March is a month of ‘wait and see’ as we anticipate walking around our gardens. This morning I walked outside, into a southwesterly breeze and a pleasantly warm sun. I took a deep breath and as I did, I caught the rich fragrance of the soil beginning to awaken. All of us are itching to get into the garden and I believe that foray will be earlier than last year owing to our … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for March from The English Lady: Spring is in the Air, Making it a Busy Month in the Garden
Columnists
A la Carte: Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice is ‘Good and Easy’
This was another interesting food and friend weekend. I began the week with a Milton cauliflower pizza, which lasted for two evenings. I also finished up the beef stew topped with some quinoa I’d cooked and refrigerated. I like playing with quinoa. Then I made a sheet pan dinner that also lasted for two night. This time I placed parchment paper on the sheet before I added … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice is ‘Good and Easy’
A la Carte: There’s Always Something to Celebrate with Red Velvet Cake
I have not seen my son, daughter-in-law and their three grown daughters since Thanksgiving of 2019. I missed another Thanksgiving, Christmases, Greek Easters and many birthdays. But Sydney, my second oldest granddaughter, will celebrate her March 16 birthday with her nuclear family and me in Newburyport, Mass. I will bring dinner, probably Pasta Bolognese, a big salad, lots … [Read more...] about A la Carte: There’s Always Something to Celebrate with Red Velvet Cake
Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Survival of the Bark Canoe’ by John McPhee
John McPhee, the ever-curious observer, listener, and recorder, has written and published some 30 books, exploring almost every facet of human existence. I’ve just re-read one of his earliest, and best, from 1975, an ode to, of all things, the canoe. Attracted to the water at an early age, he confesses “the canoe ... is the most beautifully simple of all vehicles.” So it is … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘The Survival of the Bark Canoe’ by John McPhee
A la Carte: Apples for the Asking
This was another fun food week. I am, as I mentioned before, tired of my own food. With few exceptions, I am eating my own food almost every day since the end of last March. Oh, sure, some takeout, but it is expensive and not a whole lot better than what I can make at home. Okay, it can be a whole lot better than I can make at home. But BTP (before the pandemic), I … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Apples for the Asking
A la Carte: Crispy Peanut-Chile Chicken with Sweet Potatoes … to Love!
I was so thrilled with the roasted sweet potato pie I made last week, that I decided to use sweet potatoes again for a recipe I found in an almost-two-year-old magazine I was about to toss. This time the recipe called for chicken and sweet potatoes, with the addition of peanut butter and hot chiles. I had an appointment with my primary doctor in the afternoon (after I … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Crispy Peanut-Chile Chicken with Sweet Potatoes … to Love!
Legal News You Can Use: Construction Worker’s Death Illustrates Dangers Within Industry
The January death of a Connecticut construction worker exemplifies the risks, hazards and dangers faced by people employed within this industry. Serious and fatal injuries are not uncommon among construction workers. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 5,333 U.S. workers who died on the job in 2019, nearly 20 percent of the deaths – 1,061 – … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: Construction Worker’s Death Illustrates Dangers Within Industry
A View from My Porch: The Marquis, Groucho, Sam … and Me
There are several events in American history for which I will always recall where I was, and what I was doing, on those dates. I just added the Jan. 6, 2021 violent attack on the Capitol by domestic terrorists, provoked by a defeated president at the end of his term, to my personal list of infamous events. Given the above, I decided to reconfirm my values; and so I am … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: The Marquis, Groucho, Sam … and Me
A la Carte: A Duo of Delicious Desserts for Dreary Days
As promised, as part of February’s Black History Month, I get a chance to make two recipes for this column. The banana pudding with vanilla wafers has been a favorite for a very long time. As a matter of fact, some years ago I went to a slumber party at Ginger Smiley’s house and we were asked to make our favorite-ever dessert. Mine was a banana pudding. (Ginger, never to be … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Duo of Delicious Desserts for Dreary Days
A la Carte: Celebrate Black History Month by Making ‘Peace Through (Puerto Rican-Style Shepherd’s) Pie,’
Even though I was born in New York State, and went to college there, too, I have always considered myself a New England girl. My husband and I met in New York City and we lived in New Jersey for a few years, but as soon as we could, we moved to New England, first to Massachusetts and then to our home in Connecticut. I have always had a subscription to Yankee magazine and we … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Celebrate Black History Month by Making ‘Peace Through (Puerto Rican-Style Shepherd’s) Pie,’
Gardening Tips for February from ‘The English Lady’: So Much to Decide, So Much to Do This Month
This winter, as in other winters, when I need a blossom boost, I have enjoyed the fragrance of paper white narcissus that I planted in tall glass vases. I surrounded the bulbs with seashells from White Sand Beach here in Old Lyme and kept them in a dark cool area keeping them moist as the roots developed. When the bulb foliage reached about six inches, I introduced the … [Read more...] about Gardening Tips for February from ‘The English Lady’: So Much to Decide, So Much to Do This Month
A la Carte: Pork in a Pandemic, Roasted with Sauerkraut Gives Lots of Leftovers
The pandemic has certainly made my days and weeks disappear. Has it really been almost 11 months since our children went to school? Last January, would we have understood the phrase “remote learning”? Would we have known what the heck this thing called Zoom is? Most seasons used to involve food. April meant that first sweet radish, sliced thin on sweet buttered French … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Pork in a Pandemic, Roasted with Sauerkraut Gives Lots of Leftovers
Reading Uncertainly? ‘Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science’ by Richard Dawkins
“But I digress ...” Ostensibly a continuation of his autobiography, this engrossing and superbly entertaining ramble by Dr. Dawkins, the noted Oxford zoologist, biologist, and humanist, stretches your knowledge and imagination. Is it possible to read an autobiography that is self-acknowledged as a, “Series of flashbacks, divided into themes, punctuated by digressions and … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science’ by Richard Dawkins
A la Carte: Something Different for Breakfast? Try These Savory Muffins
Hopefully, by the time you read this, I will have an appointment for my first (and maybe my second) COVID vaccine, although that may not be the case. My last missive from VAMS (Vaccine Administration Management System) says, "Thank you for registering ... If you have not gotten that notice ... " How in heaven’s sake would someone know that they had not gotten that note if … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Something Different for Breakfast? Try These Savory Muffins
A View from My Porch: Thoughts on the Occasion of the Inauguration
At noon on this past Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, President-elect Joseph R. Biden was inaugurated in a ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol. This was the culminating event in what has been a hostile transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to President Biden. The Environment: The then President Trump had claimed, repeatedly and without evidence, that the … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Thoughts on the Occasion of the Inauguration