I recently placed an order for pick-up from our local supermarket, and on my list was coleslaw mix because, well, I was feeling lazy. Unfortunately it was out of stock (giving me comfort in the fact that I wasn’t the only lazy cook out there) , so I impulsively said “go ahead and replace it…
Homemade Ginger Beer
I recently found myself with a glut of ginger in my fridge, after placing an online order for pickup and forgetting that a pound of ginger is a LOT. Fortunately, one of my absolute favorite beverages to make is ginger beer! Drunk on it’s own or mixed up in to a delicious rum laced Dark…
The Glorious Return of Game Night
As a Gen-Xer, I grew up in a time when video games were still in their infancy. Sure, we had a local arcade to spend our allowance at or, if we were fancy, had an Atari 2600 at home stocked with such classic games as Pong and Pitfall, but board games were still something that…
Raspberry Rose Vanilla Shrub
One of my favorite parts of our little urban homestead is our tiny garden. It feels like an absolute luxury to have while living is one of the boroughs of New York City and I’ve been slowly reviving my greenish thumb over the last couple of years. A friend of mine lived here before us…
Maple Pecan Coconut Oil Granola
Years ago, while looking through a gift catalog catering to what I can only describe as the aspirational foodie market, I came across a “Granola Making Kit”. Assuming it included ingredients other than your standard homemade granola, or came with some sort of fancy granola-specific baking sheet, I read the description…only to discover that it…
Speed O Weave And Beyond!
I was always a crafty kid. From clothespin reindeer with sequin noses to potholder looms to God’s eyes made with colorful yarn and popsicle sticks, I always had some sort of arts and crafts project going. Around the third grade, I taught myself to sew because I wanted to be Princess Leia for Halloween (though…
My Greenish Thumb
My Dad was an amazing gardener. He grew up in Hungary, and was taught very traditional ways of horticulture by his grandparents, who raised him on their farm. I remember him ordering ladybugs and praying mantis eggs as natural pest control when I was a kid, because he did everything organically. Seeds would be started…
Rosepetal Rhubarb Cardamom Shrub
When we moved into our new apartment that is blessed with a garden (a rare luxury in New York City), I dug up a rhubarb plant from my mother’s house that she saw as a nuisance. It was very hardy, and always got huge since it was just left untended. My late father was the…
The Prize in the Oatmeal Box
Lets talk about promotional items! When I was a kid, we were at the tail end of supermarket giveaways and consumer products including bonus item, like your jelly coming in a Peanuts character drinking glass. But I do remember my Mom collecting a set of enamel cookware, where there was a different piece available each…
Learn To Love Your Slubs
I met my now dear friend Anna over a decade ago while we were performing with a small chamber opera company named (in retrospect, rather prophetically) Golden Fleece. We had of course chatted during rehearsals but the moment where we really connected was when we were sitting in the dressing room and she got out…