Petting the piggies

We realized recently that my 14 year old son has never been to the Fair (ours is the third largest in the entire country, so it is quite something to see). He went as a baby, but doesn’t remember it. We used to go every year. My husband’s family went religiously every year for an entire day each time. They would set up camp at a picnic area and spend the entire day from morning till it closed, seeing shows, going on rides, eating Fair food, and seeing the exhibits. I went a few times as a child then when I met my husband we began going together every year. I remember being there the summer I was pregnant with my daughter and desperately craving birch beer, yet that year they had none for sale! I also remember my son losing his favorite toy there as a baby.

It was time to get my son to the Fair, particularly once he heard they had deep-fried Koolaid, so we went last night.

We saw all the animals and a pig race. There was a sheep costume contest going on that we watched for a bit (the sheep were not excited about their costumes). We inspected the award-winning vegetables, the funny things for sale, and saw a wolf show (some day I will write a post about the wolves we have gone to see over the years). We played a few games, looked at the rides, but mostly wandered around and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Sheep costume contest

Of course, we had to have some Fair food. First up, my daughter needed a donut dog. This is a hot dog placed on a donut instead of a roll. The donut is griddled slightly, but it’s really sticky on the outside. She enjoyed that (they also had a donut burger but we didn’t try that!). My son had a corn dog. I had a cheeseburger. They had birch beer so we got a big cup of that to share (you can buy it bottled in stores now once in a while, so it isn’t a once a year specialty like it used to be!).

Then it was time to consider the fried foods. Fried Koolaid was

Donut dog

required. It was also disappointing. I had seen a photo of it in a magazine and there it looked like balls of Koolaid. What we got were squiggles of batter that tasted faintly of fruit. We also got fried cheese curds, which sounded interesting, but looked like fried mozzarella sticks (they did taste like cheese curds). The hands down winner was the deep fried cookie dough, which was warm and gooey and pretty darn delicious.

Before we left, we had some ice cream, kettle corn, and sugar waffles. All in all it was a successful Fair outing!

Fried cheese curds and cookie dough

Deep-fried Koolaid

We realized recently that my 14 year old son has never been to the Fair (ours is the third largest in the entire country, so it is quite something to see). He went as a baby, but doesn’t remember it. We used to go every year. My husband’s family went religiously every year for an entire … Read more →

Leaving the airport via water taxi

Our two week trip to Italy began in Venice. It was love at first sight for me. This is hands-down the most romantic city I’ve ever visited. Venice is like something out of a fairy tale. It’s like a mystical kingdom: an island set off the shore where there are no cars, buses, taxis, or scooters. The only way to get around the city is by boat or on foot. What this means is that Venice is supremely quiet. There are no engines, horns, or tires squealing. When you are facing a canal, boats go by, but they are quiet (the Grand Canal is the exception – there is a lot of traffic there). The rest of the city is made up of quiet alleyways and calm squares (called campos, which mean fields in Italian).  It was this beautiful silence that first struck me. And all the streets are very, very narrow, not more than 4 people across.

Architecture

The second thing that captivated me was the architecture. Venice was most definitely

Contrasting architecture styles

Italian, but because of its unique historical position as a gateway between the east and west, it has architecture that reflects French and Turkish styles. It’s an incredible combination of the most beautiful styles from all over Europe and it made the city feel very welcoming and inclusive. The buildings lining the Grand Canal were all originally palaces and the Grand Canal was their Main Street, so their elegant facades face this canal. All buildings situated on canals have doors that open (or once opened) to the canal. This was the front door. You can transport yourself to another time when you look at these palazzos. The buildings have many window boxes with flowers and this is the only greenery you will see in the city. There are no parks, no trees, no grass (except in some private courtyards). You also see a lot of laundry hung out the upper windows of buildings, which felt very Italian to me. And

One of many beautiful doors

then there are the doors. The city is filled with unique and wonderful doors. I took photos of many of them. I was hoping to find a poster of them, but didn’t see one.

