Becoming My Own Best Self

Yesterday at 3:22 pm

A Wow of A Light Blueberried Polenta Cake after Deborah Madison’s

From the Past, In the Kitchen, at the Table

Fifteen years ago during my singular Ojai period, I discovered this cake. My 5×5 galley kitchen was minimal—but I did have a portable mixer and a toaster oven wherein I baked this cake. It turned out to be a Wow!…

17 Apr at 1:56 pm

So How Do You Face Derision?

Musings

So how do you face derision? …cuffs to the heart… …arrows to the soul… …misreadings of the essence of your being? Me? At first I tried warmth. Interest. Lovingkindness, even. Please. Get out of my face. Then I tried…no I…

8 Apr at 6:38 pm

A 95th Birthday Party ~ and Taking A Stand

In the Kitchen, at the Table, Taking Stock

Last Sunday, April 6th, my husband turned NINETY-FIVE! Pretty terrific, wouldn’t you say? Bill was eighty when we met and married. I’ve been planning his surprise birthday party for weeks and weeks. “You’re not going to have a party for…

19 Mar at 9:20 pm

The Last Half of How We Spent Saint Patrick’s Day ~ And the Blessings Thereof

Aging Ain’t for Sissies

As this space is intended to be assorted musings about life in one’s eighties, I thought I’d quickly mention what happened to us on Monday’s holiday, as our being old was the salient factor. Bill and I are no longer…

13 Mar at 10:06 pm

Celebrate Spring with A Quintessential Springtime Vegetable Soup

From the Past, In the Kitchen, at the Table

This comes from the time I lived in a converted Spanish-style two-car garage. The space was light and airy, out the front door was a small walled garden enfolding silence and beauty, and next door a rooster welcomed mornings. Perfect…

28 Feb at 7:45 pm

Boxes of Memories

Musings

In honor of this year’s Academy Awards, I thought I’d offer this reminiscence from November 2021. When my mother, Gloria Stuart, was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Old Rose in Titanic, occasionally someone asked, What was it like, growing up with…

22 Feb at 4:03 am

I Want to Tell you About Superb and Super-Easy Polenta ~ from the Oven!

In the Kitchen, at the Table

You know polenta—savory golden cornmeal mush? Dare I say cornmeal mush from Italy is extra delicious? I’ve found polenta a side dish ideal equally for family suppers and for guests. Handsome, versatile, inexpensive, foolproof. Dependable. Traditionally, cooking polenta was a…

10 Feb at 3:13 pm

Daddy’s Crunchy Cinnamon Toast ~ Circa 1943

In the Kitchen, at the Table, Musings

This morning when I went out to fetch the newspaper, I was stunned to see ICE on the roof of our car! Hey, weather guys, don’t you know this is balmy Santa Cruz, California? Bursting back through the front door…

1 Feb at 7:58 pm

The Triumph and the Defeat… the Huzzahing and the Depressing…The Way It Goes Approaching Ninety~

Musings

Two events juxtaposed within two days. The first—the triumph—was (and please don’t think this silly) I discovered I can run! Harumph you say. What nonsense. Excuse me. I turn ninety in a few months…haven’t been able to actually run in…

24 Jan at 6:43 pm

Delectable Bucatini with What Did You Say That Was?

In the Kitchen, at the Table

Thanks to The New York Times Food section, I’ve just made three delightful discoveries. The first is the supper I made last night, a fresh, inventive dish of pasta—easy, nutritious and molto delizioso: “Bill, on a scale of one to…