New Year Day Supper… Smoked Salmon… Whitefish Salad… Herring… Black Bread and Salad & Mom

 Vaccinated supper tonite…. Live from NYC… 

Rainy day here in the Big Soggy Apple 🍎 temps in the mid 50’s…  the mega flock is baaaack… in the trees… on the roof… all over the grass and sidewalk eating acorn 🌰 meat…  a gaggle of noisy friends feasting on the first day of the new year…  Mr Sam sitting in his window seat chirping as the flock descends… eyes darting from bird to bird as they fly back and forth across the windows 🙀😽

Breakfast… coffee ☕️ for two… hubs enjoying this hot java with soft boiled eggs and a small salad…  too full for much food after last nights supper and dessert… just iced coffee 🧋thank you

Relaxing and chatting… taking the day slowly… an afternoon visit with Mom…  happy to have us over for a bit after her meeting with her friends earlier in the day…. modeling her new embellished sweatshirt 🥰

Supper tonite… our family tradition…  black bread…  smoked whitefish salad…  herring…  smoked salmon…  a crisp green salad...  and a big glass of water… starting the new year off with fish 🐟  Guess what was for dessert?  If you guessed trifle…  you are correct!! 🤣

Covid raging on in the US… another day of climbing cases #GetYourJabOn  and booster too…  hospitalizations increasing for the unvaccinated… value your health…. It’s irreplaceable… mask up… limit interactions… zoom through the market and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?    Thoughts?

Salmon, Brussel Sprouts, Haricots Vert and Baby New potatoes

 Vaccinated supper tonite…  Live from NYC…

New Year’s Eve rapidly approaching…  clock ticking down the minutes till the stroke of midnight…  neighbors blasting fireworks…  crowds cheering in Times Square…  Mr Sam sticking close by ~he doesn’t like fireworks~  

Prosecco chilled... cork pulled… filling the flutes… here we go...

10…  9…  8…  7…  6…  5…  4…  3…  2…  1…  HAPPY NEW YEAR 🥳🍾🥂

A toast…  a hug…  kiss from the hubs…  a rub for Mr Sam…  it’s 2022!! 

Breakfast… coffee ☕️ for two… his hot with eggs and toast… hers iced🧋with munster on German sourdough…   off to the days activities…  Mr Sam getting a good grooming out on the deck… mild with temps in the mid 50’s… 

a few calls completed…  final items ticked off the to do list…

Already assembled trifle lounging in the fridge…  prep for supper… cleaning brussel sprouts… seasoning haricots vert…  toasting walnuts…  coating baby potatoes for roasting…  the hubs harvesting fresh baby spinach leaves for our salad…  peeling & chopping the apple…  adding in the spinach leaves… walnuts and blackberries… a quick drizzle of balsamic glaze and voilá… spinach salad 🥗  Salmon and Old Bay Seasoning… a match made in heaven…  serving supper… plates of healthy delicious food…  an excellent choice for a last meal for 2021… a glass of Vinho Verde complimenting the dish 🥂

Dessert… the trifle… supposed to be served at a gathering for New Years Eve…  couldn’t attend…  covid concerns 🥺… a delicious end to a delightful supper… Prosecco on the horizon… 

Over half a million new cases in the US today… a massive increase from just yesterday  #GetYourJabOn  hospitals filling up once again…  mortality rising… get boosted…  life is a gift…. value yours 💕😷

How was your day?  What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Happy New Year 2022…. Raspberry Chocolate Trifle

 HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022 🥂🍾🎆

An end to one year…   a new beginning of another…  what have we learned over these past months of 2021…  

…we have learned to be patient…  

…waiting to see and hug people we love after being vaxxed…  

…we have learned to be kind…  

…reaching out through the loneliness to offer support… 

…we have learned to be compassionate…

…seeing family and friends cope with covid…

…we have learned to be consistent…

…wearing our masks in public… washing our hands… limiting contacts…

…we have learned to value alone time…

…delving into hobbies and interests more deeply…

But most importantly… 

…we have learned the importance of those we love…

…valuing their presence in our lives for however long they are with us…

Let us step into this New Year with intention… being kinder, gentler, more patient, more consistent… filled with compassion, gratefulness and love for the people in this life we have mananged to create together 🥂🍾

Below… a trifle created for a New Year Eve celebration we couldn’t attend…

It was delicious… layers of chocolate chip panettone… vanilla pudding… chantillí cream and raspberries… grateful for every bite 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Leftover Pasta Bake… Cucumber Salad… Olive Tapenade on Crusty Baguette

 Vaccinated supper tonite… Live from NYC…

Sunny morning morphing into overcast through the afternoon… temps in the low 50’s… mild… light wind… a bit warm for late December.  Squirrels 🐿 noticably absent… nap time?  Days already 7 minutes longer than last week… exciting…  34 more days until the end of the Persephone phase and we enjoy 10 hours of daylight once again…  we can pretty much tolerate 34 more days… right? 