The Bridge

Rialto Bridge

The top tourist attractions in Venice are the Rialto Bridge, the biggest and most beautiful bridge spanning the Grand Canal. It is filled with souvenir shops. Climbing to the top of the bridge allows an excellent viewpoint of the Grand Canal. Either end of the canal is also filled with street stalls selling souvenirs. The bridge is pretty to look at, but is choked with junky stores and tourists.

Piazza San Marco

The other big attraction is Piazza San Marco, home to a huge open piazza. It is surrounded on 4 sides by buildings. There are hundreds of pigeons in this square. One end of the square is dominated by the stunning San Marco cathedral. We took a tour inside this beautiful church. The inside of the domes and many of the walls are covered with intricate stone mosaics. The amount of work that went into this art is mindblowing. The church also has a beautiful exterior with many statues. The marble pillars around the front of the building were fascinating because each is different – and

San Marco church

each was stolen from somewhere else in the world. The view from the balcony  is remarkable because it allows you to look out over the lagoon to the Adriatic Sea. You also have a stunning view of the piazza.

Next door to the church is the Doge’s Palace. The doge was the ruler of Venice, but he was not like a king. Our guide told us much about the forward-thinking government of Venice which was a republic ruled by nobles. The palace itself is not very exciting, although the maps painted on the walls were of interest because of how wrong they were, but also because they showed the travels of Marco Polo, native son of Venice and the man credited with opening China to trade with Europe.

We walked over the famous Bridge of Sighs which connected the prisons to the government rooms. Our tour allowed us to skip the lines to get into the church and palace and I highly recommend doing so (the lines were long and stood in the hot sun). I also think it is a good idea to take an actual tour so you can learn what you are looking at and why it is important. Our tour began with a little walking tour of Venice that included the area where Marco Polo was believed to have lived and our guide provided us with much background information that helped me understand the city.

Orchestra at the Florian Cafe

We had lunch in the piazza, at the oldest cafe in Venice, called The Florian Cafe. You sit at a table in the open piazza and an orchestra plays. You, of course, pay through the nose for this experience, since there is a seating fee added to your bill and the food (which was absolutely fine but not amazing) is grotesquely overpriced. It is a once in a lifetime thing though, so we did it.

Shops

The shopping in Venice was overwhelming. I have never been in a place with so many shops. There was simply hours of shopping on the main pathways to the bridge and to the piazza. There’s lots of Murano glass to be bought and I did buy some here, but tried to wait for our trip out to Murano itself (an island a short boat ride away).

Transportation

Vaporetto on the Grand Canal as seen from the Rialto Bridge

There are several types of boat transport in Venice which I carefully read up on in advance. We took water taxis to and from the train station and airport. These are small wooden boats that reminded me a lot of the classic wooden boats you see on American lakes. They have an enclosed portion with benches. They can hold up to about 8-10 people it seemed, but our guides always took us alone in them. When we left the airport, our water taxi traveled on what was essentially a road through the water. It was a specific channel tightly enclosed by wooden pillars, that led the way from the airport to the city.

The rest of the time we were in the city and were not walking, we used vaporettos, which are like water buses or subway lines. You buy a ticket from an automated machine and get on when the boat comes to your stop. There is a specific line with stops listed so it is relatively easy to manage. We heard about, but did not ride in traghettos, small rowed boats that will take you across a canal. We had no need for them since there were plenty of bridges.

We also took a private gondola ride. Our gondolier did not sing (fine by me!) and we

Gondola

traveled over part of the Grand Canal and many smaller canals. When we were on the smaller canals, it was a quiet, serene ride and was something to check off my bucket list!

