What’s a good thing to do after walking into the house, leaving your frenetic day at the doorstep? One answer could be go directly to the kitchen, fill the pasta pot with salted water and get it boiling. With that one gesture, a mid-week meal for 2, a family, even a crowd, could be on…
HERE’S to a NEW DECADE
WELL DONE, YOU Countdown to 2020. Five days until we step into a new decade. If nothing else the 2010’s have been for me about what I can’t control. That’s terribly uncomfortable on so many levels but, as I understand, it’s called Life. In the coming year I’ve promised myself to end each day with…
HOLIDAYS BRAKE for SHRIMP TACOS
Here’s the thing about this week’s blog. I need to step back from gingerbread, cheese balls, eggnog and other seasonal-related flavors For. Just. One. Meal. While you won’t find an ounce of Grinch- nor Scrooge-ness in me and realizing resistance may be futile, I’m on a mission. With a nod to those surprisingly quick Flash…
IT’S FINE, STUFF YOURSELF
Let’s just put it out there … one week. Thanksgiving. Followed closely by our December holidays nipping at its heels. Light-bulb moment: Promise yourself, right now and out loud, to embrace these next few weeks with joy and gratitude. (I can’t hear you.) Still skeptical? Why not dig deeper to pull up your kick-ass determination…
4 RECIPES = INSTANT GRATIFICATION = APPLAUSE
For someone who doesn’t like to cook, my friend, Deb Overeynder, certainly knows the way around her kitchen. Whatever she makes, she goes big, at least doubling the recipe. That’s why I often get a text, “Mary, do you feel like chicken enchiladas tonight?” or “I mixed up a big batch of soup. Want some?”…
MILANESE = BREADED & SAUTÉED
STORIES from THE GANT Last Sunday afternoon Paul, a bellmen here at The Gant, came up to the condo to help me move furniture. During our conversation he mentioned making dinner for friends the night before. “What did you serve?” I asked. “I made two Tri Tips,” he replied, rather nonchalantly, “and had mashed potatoes…
CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES for the WIN
GIRL POWER – So much to share this week. Let’s go…..My California granddaughters, Clara (L) and Emma, are 16 and 18. For nine years of their lives, Michael and I lived nearby, seeing them often. After he died and I moved home to Aspen, everything changed. My one hesitancy about moving 900 miles back to…
Palindrome Week Panzanella
FRIDAY the THIRTEENTH According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac and who doesn’t have a copy of that hanging out on the kitchen counter, if you’re superstitious, be wary. COOKtheBOOKFRIDAYS, the thirteenth of September and a Harvest Moon are in spooky sync. In America we haven’t had a nationwide Friday the 13th full moon since October…
NO KIDDING: YOU MUST BAKE THIS
NEWSFLASH: SELF-CARE IS NOT SELFISH It needs to be said. Summer arrived, lingered a bit and in the blink of an eye, vamoosed. Or, so it seems. I’ve spent the last week dealing with that. And, you? For me it’s September Spa & Self-care month, something I invented ten or so years ago. Honestly I’ve…
MEET-UP: THATSKINNYCHICKCANBAKE
Writing today’s post makes me happy and quite nostalgic. This summer marks six years since returning to Aspen to this comfy Gant condo where, I assured the front office executives, I would live ‘a year or two.’ Funny how that happens, isn’t it? SUMMER’S SLIP, SLIP, SLIPPING AWAY By Labor Day Aspen will seem lighter….
Peach-Jalapeno Cornbread & Corn Chowder
When it’s vacation time or if visiting an unfamiliar area, I’m hoping you go all Dora (or, Dick)-the-Explorer. Whether it’s eating, drinking, sightseeing or finding lodging to fit the coins in your pocket, there’s expectation in getting it right. In fact quite often a trip is as successful as the research and planning that go…
GOOD, BETTER, (I CHOOSE) BEST
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Ferris Bueller GOING for GLORY, IT’S SUMMER: We’ve sprinted into August. If your past two months haven’t included Joy, Mirth and Gaiety, take these next two months and try again. Go for Glory. We all expect dumpy days. It’s not that I…
