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!
Columnists
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
A la Carte: A Better Bit of Brisket Made for a Super Seder
It was such a nice seder for Passover 2021. My friend Lisa and Eric invited six of us, all but eight of us vaccinated twice, the others soon to get their second. We played boules for a couple of hours; I hadn’t seen Jacques, the Hopkins or the Yavaris for over a year. In addition to appetizers including home-made latkes, along with gefilte fish and chopped liver, we drank … [Read more...] about A la Carte: A Better Bit of Brisket Made for a Super Seder
Reading Uncertainly? ‘American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence’ by Pauline Maier
Have we over-sanctified the American past in the last 50 years? It may well be, argues Pauline Maier, a professor of history at MIT, in her now-classic analysis of the creation of our Declaration of Independence. Three key documents epitomize the start of “these” United States: the Declaration, the Constitution, and its following initial amendments, the Bill of Rights. They … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly? ‘American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence’ by Pauline Maier
A la Carte: Smart Spice Veggie Soup Goes Easy on Calories, But Big on Taste
I had such a lovely weekend in Newburyport, Mass., two weeks ago. My granddaughter Casey, a junior at UMass-Amherst, is still in on campus learning in-person, but Sydney, whose 26th birthday we were celebrating, was there, as was middle-granddaughter Laurel, a tennis teacher/elementary school teacher. We all met at my daughter-in-law’s house and my son, Peter (the two are … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Smart Spice Veggie Soup Goes Easy on Calories, But Big on Taste
A la Carte: Crepes Cake is Beyond Delicious
I guess I thought, once I had had my second dose of COVID vaccine, plus waited the two-plus week to make sure I was safe from the infection and to be around people, but still safely masked most of the time, friends old or older than I could go out to dinner, in a restaurant. I was wrong. Nobody wanted to go out and play. I am still reading two to three books a week, … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Crepes Cake is Beyond Delicious
A View from My Porch: Is it Time for Americans to Acknowledge Climate Change?
Last April, LymeLine.com published a “Primer on Global Warming and Climate Change” Since that time, there has been a change in Presidential leadership; and, in January, the United States transitioned from a science-averse, to a science-centric Executive Branch, which may have an impact on how the Country views climate change. This essay is a “refresh” of the April essay, … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Is it Time for Americans to Acknowledge Climate Change?
Gardening Tips for March from The English Lady: Spring is in the Air, Making it a Busy Month in the Garden
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
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