Wandering

All the guidebooks warned me that it is very easy to get lost in Venice. If you are going to the main tourist sites, they are signs on the corners of buildings with arrows and you just follow them without issue. If, however, you are trying to find a specific restaurant, good luck. We had both a paper map and a digital map that tracked our location in real time and couldn’t find anything, ever. We saw a lot of interesting little alleys and campos this way (and as an aside, I have to say I never felt unsafe, even though most of the alleys and campos off the beaten track are as empty as ghost towns).

Overall Impression

One of the many quiet alleys

My overall feeling about Venice was that it is a very European city and not a typical Italian city, particularly when I compare it to the other places we went in Italy. It made me want to see more of Europe, however. The people were all very friendly and spoke very good English, making it easy for us ignorant Americans to communicate. I felt very welcomed and comfortable in this city. Venice is the perfect city to wander in. Go see the top tourist sites, then allow yourself time to just explore.  Venice is now on my list of my all-time favorite places (the list also includes Maine, Savannah, Scotland, Hawaii, Sedona AZ, and the Bahamas). Someday I hope to go back to this mesmerizing city.

Our two week trip to Italy began in Venice. It was love at first sight for me. This is hands-down the most romantic city I’ve ever visited. Venice is like something out of a fairy tale. It’s like a mystical kingdom: an island set off the shore where there are no cars, buses, taxis, or … Read more →

Grand Canal in Venice

We are just back from a magnificent two week trip to Italy. While I’m still recovering from jet lag and dealing with the laundry mountain, I want to start to share the trip with you. Be patient with me, dear reader! After 2 weeks away, I have lots to tell you, so I have many posts planned.

For today, I want to give you an overview of our trip. We decided to go with an escorted tour, which meant the tour company was responsible for arranging our air and train travel, hotels and transportation to and from airports and train stations. We then chose some specific guided tours of things we wanted guides for. The rest of the time we were on our own.

Venice

Our trip began when we arrived by plane at the Venice airport. Our guide met us and took

Florence from the Piazzelle Michaelangelo

us by water taxi to our hotel. We spent 3 nights in Venice and explored the Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal, San Marco, Doge’s Palace (guided tour of these last two), the island of Murano, and many little corners of Venice. We took a gondola ride that was almost surreal feeling. Our guide took us by water taxi to the train station at the end of our stay.

Florence

We enjoyed the train trip through Tuscany (I would love to go back and explore the countryside). Three nights in Florence were wonderful. Our guide met us at the train station and took us by van to our hotel, on the banks of the Arno. We explored the Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace, and took a guided tour that took us by bus to the Piazzelle Michealangelo (for the view) then to the Duomo and the Accademia where we saw the David. We took a train on our own to Pisa for an afternoon to climb the leaning tower. My husband managed to sprain his ankle coming down, so we didn’t get to explore the town.

Spanish Steps in Rome

Our Florence guide took us back to the train station from our hotel.

Rome

The train ride to Rome was relaxing and we had our first glimpse of the Mediterranean on the way. Our guide brought us to the hotel for our three night stay. Rome was a magnificent city. We explored the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (where we threw coins in) and took guided tours of the Vatican and ancient Rome. We also visited the Pantheon. Our guide took us to the train station.

Sorrento

We traveled by train to Naples , where our guide met us and took us to Pompeii. Once there, we had a private guided tour of these impressive ruins. Our guide then drove us to

Sorrento harbor

Sorrento for our 3 night stay, and we enjoyed the stunning views of the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius and the mountainous Amalfi coast. We took an all day guided tour to the island of Capri (this was quite a day and involved 4 buses and 4 boats) where we went to the Blue Grotto and traveled up to Anacapri. On another day, we explored Sorrento’s seaport and swam in the Mediterranean with Mount Vesuvius behind us. Our guide took us to the Naples airport and we flew home from there.

It was the most memorable vacation we’ve taken, I think and my mind is swimming with all the experiences. There was lots of good food (there was only one really bad meal the entire time), I did some great shopping, we took some beautiful photos, and we learned so much about Italy. I will be sharing all of that with you in coming posts. I kept a notebook this trip so that I would be sure to remember the things I want to write about.