Breakfast… hot java ☕️ for the hubs along with his corn muffin…  iced coffee🧋and a banana to go…  off to the new market… Lidl… weekly food shopping…  mask on….  hand sanitizer in pocket…  list…  glasses (to read the list 🤣)  Ready!   Trying a couple of new treats during this festive season…  a nice heavy dark German sourdough loaf 😋  Scottish smoked salmon 🐟 store brand olive tapenade 🫒 and an in house coffee chip gelato 🍨 

Supper tonite… leftover pasta bake with fresh cucumber salad and olive tapenade on crusty baguette…  Casual Garcia Vinho Verde a delicious accompaniment 🥂

Covid infections still climbing across the US…  NYC once again the epicenter…  do we have to be the Big Apple 🍎 at everything??? Sheesh 🙄 

#GetYourJabOn folks… booster and all…  out and about? Mask on… limit interactions… glide through the market and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Baked Rotini with Ricotta and Parmesan… Cucumber Salad… Hydroponic Lettuce Salad and Christmas Cactus Blooms

 Vaccinated supper tonite… Live from NYC…

Restful day… gray skies… transitioning to drizzle… sleeping in… catching up on all the zzzz’s missed during the run up to Xmas… so enjoyed all the baking and cooking… spending six to eight hours playing in the kitchen daily…  creating goodies for the family and a few choice friends…  a few remaining items to complete… one more roll of dough for the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chippers…  one pumpkin cranberry orange bread to finish baking…  and a chocolate chip pandoro bread pudding for New Years 😋🙃

Late breakfast… coffee for two bleary eyes folks ☕️ his hot with oatmeal banana and blueberries…  iced🧋for you know who with a dish of peanuts to munch…  the hubs off to his workshop trying out a wood carving set… time to get back to work!!  Phone calls…  appointments…  and the endless paperwork…  by sundown couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen and  play! 

One bright spot so cheery… gorgeous blooms on the Christmas Cactus… bright pink amidst the gloom of the day 🌸 

Supper tonite…  baked rotini with homemade tomato sauce…  ricotta cheese blend…  topped with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan…  cucumber salad with red onion and sour cream dressing… refreshing…  lettuce salad from the hubs hydroponic garden…  it’s amazing…  this is the eighth time we have eaten from the same lettuce plants… such tender leaves… so delicious… much more flavorful than store bought 🥬

Omicron spreading like wildfire here in the Big Apple 🍎 and across the US… testing in NYC at all time highs…. give your family the best gift #GetYourJabOn  and get boosted too… meanwhile… mask up… limit interactions… sail through the market and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?  Thoughts?

Cranberry Cordial…. Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Brown Basmati Rice, Roasted a Brussel Sprouts and Biscuits

 Vaccinated supper tonite… Live from NYC…

Isn’t it always the case that the day we feast we end by saying something like… “I’m never eating again”  But of course… the next day comes and eat we must…  a cool and sunny 47°F (8.3°C) this afternoon…  bright cheerful Sunday…  buzzing over to the son and DIL’s house to pick up a couple of returns…  noticing the plethora of squirrels 🐿 out digging… still burying nuts 🌰 in preparation for the deep cold of winter to come…  flocks of birds gathering for their winter migrations…  few folks out and about… resting up for tomorrows return to work ☹️

Breakfast… coffee ☕️ for two… hubs hot java with cottage cheese and blueberries… iced 🧋and a corn muffin for yours truly…  off to the days adventures…  hubs in his worshop building another stand for a second hydroponic set up... this one for tomatoes 🍅 yum 😋  

Finally decanted the Cranberry Cordial (thanks so much Susan Pesznecker) it is absolutely delicious… planning to make Cranberry Cosmos 🍸in the very near future 😁

Glad the first floor office has five windows surrounding the desk… sunshine brightening the days paperwork… cards and letters to be answered…  bills to be paid and sorted…  birthday gifts… Christmas tips for Moms sweet aides… cookie swap with the neighbors… treats to enjoy after supper 😋

Supper tonite…  whole roasted chicken stuffed with a quartered lemon dipped in salt…  seasoned with olive oil… salt and pepper… smoked paprika… rubbed thyme… turmeric… onion and garlic… served alongside brown basmati rice… roasted brussel sprouts and biscuits… delicious treats from the neighbors…  Greek almond and walnut cookies from our sweet next door neighbors… rainbow cookies from dear friends around the corner… such deliciousness 😋

