November 2011

Don’t worry –this isn’t another post about Thanksgiving leftovers.  I like them as much as the next guy (preferably straight from the fridge), but by Saturday, I’m ready for something new. This is a dish I’ve made over and over this fall.  The seasonal flavors — sage, earthy and slightly sweet chestnuts, and the always-welcome […]

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I’m always up for cooking something new for dinner.  When it comes to Thanksgiving, though, I become a rigid and sentimental traditionalist.  I want it all just like last year and the year before, and for me that means turkey with sage stuffing, mashed potatoes and pan gravy, […]

One of my favorite rituals this summer was sharing a cup of pistachio gelato with Julia.  We both love it  –if it’s good; that is, flavored with the subtle, unique taste of fresh green pistachios and little else. This ice cream is something different, though, and I’d never had anything like it until my friend […]

I think it was a great success.  Last weekend David’s mother Jeri turned 70, and we threw a party for her at our loft in Manhattan.  Twenty of Jeri’s girlfriends from her home in New Orleans flew in for the occasion (no husbands, except hers), and around 50 guests from New York joined them for […]

Dinner at Marta’s

November 7, 2011 · 4 comments

I was in San Francisco the last week of October, and, as usual, the highlight of my visit was dinner with my friends Marta, Dan and John.  We’ve cooked together for many years, and this dinner came together like all the others –easily and over a cocktail or two and wine.  We made a loose […]

Our Little Witch

November 1, 2011 · 10 comments

I had suggested a butterfly, and for a while she was into swimming like a dolphin (on the hall carpet), but by mid-October she had made up her mind:  she would be a witch for Halloween.  Last week I got a clarification:  she still wanted to be a witch, but a good witch, preferably one […]