We are just back from a magnificent two week trip to Italy. While I’m still recovering from jet lag and dealing with the laundry mountain, I want to start to share the trip with you. Be patient with me, dear reader! After 2 weeks away, I have lots to tell you, so I have many … Read more →

I’ve been grilling a lot of vegetables this summer. My new favorite is grilled carrots. I use the carrots from my CSA share, which are not too fat. I peel them and rub them with olive oil and put them on a low to medium grill, turning often.  They take about 15-20 minutes to cook through. This picture was my first attempt, but since then I’ve learned to lower the temp and they don’t char as much. When they’re done, I serve them with a rosemary butter and a little salt and pepper. Grilled carrots taste much like roasted carrots – sweeter – but with a nice smoky flavor that makes them really interesting.

I’ve been grilling a lot of vegetables this summer. My new favorite is grilled carrots. I use the carrots from my CSA share, which are not too fat. I peel them and rub them with olive oil and put them on a low to medium grill, turning often.  They take about 15-20 minutes to cook … Read more →

This is my second in a two part series about trip planning and organization. I spend a LOT of time planning out our trips. I’m definitely someone who likes to have things organized and planned, although I do love the unexpected moments that happen on trips.

Choosing a Destination

Deciding where to go is hard, not because I can’t decide, but because of costs. There are LOTS of places I would love to go, but cost is a major factor. So I usually begin by making a list of places we would love to visit then I plug those destinations into the AAA web site to get airfares. This allows me to narrow things down considerably because the airfare is the most expensive part of the trip. If we won’t be flying, then I take into consideration driving time to each destination.

At this point, we don’t really get to choose the timeframe for our trips. We have one child in college and one who will be in high school, so we fit things in around their school schedules (which have completely different breaks and summers). This often means we’re traveling in early August, when everyone else in the world is too. When our kids are older, I look forward to being able to travel in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) when prices are lower.

Getting Started

Once we have chosen a destination and made plans, I buy Frommer’s and Fodor’s guidebooks for the location. I read them thoroughly and make notes in a notebook of places to go, things to do, places to eat, and things like hours, web site addresses, entrance fees, and any tips the books have offered. Then I start a Word document where I type in all of the information in an organized way, by city or daily location. Once I’ve done this, a schedule of sorts starts to emerge, based on things we’ve booked and the days and hours places are open.

Using the Internet

I look up every web address I’ve written down and print out hours, addresses, and maps if I think they will be helpful. I visit general toursim web sites for each location and look for links to coupons, places I haven’t read about yet and any tips. Next I check out Tripadvisor.com, where I read through the lists of the top attractions and restaurants in each location. If I find something I don’t already have, I add it to my list. I usually look up attractions and restaurants I’ve noted from the guidebooks to see what people are saying about them on Tripadvisor. This has helped me narrow things down a lot.

Maps

This year I’ve added a new trick to my bag. I created a Google map for each city and dropped pins for where we are staying, places to visit, places to eat and where to shop. One problem I often have is that although I compile a lengthy list of restaurants, we invariably end up out and about and starved. We want to eat somewhere close to where we are and it can be difficult to figure out if anything on my list is nearby. The maps I created will be accessed by our phones, so we can pull them up and look for nearby restaurants when needed.

I always carry a paper map because you can never trust you can connect to the internet. Even a GPS sometimes cannot get a satellite (we had the worst time with this in Aruba). Although the guidebooks I buy have maps in them, I frequnetly find that the free maps you pick up at your hotel or at tourism sites are much better, so I always grab those when possible.

Transportation

We feel most comfortable when we can have a car, but when visiting cities, you really can’t because parking is so hard. So I do my research in advance about public transportation. We usually buy a visitor’s pass for subways – usually there is a 3 day pass you can buy that allows you unlimited access. I make sure to have a subway map with me at all times and I make notes about what subway stops are closest to attractions we will visit.