Covid spreading like wildfire here in NYC and across the US… 40 thousand  folks testing positive here in the Big Apple 🍎 on Xmas day…  give your family and friends the best gift of all for the New Year #GetYourJabOn  and get boosted… meanwhile… mask up… limit interactions… fly through the market and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Another Covid Christmas… with Bagels and a Schmear

 Vaccinated supper tonite…. Live from NYC…

Well.. here we are once again… another Covid Christmas 🎄 folks nervously attending smaller gatherings…  swabbing…  testing…  hoping everyone is healthy…  watching the surge break over America like a tidal wave…  flights cancelled…  people stranded…  anxiety and frustration abounding 😳😩

Grateful that our family is vaccinated and boosted…  able to spend a few hours together enjoying a delicious Christmas brunch…  soon to be Great Grandma, 91 years, attending with her sweet aide…  feeling blessed 🥰

Light morning drizzle morphing into bright sunshine by mid afternoon… able to let in fresh air every so often…  lots of laughter…  a bit of Prosecco…  bagels…  whitefish salad…. smoked salmon…  cheeses… empanadas…  spinach cheddar quiche…  homemade spanish torta…  coffee ☕️ and tea 🫖 dessert…  assorted Xmas cookies…  and a candy cane shaped cherry cheesecake strudel 🎄

Amidst the surging pandemic… small gatherings of folks reminding us what truly matters…

And speaking of what truly matters…

Taking a moment to thank each and every one of you for your support… caring…  communication…  laughter…  warmth and love…

sharing your food…  your lives…  your hopes and dreams…  

making this time of loneliness fear and isolation so much more bearable…  Thank you so very much 💕😷

Hoping each of you had a blessed holiday…  closeness with loved ones in whatever form was possible… and hope for a brighter healthier future 🎁🎄🤶

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies… Mini Loaves and Muffins

 Vaccinated supper tonite… Live from NYC… part two…

Cookies… cookies… cookies… 

Here they are… the results of all that dough… 

orange cranberry shortbreads… 

lemon basil shortbreads… 

espresso shortbreads… 

banana chocolate chip mini loaves…  

corny corn muffins…  

Neiman Marcus chocolate chippers and…

peanut butter chocolate chippers… 

Not quite finished… still some cookie and pretzel dipping to complete and one more mini loaf… whew 😅 

Love baking at the holidays…  seeing folks eye light up when they get their goodies makes it all worthwhile 💕😷

Chicken Cutlets, Roasted Asparagus and Tater Tots

 Vaccinated supper tonite…. Live from NYC…

We’ve made it folks!  The shortest day of the year now behind us…  going forward each day lengthening by ~ one minute…  39 more days until the end of the Persephone phase…  ten hours of sunlight gracing our faces…  mid 40’s outside… birds chirping… squirrels gobbling acorns strewn across the front steps…  Mr Sam perched on his window seat chattering at the activity…    grateful to be in a warm house 🏡 as temps drop into the 30’s overnight 🌡

Breakfast… coffee ☕️ for two… the hubs enjoying his hot with oatmeal and blueberries… iced for you know who with toasted english muffin and munster…  Mr Sam looking longingly… finally getting to nibble bits of cheese… such a sweet beggar 🙀😽

The hubs off to tend to his hydroponic garden…  with Christmas fast approaching and baskets to be filled… time to bake!! 

Todays venture… mini loaves and muffins…  banana chocolate chip mini loaves and corny corn muffins…  by end of day the loaves were baked and cooled… wrapped in plastic wrap to keep fresh… muffins baked and cooled ensconced in a gallon zipper bag waiting for wrapping tomorrow…

Supper tonite… chicken cutlets with roasted asparagus and tater tots… a crisp green salad with chopped apples 🍎 avocado 🥑 tomatoes 🍅 and creamy balsamic dressing… alongside a glass of Casual Garcia Vinho Verde… crisp and bright 🥂 

Omicron has eclipsed all other covid variants in the US in just a mere few weeks… significantly more contagious… outpacing all other viruses 🦠 to date…  if you’re vaxxed…. Get that booster and protect yourself and those you love… not vaxxed yet??  #GetYourJabOn  Time to re-think that choice… hospitals filling up with covid cases… over 95% unvaxxed…  why risk it? 💕😷

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Cookie Dough to Cookies… Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chippers & Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies 🍪

 From dough to cookies… cookie baking half completed!

