgy at RPI.  I married a man, who also majored in … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Going to Grill, But No Idea What? How About Bourbon- & Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

I remember the first time I went to the Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in New York City. I had taken the train into the city, grabbed a cab and arrived at 10 in the morning. It is the biggest food convention in America and I thought I could see everything in one day. By early afternoon I was bushed and my feet hurt. It was lunch time and I  picked up a sandwich  On my … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is Perfect for Parties!

Okay, as I write this, I am home for the sixth week.  Each day seems a little easier. I like my condo. I love my cat (although I miss my Elderlee, who died in December). I eat when I want to, which seems to be more likely twice a day. I wake up and feed the cat around 7:30, watch MSNBC for an hour (why is it that I seem to like Mika and Joe more than I used to?) Then I … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Peek in the Pantry, You Likely Have all the Ingredients for Tasty Trail Mix Cookies!

Since this shelter-in-place began in March, I have been frantic about getting tested. I knew it might not do much good, but without being tested, there was no yardstick to find out how many people might be sick. Our illustrious president, at the beginning of his press briefings, said anyone who wanted to be tested would be. Of course, he was lying. But a couple of weeks ago, … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Asparagus & Tomato Frittata Tempts the (Locked-Down) Tastebuds

Well, it has been an interesting two weeks.  I spend quite a time on Facebook with friends and family. My family seems fine. My brother and I do not talk often. This has little to do with the fact that we are not close. I like him and he likes me, but eight years is a big number. He went to college when I was nine and, except for vacations, he never really came back to Troy. … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Something Special for Easter? How About Sweet Honey Chicken with a Hint of Curry?

As I write this column, I am using Tylenol to tamp down my fever that spiked to 100.4 last night. I wanted to stay in bed this morning, but Junie, my only cat, had another idea. So I got up, fed her, changed her water dish, added water and ice cubes to my own water bottle, and made tea. I feel much better now. I am quite sure what I have is just a little bug—no sore throat, no … [Read more...] about A la Carte: In This Time of Crisis, We All Need (American Indian) Soup for the Soul

The other Sunday, I drove to the Mystic Marriott to judge the chocolate gala to benefit Fairview in Groton, I used to call rest homes like Fairview old persons’ homes.  Now that I am actually an old person, there are other names that sound nicer, like independent or assisted living. Some years ago a friend told me that when she gets old, she wants to be at Fairview, with its … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Pepperoni Pasta is Easy to Prep, Delicious to Eat