As convenient as public transportation is, sometimes it is more than we can bear to walk blocks to get to the station, wait endlessly for a train, then hoof it again once you get off. So we always have enough cash for a taxi ride, just in case. I usually will write the name and address of our hotel on an index card and then just hand it to the driver in case there is a language barrier.

This is my second in a two part series about trip planning and organization. I spend a LOT of time planning out our trips. I’m definitely someone who likes to have things organized and planned, although I do love the unexpected moments that happen on trips. Choosing a Destination Deciding where to go is hard, … Read more →

We’re taking our second trip to Europe this summer. We’ve traveled to Alaska, Hawaii, several spots in the Caribbean and lots of destinations in the US and Canada in the 23 years we’ve been married, so I’ve learned how to prepare. I start planning for a trip months in advance and I start making a pile of things to take about a month before we go. Over the years, I’ve learned some things to make traveling easier, so I thought I would share them.

Preparation Is Everything

My biggest challenge is that I like to be over-prepared. If left to my own devices, I would love to bring lots of clothes to choose from, but I’ve had to learn to pare that inclination back due to airline restrictions (SOMEDAY, I tell myself we will take a long roadtrip and I will be able to bring anything I want!). What I will not pare back on is my other “just in case” items, particularly medicine and supplements. Someone is always getting sick on a trip in our family and so I try to be prepared for whatever might happen. I bring Nyquil, Uristat, Neosporin, bandages, swimmer’s ear drops, antacids, eye allergy drops, several types of allergy meds, ginger, chamomile, zinc, Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, arthritis Tylenol, Benadryl, Immodium, stool softeners, decongestants, Afterbite, anti-chafing gel, Blister Block, yeast infection meds, elderberry, migraine meds, inhalers, quick-fix repair kit for a lost filling, not to mention prescriptions and supplements that people in the family take regularly. You thought I was kidding about being over-prepared? We have used every single one of the items on this list on some trip at some point.

Airplane Supplies

Some of the travel size items I buy

I carefully pack my carry-on for planes. We now own 4 inflatable pillows, so each person gets their own to carry. We used to bring regular neck pillows, but they take up your entire carry-on. I have a lightweight blanket I pack that rolls up to almost nothing, and I always wear a sweater or jacket, no matter how warm it is since someone is always cold on an airplane. I bring two eye masks (everyone always says they don’t want them, then they ask if they can use mine, so I bring an extra). For long overnight flights, I pack disposable toothbrushes. I wear contacts and need a small bottle of multi-purpose solution and a lens case. A small hairbrush is also necessary for overnight flights. Other must-haves for airplane travel:

• cards
• gum
• headset (and an extra because I’ve had them break en route)
• book/magazine (for times when electronic devices must be off but other than that, I now have all my reading on my e-reader)
• e-reader/tablet
• lotion
• hand sanitizer
• water bottle (bought at the airport)
• portable snacks (I usually fill snack-size bags with various crackers and snacks)
• fruit that is easy to eat like apples or grapes
• one set of luggage keys

When my kids were little I always brought a new toy or book for each of them and I also had one stashed for the flight home (which is always the hardest because everyone is tired and there is no excitement about where you are going).

We bring all prescriptions in the carry-on, as well as all glasses and sunglasses.

Everyone either wears or brings a pair of socks to wear through security and to wear on the plane if we want to take our shoes off.

My daughter and I have little travel jewelry cases that go in our carry-ons. I do not bring anything expensive for fear of it being lost (flashback to a missing earring in a Florida hotel room: we made the maids empty their vacuum cleaner bags! It eventually turned up in the crease of a chair, but never again!).

