I wrote this piece for a food writing course at JMU, and then adapted some of it for a newspaper article about cookie exchanges. Date Nut Pinwheels are my absolute favorite Christmas cookie, for they are soft, subtly sweet and sentimental. I hope you enjoy. Dozens of tins cover the wooden table in the dining … Continue reading Grandpa Bob’s Date Nut Pinwheel Cookies
Majestic horses, beautiful friends and wonderful food made my Saturday complete. Watching the Montpelier Hunt Races has become a tradition for my family and friends, and this year's day of tailgating was perfect, with unusually warm weather and plenty of sun relieving us of coats that we'd brought, just in case. You never know what … Continue reading Annual Montpelier Hunt Races + Agua de Valencia, Butternut Squash Galette
Remember that delicious loaf of whole wheat bread I made a few weeks back? The one with the HUGE hole running through? The hole certainly didn't affect the taste, but besides being an eyesore, it caused peanut butter and jelly's to become a sticky mess oozing from the bread. And really, that's just not acceptable. … Continue reading How to make a better loaf of bread and other baking lessons from King Arthur Flour
Not everything turns out well the first time around. And sometimes, when you're taking up a new project that has the tendency to be finicky, a little research is required. In my case, it was angel food cake. Lumpy angel food cake. Several deadly sins led to the cake's literal downfall. Eight egg whites have … Continue reading Angel food cake, take 1
July 15, 2010 - excerpt from my travel writing course in Ireland The wind whips around us on the top of Croagh Patrick and we can’t see anything below because of the clouds and the fog. Every so often, the grey clears to real a spot of blue sky above Westport’s blue harbor dotted with … Continue reading Climbing Croagh Patrick
Cork had the English Market. Galway has the Galway Market. What will Dublin have? These two markets so far have been treasures within the two main cities we've stayed in during our summer abroad in Ireland. They've both been around for hundreds of years, and though many tourists do walk through, they're still a source of shopping … Continue reading Crepes in Ireland
