Last week I made the most delicious dinner I’d ever made. And the easiest. And so satisfying that no dessert—ice cream, cookies, cheesecake or crème brulee—was necessary. Here's what it was: a T-bone steak I’d bought and frozen when they were on sale, three sliced tomatoes. mashed potatoes from 20 tiny ones I’d purchased from Stone Acres in Stonington and two ears of sweet … [Read more...] about A la Carte: You Deserve Something Special! Triple-Ginger Pound Cake Beckons
Columnists
Letter From Paris: Back to Normal in France? Not Quite …
A Cannes Film Festival turned virtual, the Roland Garros tennis tournament and Tour de France bicycle race both postponed until September? France will definitely not be the same this summer! Tourism and culture are two of the main sectors of French economy and the pandemic has inflicted a direct blow on both of them. Hundreds of festivals, sport events, art … [Read more...] about Letter From Paris: Back to Normal in France? Not Quite …
Gardening with ‘The English Lady’: Tips for August, “The Sunday of Summer”
August has always been one of my least favorite months in the garden; but plentiful spring has resulted in bountiful fragrance, bloom and foliage. We have such a short blooming and growing season here in New England that any extra time to have a good-looking border is much appreciated. However, by this time in the season, there are always a few gaps to fill in with annuals … [Read more...] about Gardening with ‘The English Lady’: Tips for August, “The Sunday of Summer”
A la Carte: Savor a Taste of Summer in Chipotle Pasta Salad with Mozzarella
Remember Willard Scott from the Today show? I saw him a few years ago at a Sunday brunch at the Saybrook Point Inn. I always liked his birthday wishes to anyone over 100 years, sponsored by Smucker’s. I also laughed at his “best ever,” wherever he was broadcasting. The “best pancake” he ever had, the “best meatloaf” in all of Indiana, the most “beautiful sunshine” in … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Savor a Taste of Summer in Chipotle Pasta Salad with Mozzarella
A la Carte: Love Linguine? Just Add Spinach, Lemon Cream, Parmesan to Make a Delicious Dish!
It was a nice week with more company at home in four days than I have had in the last four months. Tuesday evening, I had five friends for dinner. We are all good friends, all five from Lyme, and all but I had spent a bit of time together. I had visited one couple twice over one month. My dining room table is very large and, while we could converse, it was too big for us to … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Love Linguine? Just Add Spinach, Lemon Cream, Parmesan to Make a Delicious Dish!
A la Carte: Friday Means Fish: How About Healthy, but also Delicious ‘Poached Cod in Tomato Curry’?
I still have not had an ear of sweet corn, but the farm stands do seem to be in high cotton*. (*I have actually never used that phrase, but I have been reading novels that take place in Virginia lately, and one person used “high cotton,” so I looked up the phrase and, originally, it meant that the crops, usually cotton, were doing particularly well, so I thought I would use … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Friday Means Fish: How About Healthy, but also Delicious ‘Poached Cod in Tomato Curry’?
A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 4: The Cold War Heats Up
Editor’s Note: This the third part of Thomas Gotowka’s series titled “Great Leaders and Great Speeches.’ The previous three parts can be found at these links: A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 1 A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 2 A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 3: The Cold War Part 3 … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 4: The Cold War Heats Up
Reading Uncertainly: ‘Voyaging with Marionette’ by Ron Breault of Old Lyme
A quarter century ago, an elderly sailor glimpses an attractive middle-aged lady relaxing on the shore of the Connecticut River. She’s a bit disheveled; her skirt is torn, revealing a bit of what’s underneath, but she’s lovely! He’s immediately smitten, and, like Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, the sailor decides he must have an affair. The sailor is Ron Breault, an Old Lyme … [Read more...] about Reading Uncertainly: ‘Voyaging with Marionette’ by Ron Breault of Old Lyme
A la Carte: Last Week, Pesto, This Week, Pasta … But ‘e Fagiole!’
It was a nice week: a little rain, a lot of sunshine, my first trip to the beach and low humidity. One evening, friends and I had dinner at Filomena’s, outside under a big tent, and listened to the New London Big Band, minus about six members, play mellow jazz. The decibels of the speakers were just right, it threatened to rain but didn’t and the food, as usual, was yummy. I … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Last Week, Pesto, This Week, Pasta … But ‘e Fagiole!’
A la Carte: Pesto is Perfect for Pasta … and More
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
Legal News You Can Use: I Am Me — The Feminine Side of Lawyering
Having a female lawyer can provide a level of personal comfort for some clients. Similar to seeking a female doctor, prospective clients routinely consider gender when seeking a lawyer’s legal advice and advocacy. I am female and I am a lawyer, and oftentimes, clients say to me “I called you because I need to speak to a female about what has happened to me: only a woman will … [Read more...] about Legal News You Can Use: I Am Me — The Feminine Side of Lawyering
Gardening with ‘The English Lady’: Tips for July, a Month That Offers ‘A Blind Date With Summer’
"July is a blind date with summer," says Hal Borland. Such a wonderful description of a beautiful month, so let's take a walk in the garden! WATERING Watering is so important during the heat of summer. If you planted trees or shrubs this spring, particularly evergreens, these plants require extra moisture to establish a strong root system. We have had an abundant … [Read more...] about Gardening with ‘The English Lady’: Tips for July, a Month That Offers ‘A Blind Date With Summer’
A la Carte: Luscious Lamb Never Disappoints
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
A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 3: The Cold War
Editor's Note: This the third part of Thomas Gotowka's series titled "Great Leaders and Great Speeches.' The previous two parts can be found at these links: A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 1 A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 2 Part 2 concluded with President Truman’s decision to use the atom bomb to bring the war with … [Read more...] about A View from My Porch: Great Leaders and Great Speeches, Part 3: The Cold War
A la Carte: Not Your Normal Nachos … a Dipping Party with a Difference
Last week, on Facebook, a friend sent me a terrific party idea that had me dreaming how much fun it would be. In a dining room (my friend says it is not her dining room table), someone plastic-wrapped an entire top of a dining room table, then dumped many big packages of tortilla chips around all the edges of the table. In the center, there were big bowls of chopped … [Read more...] about A la Carte: Not Your Normal Nachos … a Dipping Party with a Difference