Sanitizing

Since someone always gets sick, I am always thinking about what I can do to prevent it (a losing battle, but I do try). I bring a tub of wet sanitizing wipes and try to remember to wipe down airplane armrests and trays. I also get them out when we get to our hotel and wipe the TV remote, door handles, faucets, toilet seat, nightstand, lamp switch and other surfaces (and honestly it is hard to remember to do this because when we get there we want to either collapse or unpack immediately).

I carry a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse. I have several of these TSA-approved sized bottles. At home, I buy a large bottle of hand sanitizer and use it to refill the little bottles. I have one small bottle on my person at all times and keep the extra bottles in my suitcase. When we are in restaurants, we order, then once we have handed the menus back (which have been touched by countless other people), we all use hand sanitizer.

The Purse

I found this cross-body bag last summer and have used it on several trips. I like it because it has slots for credit cards and money, so I don’t need a wallet. It has several different pockets so I can keep things organized. The purse always contains:

• money and credit cards
• one travel size Kleenex packet (extras in the suitcase)
• hand sanitizer
• lip balm
• a pen
• paper
• my phone
• a small roll-on sunscreen
• several individual packets of wet wipes (that I bring home from restaurants)
• Tide To Go stick
• reading glasses (there are some menus I just cannot read at this point!)
• one set of luggage keys

I also have a small zippered pouch that is my on-the-go medical kit which contains a few bandaids and a few doses of medication/supplements/prescriptions that will be needed in the course of a day.

When my kids were younger, I carried paper toilet seat covers and I will again carry those on our trip this year, since it sounds like some bathrooms may be questionable.

the medicine bag

Suitcases

We have super lightweight suitcases for travel (so I can stuff as much as possible in them and still be under the weight limits!) Our suitcases have photocopies of our passports and itinerary.

I pack one small umbrella per person no matter where we are going.

I pack a large fabric tote so that if I buy a lot on the trip, I can carry it home in this onto the plane.

I have a small sewing kit and small travel packets of laundry detergent.

All of the medical supplies are packed in one zipper case. I prefer to bring things like vitamins and supplements in individual zipper bags, but I usually end up with the bottles because I don’t want there to be any question about what they are. I put all these bottles together into zipper bags so I can easily locate them.

All toiletries are double bagged in large zipper bags (double bagging is key – single bagging has led to leakage). And I bring lots of extra bags just in case.

My husband has a tiny (credit card-sized) wallet-tool that has a knife, screwdriver, and

Go Tube bottles (leaky old hard plastic bottle on the far left)

other handy items that we put in the suitcase (it can’t go through security).

We have a handheld luggage scale that has saved us many a time because we are able to distribute things among bags so they come in under weight.

We use TSA approved locks on our suitcases. We have plastic pull twists packed for the instances in which a lock is removed and then not replaced (this has happened a few times). We have bright pink name tags that have only our name and cell phone number on them (country code first if we are traveling abroad).

Clothing

We get all of our clothes and toiletries out at home when packing, and then we pack some of each into each suitcase, so if one suitcase goes missing we won’t have one person with no clothes. Everyone will have something to wear.

When my kids were babies, toddlers and preschoolers, I packed complete outfits for them in zipper bags for each day – it made it very easy to get everyone dressed.

I bring one dress (that can be dressed up or down) and one pair of pants (I usually wear black yoga pants on the plane for this purpose – in a pinch they can be paired with a top and look like regular black pants) and one long-sleeve sweater (also worn on the plane) when we travel in the summer or to warm destinations. I try to bring clothes that can be mixed and matched. Shoes are a big deal for me. No matter how broken in they are, I always end up with sore feet, so I’ve got to have several pair I can rotate among.

If we will be going any place dressy, my husband wears his all-purpose khakis (that are also used for casual wear) and has one dress shirt, tie and sportcoat ready. My son brings khakis and a polo shirt for dress.

I like to bring a kitchen-sized garbage bag for dirty clothes.

