I had promised to send you my friend Stacie’s flan recipe, but time, as often, got away from me last week. Perhaps I was dreaming about a book I just finished reading, “We Begin at the End,” a sort-of growing up and murder mystery recommended by my good buddy, Rick Koster of The Day. Or maybe I was thinking about a new novel I am reading now, “The Plot,” written by an … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Special Soup for Summer … Asparagus, of Course!
Columnists
A View from My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock Part 3 — The Rock and Roll War
Editor's Note: This is the third column by Tom Gotowka under the heading, 'Epic Poems of Folk and Rock.' Find Part I at this link and Part II at this one. I continue the “epic poems” theme in this essay, but shift to the epic works of conflict; focusing on the rock and roll genre, as influenced by the Vietnam War. In review, Part 1 presented several works of folk music … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock Part 3 — The Rock and Roll War
Gardening Tips for May from ‘The English Lady’: A Feast of Color Highlights the Merry Month of May
OLD LYME -- The darling buds of May” is such an apt phrase for one of the most enchanting months, bloom on bulbs and trees and the fresh foliage on trees winking in the sun. By now, you have probably removed most of the winter debris, pruned broken branches and re-edged borders. Do not however, apply that spring layer of composted manure as the soil needs to warm up to 60 … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for May from ‘The English Lady’: A Feast of Color Highlights the Merry Month of May
A la Carte: These Chicken Lettuce Wraps (After PF Chang’s) Make Perennially Popular Hors D’Oeuvres
I can’t remember a more beautiful couple of weeks in May. Years ago my husband and I would charter a sailboat in the Caribbean for a week in the winter. The mornings were cool in the morning, warm and cloudless in the afternoons and out of nowhere a cloudburst would appear for just 15 minutes. After that it was clear and sunny for a few hours and cooled down … [Read more...] about A la Carte: These Chicken Lettuce Wraps (After PF Chang’s) Make Perennially Popular Hors D’Oeuvres
A la Carte: Surprise! Creamy Cauliflower Rice with Shrimp is a Winning Combo
I used to write about the surprises I often find in my garage freezer. I used to call it Lee’s Freezer Diary. The truth is that if I kept a diary, perhaps there wouldn’t be surprises, since the freezer often looked like Fibber McGee’s closet. (For those younger-than-me readers, it was a radio show in the 50s and maybe in early television in the 60s. Fairly often, Fibber’s … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Surprise! Creamy Cauliflower Rice with Shrimp is a Winning Combo
Reading Uncertainly? One Old Man Reads Another — Kloman Reviews Angell’s Latest
What can I say? One old man reading another! Roger Angell, the prolific editor and author from the pages of The New Yorker, begins by calling his latest book “a dog’s breakfast, because that’s what this book is. A mélange, a grab bag, a plate of hors d’oeuvres, a teenager’s closet, a bit of everything. A dog’s breakfast.” Letters, essays from the magazine, the odd haiku, … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? One Old Man Reads Another — Kloman Reviews Angell’s Latest
A View From My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock Part 2
In my previous essay, I discussed a few contemporary works of folk music, that, in my opinion, are natural successors to the epic poems of antiquity. I continue the “epic poems” theme in this essay, but shift to the epic works of conflict; focusing on the rock and roll genre, as influenced by the Vietnam War, which remains in my memory as a chaotic and tragic period of American … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock Part 2
A la Carte: Linguini with Rhubarb and Parmesan is a Perfect Combo, Who Knew?
I am wild about rhubarb. I had wonderful friends who had an enormous rhubarb patch. When they were younger, they would bring arms full of the ruby and green fruit to me so I could make strawberry-rhubarb pies and puddings. (Yes, I know, rhubarb is a vegetable, just as tomatoes are a fruit, but we are free to call them whatever we like!) They also showed me how to “stew” … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Linguini with Rhubarb and Parmesan is a Perfect Combo, Who Knew?
A la Carte: Pasta, Pesto … and Chicken!
I woke up to this sun-filled morning and decided that, for dinner, I wanted pasta with the basil pesto I still have from last summer’s batch. I am happy just with pasta, but my body didn’t need, with its still pandemic 20 (extra pounds), five or six ounces of pasta. I wondered if I still had Pam Anderson’s How to Cook Without a Book on how to make a thin chicken cutlet to … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Pasta, Pesto … and Chicken!
Letter From Paris: Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral Symbolizes Hope for Both France, the World
April 15, 2021 was the second anniversary of the fire, which ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and also the day when France reached 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. President Emmanuel Macron of France stressed that the reconstruction of the cathedral will be the symbol his country's rebound from the pandemic. Before giving the latest update of the most recent restoration … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral Symbolizes Hope for Both France, the World
Legal News You Can Use: What To Do After a Car Accident
Even though someone else’s reckless or negligent behavior may have caused you to suffer a car accident, there is no guarantee that you will receive the compensation you need to cover the costs of your injuries. A car accident involving medical injuries can cost thousands of dollars, so how can you be sure you are doing what is necessary to secure the best possible … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: What To Do After a Car Accident
Gardening Tips for April from The English Lady:
Those April showers that come our way They bring the flowers that bloom in May And when it’s raining, lets not forget, It isn’t raining rain at all, its raining violets April is the month of activity in the garden, and our old nemesis, the weeds, are beginning to rear their heads, so before we actually begin to extract the little devils before they get too large or strong, … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for April from The English Lady:
A la Carte: Celebrate the Season with Spring Green Spaghetti Carbonara
There was snow in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, according to friends and family who live in those places, but not here (crossing fingers here for the next month or so). But there has been rain, and lots of it, for the beginning of April. Now it has been glorious, except for that night that dropped to 28 degrees. But to me it is spring. I bought a … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Celebrate the Season with Spring Green Spaghetti Carbonara
A la Carte: Savor a Hint of Hungarian with Chicken Paprikash
Last Saturday night, for the first time since March of 2020, I had dinner inside a restaurant. My stepdaughter, who is bicoastal (spends two weeks in Boston and the other two at her home in San Francisco), drove down and we had dinner at the Water Street Café. My friend Amy is chef-ing there while owner/chef Walter Houlihan rehabs from a broken leg, and Walter’s wife, … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Savor a Hint of Hungarian with Chicken Paprikash
A View From My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock, Part I
In this essay, I posit that many works of contemporary folk and rock music are the natural successors of the epic poems of antiquity. In support of that hypothesis, I begin with a brief review of the epic genre; and then, discuss a few contemporary works that I feel meet the epic standard. The Epic Poem: An epic is a long, narrative poem that chronicles the extraordinary … [Read more...] about A View From My Porch: Epic Poems of Folk and Rock, Part I