I am back from a glorious trip through Italy, well rested and sun kissed. And probably also about 10 pounds heavier, which I will shamelessly attribute to le bébé. Honestly. I swear it had nothing at all to do with this: or this: or this: That last one there was technically sorbet (melon and lemon), which…
I am from Maryland. Which inherently means I can take down a dozen or so blue crabs without batting an eye. I love the ritual: sitting for hours on some hot, sticky back porch, a perfect pile of crustaceans steaming on the newsprint in front of you and a cold beer handy for when the…
It’s no secret that I love butter. Mostly in pastry form, but it’s also divine added to freshly popped pop corn or a plain old crusty end of baguette. I’ve been known to throw a few extra tablespoons into my chocolate chip cookie dough, just for good luck. A small pat smooshed with minced garlic…
So yesterday I told you about our Indonesian-Dutch waiter handing over with much glee his top two places to get fries in Amsterdam. Today I’m going to tell you about the ensuing quest for perfect frites. But first things first: let’s talk about what exactly you consider a perfect french fry: Thick and hand cut?…
Today I want to share the experience of walking through the Saint Germain neighborhood on a crisp spring-ish day, only to find an odd sign for a sandwich shop called “Cosi.” That’s funny, you think to yourself. Just like the chain back home. Then you hear opera music wafting over the tousled heads of the…
Husband turns thirty-something today. I say thirty-something because he’s feeling old (older than me!) and not spelling out the exact state of his aged-ness might soften the blow a bit. But just in case, I prepared him a chocolate peanut butter pie in which to drown all of his old-person sorrows. And since his sorrows…
Since I’ve been spending such a good deal of time lately complaining about the grocery stores here, I thought I’d take a minute and share my idea of the perfect food shopping experience, complements of the riverside Sunday market in Bordeaux: 1. Garlic shrimp grilled to oder. To fortify you before shopping. 2. Plenty of…
It’s cold here in Paris. And I don’t think I’ve seen the sun in, oh, almost 3 weeks. I know I won’t garner much sympathy, what with a major blizzard slamming the midwest. And the fact that I am still in Paris. But it’s getting depressing around here! It’s endlessly gray and dismal, and they’ve…
A day in the life of a newly pregnant me: Get up early to do new years resolution yoga. Stop halfway through to eat an orange. Lie prone on the couch for a while. Eat breakfast #1. Eat breakfast #2. Shower, feel refreshed, make a to-do list. Finish first item on the list then promptly…
Fresh off a lite lunch of roasted chicken and potatoes, Husband and I were strolling through Hemingway’s old neighborhood when we rounded the corner and came face to face with this: Well, something like that. I was too busy smooshing my face up to the window of the fabulous Sugar Plum Cake Shop to take…
Unlikely Diplomat 