Toiletries

I buy travel size of anything I can find. Yes, it costs more, but it saves space and weight and you have the added benefit of being able to toss it when you use it up. I also purchased Go Tubes that are refillable travel-size bottles that do not leak. They really and truly do not leak. I looked for years and always had those little hard plastic bottles with screw-on caps and they ALWAYS leaked. These are fantastic and allow me to create my own travel size version of anything I need.

Other Items

We have two metal water bottles that are in a sling, so you can carry them over your shoulder or cross-body. We go back and forth on the bottles. Last summer when we went to the southwest, we packed them and did use them a lot when we were out exploring off-road sites. We have found them to be inconvenient in cities though, where it is easier to buy water when you need it and toss the bottle than to always be carrying this around.

We have brought a backpack as a carry-on and then used it in cities during trips. This was useful when we were carrying guidebooks, kids’ snacks, and more around. We’ve gotten to the point where we don’t bring a guidebook (I’ll write more about my trip planning in another post) and we don’t have little kids who melt down if they can’t have a snack immediately, so we’ve stopped doing this.

For this trip to Europe we’ve bought money belts to wear under our clothes. We’ll carry passports, credit cards, cash and other valuables in them.

Plug converters are a must in Europe and we will bring several. We also purchased a dual voltage flat iron for my daughter. When we were in the UK, hers kept blowing the fuse in the apartment we rented. We didn’t realize you need dual voltage for it to work abroad.

What I Do Not Bring

I do not bring:

• travel iron (I’m not a stickler about wrinkles and if there is a problem, I hang the item in the bathroom and turn the shower on hot for a while and it steams the wrinkles out)
• travel alarm clock (we use cell phones)
• heels
• any piece of luggage smaller than the largest size suitcase allowed (even if we are going for a few days, it allows me space for an extra outfit or to buy something)
• those toiletry kits that hang on the back of a door (they take up a lot of space and I usually just end up with everything on the vanity anyhow. If the vanity is tiny, it goes on the bathroom floor)
• packing cubes (they just take up more space and weight)
• power strips (these did not seem to work in the UK – they required too much power)

We’re taking our second trip to Europe this summer. We’ve traveled to Alaska, Hawaii, several spots in the Caribbean and lots of destinations in the US and Canada in the 23 years we’ve been married, so I’ve learned how to prepare. I start planning for a trip months in advance and I start making a … Read more →

I have to admit, I’m really liking Martha’s new cookbook, Martha’s American Food (disclosure: the publisher sent me a review copy after I asked for it – I looked at it in the library and really, really liked it). I’ve got lots of pages marked. Spicy peach-glazed chicken sounded really good, and it was grilled, which is even better on a hot summer day. I left out the cayenne when I made it since I don’t like really spicy foods, but the garlic definitely gave this plenty of zing. It was quick, simple and no marinating was required which meant it worked when I realized I needed to get something on the table in an hour.

1 cup peach jam or preserves

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp cayenne

salt and pepper

4 skin on chicken breasts

4 ripe but firm peaches

Heat grill to medium. Mix preserves, garlic, oil, soy sauce, dry mustard, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper.

Brush grill with vegetable oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down on the grill. Cook about 10 minutes on each side before brushing with glaze. Cook another 10-12 minutes turning every 3-5 minutes. While chicken is cooking, place peach halves on the grill cut side down and brush with glaze and cook 2 minutes. Turn them and cook 3-4 minutes until the cavities fill with juices.

I used chicken leg quarters for this, left out the cayenne, whizzed up all the glaze ingredients in the food processor, and did not have any peaches to grill, but it was really tasty and delicious! I will definitely make this again and again.

