Back in the days, when I rented apartments, I never held onto anything I didn’t use or need, because I didn’t want to move it when my lease ended.  After I bought my own house, I became lax, I’d make impulse purchases, put off my spring and fall closet cleaning, pack things away throughout the house, until there were no more spaces to hide anything.

Now that I am preparing my house for sale, I have the arduous task of cleaning, packing and throwing out a whole house full of collected crap.  Each time I make progress, I find six ...

My friends, it has been some time since my last post.  I have had many different things going on in my life as of late.  My new job is wonderful, but keeping me very busy.  I’m still thinking of moving, however the market is very tough on sellers right now – which is great for buying a new house and terrible for selling the one I have.

I have reached this horrible point in the home buying/selling process – I have to de-clutter!  I have lived in this house for eight years now.  In all that time, I have accumulated ...

What a beautiful weekend.  The sun is shining, a light breeze is blowing and life overall is wonderful.  Yesterday, I began my day at the spa with a facial and pedicure.  Then I made my way to my favorite farm, Blooming Hill in Monroe, NY, where I reconnected with friends and shopped for produce.

There is something about that farm that grounds me.  Being there fills my souls with a feeling of goodness and connection to both earth and community in a very wholesome way.

From the farm, I made my way up to Adams Fairacre Farms, my favorite local, ...

Nestled neatly along Millpond Plaza, the main drag in the Town of Monroe, N.Y. sits The Velvet Monkey.  Fancier than the local bar/restaurants, but still comfortable and casual enough for a Friday night out, the Velvet Monkey offers continental American cuisine at affordable prices.

I have eaten there many times, yet never blogged about it before.  Perhaps because the food has always been good – but not as fancy or luxurious as some of the other restaurants I frequent (or that you, my readers, have become accustomed to).

Yesterday, my mother came back to New York for the summer.  ...

Earlier this year, when I visited many of my MySpace friends in Tampa, we enjoyed an amazing bread pudding dish that Amanda made.  I thought of Amanda’s bread pudding when I came home from the farm this morning with a new loaf of Multigrain bread, and realized I still had the majority of the last one left.  Now wanting to waste it, I decided to try to re-create Amanda’s amazing bread pudding, with my own twist.  Here’s what I came up with:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups stale multigrain bread, cubed
• 5 eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup banana rum
• 2 tablespoons ...

My cousin Michele came by for a visit today.  We both decided to visit my favorite organic farm, Blooming Hill.  There is some thing so peaceful and grounding about that farm.  It is a pleasure to spend time there. 

As we chatted with Guy Jones (proprietor of Blooming Hill Farm), he mentioned that this week is the last week for ramps.    Ramps are one of my favorite springtime greens.  They are milder than leeks with a hint of garlic-flavor. Guy served them grilled to visitors at the farm.  I bought them last week and used them as a bed ...

I had plans to meet my friend Phillip (aka Chorizo) at the theater today.  We were all set to see a ‘80s revival called Top Girls, starring Martha Plimpton and Marissa Tome.  I left about one and a half hours before Phillip and I arranged to meet (which was ½ hour before curtain). 

I began to worry when I approached the George Washington bridge and it was backed up for at least an hour.  Zigging and zaging through traffic, taking shortcuts through local streets, I made my way to the toll plaza and finally crossed the bridge at about ...

few months back, while interviewing for the job I now have.  The company asked me to come in for a final in-person meeting.  My company is going through a growth spurt and is in the process of hiring many positions.  While sitting in the lobby, I noticed another woman who was also waiting for an interview.  She sized me up and added a layer of competition that I did not feel was necessary.  They quickly called her in, and I remained in the lobby.  A few moments later, another woman came in and sat next to me.  She was warm ...

s at the Culinary Institute of America.  A few years ago, I took one of these CIA day classes every Saturday throughout the spring and fall semesters. They are great courses for lay-people that want to advance their skills and enjoy a culinary experience beyond that of their own kitchen.  As an attendee, I have found that you can get as much as you want out of these classes, based on the effort and focus you invest in them.

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• Tom Ka Kai (chicken and coconut soup),
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• Crispy spring rolls,
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• Thai Beef Massman curry,
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• Warm ...

This recipe originally came from a book called  “French, Delicious Cuisine Made Easy” by Carol Clements and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen.  It is the Chicken recipe that I used to entertain for my friend Mike last week (Z and Me: An Afternoon of Entertaining).  Many of you were surprised to find that I did not use cream or butter in the sauce.  In fact, this sauce gets s it’s creamy white texture from slow-cooked garlic, chicken broth and white wine – all of which are used to braise the chicken pieces. 
Now, I have modified this recipe slightly to include the ...