I have to admit, I’m really liking Martha’s new cookbook, Martha’s American Food (disclosure: the publisher sent me a review copy after I asked for it – I looked at it in the library and really, really liked it). I’ve got lots of pages marked. Spicy peach-glazed chicken sounded really good, and it was grilled, which … Read more →

I haven’t stayed up late to finish a book in a long time, but this one really hooked me. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn starts out as the story of a Manhattanite couple who lose their jobs and relocate to the husband’s home town in Missouri to care for his ailing, aging parents. He gets a call the day of their 5th anniversary that there’s something wrong at home, and comes home to find his wife missing and signs of a struggle. The rest of this thrilling read takes you through diary entries from the missing wife and the day-by-day events after she disappears. Nothing is what it seems. This book is chilling, thrilling, and psychologically complex. It’s not your typical whodunit and you absolutely must keep reading through the first few chapters to get to where things start to become dramatically more interesting. This one kept me guessing, right down to the last page. I would love to discuss what happens with you, but you’ll thank me for not ruining any of it. Suffice it to say, the author will take you on a fascinating journey that may be hard to believe, but is still going to keep you turning pages.

You’ll identify with different characters at different times and your loyalties will swing in the wind. The book is delicious and bone-chilling, exactly what you need for a hot week at the beach. It was so good that when I finished it, I was a little bereft feeling.

I haven’t stayed up late to finish a book in a long time, but this one really hooked me. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn starts out as the story of a Manhattanite couple who lose their jobs and relocate to the husband’s home town in Missouri to care for his ailing, aging parents. He gets … Read more →

I must confess, I am not a big fan of squash. I try really hard to like it and make it all sorts of ways. I don’t mind zucchini in a stir fry, but I tend to find that a dish that is all squash doesn’t usually cut it for me. We got 4 small squash in our CSA bag this week – 2 yellow and 2 green. I stumbled upon this recipe for squash gratin in July/Aug Food Network Magazine and it was just what I needed! I adapted the recipe as follows:

Toss 4 thinly sliced small yellow and green squash with 1 tbsp kosher salt and let sit about 20-30 minutes. Then drain and rinse and pat dry. Chop 1/4 large onion, 1 tbsp fresh thyme and 1 tbsp fresh parsley. Add to squash with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese and some pepper to taste.  Arrange in a baking dish and sprinkle 1/4 cup grated Swiss on top. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 or until browned and squash is cooked through.

I really enjoyed this a lot. The lemon juice gave it some brightness and the cheese, well what doesn’t cheese make better?  It didn’t taste like plain ole squash and I liked it so much I ate leftovers for lunch for two days!

I must confess, I am not a big fan of squash. I try really hard to like it and make it all sorts of ways. I don’t mind zucchini in a stir fry, but I tend to find that a dish that is all squash doesn’t usually cut it for me. We got 4 small … Read more →

We’ve often joked that my husband should be Greek, judging by how much he loves Greek food. When we eat at Greek restaurants, he always orders gyros. I prefer making my own though. It’s just about as easy as making a hamburger and I can chop up lots of healthy and tasty toppings.

I start by making tzatziki sauce:

8 ounces plain yogurt

1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped in the food processor

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

I mix this together and keep in the fridge. It lasts for days and it’s delicious as a sauce on fish, chicken and sometimes I even use it as a dressing for salad.

Then I make the gyro meat:

1 pound ground lamb

1/2 a white onion

2 cloves garlic (sometimes I substitute a handful of garlic scapes for the garlic which gives the meat a fresher, greener flavor)

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

I place all of these ingredients in the food processor and chop until everything is finely and completely ground.

I prefer to form these into patties and grill until cooked through, but in the winter I sometimes form them in little logs (about hot dog sized) and bake them at 400 for about 15 minutes until cooked through.

I serve with:

pita bread

feta cheese

halved cherry tomatoes

lettuce

Sometimes I include some sliced onion or chopped cucumbers. We like to eat it all stuffed in the pita.

We’ve often joked that my husband should be Greek, judging by how much he loves Greek food. When we eat at Greek restaurants, he always orders gyros. I prefer making my own though. It’s just about as easy as making a hamburger and I can chop up lots of healthy and tasty toppings. I start … Read more →