Todays efforts… chocolate chip peanut butter cookies 😋

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies… made a half batch 😛

Both came out delicious… the hubs gave each his stamp of approval 👍🏼

Tomorrow will be shortbreads… three batches to bake off…

Then…  quick breads and muffins…

Clocks a tickin’

Gotta get movin’ 

Xmas is coming soon 😷💕

Salmon, Spatchcocked Chicken and Chicken Rice and Haricots Vert Casserole

 Vaccinated supper tonite…  Live from NYC…

Lovely warm weather vanishing…  chilling drizzle…  drip drip drip on the greenhouse roof…  thin fog…  temps falling… yesterdays low 60’s will be tomorrows mid 30’s…  raindrops suspended on rosemary’s needles… her purple flowers bright against the drab sky…  few birds or squirrels out… winter’s around the corner 🥶

Breakfast… hot coffee ☕️ for him… iced coffee🧋for her… cottage cheese and black pepper for him…. english muffin with munster for her…  a chance to chat before the day begins…  touch base with the family…  everyone healthy 🤞 new Mommy feeling terrific… terrific start to the day 🥰

Hubs disappearing into his shop… working on another hydroponic set up… responsibilities lifted… a day to play in the kitchen 😁  Xmas is coming up fast…  Almost all shopping finished…  yay… time for some cookie magic 🍪 

Preference?  Make all the doughs…. stash them in the fridge…  bake another day…  completed doughs?  Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies (hubs request)  Mini Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies (another one for the hubs) and three shortbreads…  Espresso with Shaved Chocolate (treat for the baker) Lemon Basil (a very adult cookie) and Orange Cranberry (another for the baker)  All completed and stashed in the fridge… long rolls in plastic warp ready to slice… stamp or cut out… and bake… looking forward to those little rounds of deliciousness 🍪

A few suppers we have enjoyed over the past days since our arrival back home… salmon loins roasted with old bay seasoning, roasted new potatoes, haricots verts and brussel sprouts… both roasted in olive oil salt and pepper 😋  Spatchcocked grilled chicken with brown basmati rice and crisp green salad dressed with creamy balsamic dressing 😄 and tonite… chicken, rice and haricot vert casserole with crunchy panko breadcrumb topping 😛

Feeling much healthier… although we adored the food scene in Tucson… restaurant fare tends to be a bit heavier and saltier than our usual…  we are spoiled with such great ingredients available here in the Big Apple 🍎 

A fun trip to Lidl Wednesday filling the pantry and fridge… empty… completing shopping for us and Mom… dropping it off to her…  back home in under three hours… with something to eat in the house once more 🥑🍌🥬

Omicron and Delta dominating  #GetYourJabOn  Vaccinated?  Terrific… get boosted!  Not vaxxed yet?  A 31 year old friend just spent a few days in hospital due to Covid… so not worth the risk 💉💕😷

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?  Thoughts?

Trip from Tucson to Estes

 Vaccinated supper tonite… Live from NYC… Part Two…

… and so we packed up our rental van with all the parts of Mom’s home we could carry… left at midnight… and drove 15 straight hours to Estes Park in Colorado…  talk about arriving exhausted 🥱 

Of course the mountains were stunning…  dressed in their finest winter garb…  sparkling like jewels 💎 in the distance…

Arriving at the house…  water off…  system drained…  can’t pee…  heat off…  power mostly off…  warmest spot?  Inside the fridge where it was  40°F 🤣  unpacked the van…  took about an hour…  socialized with our dear neighbors for a bit…  then off to our hotel…  

Finally got to pee…  early supper of scrumptious burgers and a crisp salad with Bleu cheese dressing…  so yum after all those hours eating turkey sandwiches on rye…  off to bed at 8:30pm…  slept 12 hours and woke refreshed for the flight home…

First time in Estes in the winter… it’s cccccold in the mountains 🥶  with the whipping wind…  really feel the chill…  an experience to remember 💕😷

The Parish… Shrimp & Grits with Greens… Hush puppies… Corn Bread… Chalkboard Sauvignon Blanc… Mom’s Home

 Vaccinated supper tonite…  Live from NYC…

We’re baaaaack!!  Took a week to shoot over to Tucson, Arizona…  time to put Mom’s house on the market…  so many mixed feelings…  35 years in this home in the Catalina foothills…  stunning views…  enchanting wildlife…  delightful neighbors…  recalling all the memories made over the years…  we thought we might retire to this home one day…  but life happens…  Mom is now nearby in NYC…  we have a new granddaughter on the way arriving in April 2022…  and so moving away is no longer on the map…  unexpectedly difficult to let go of the dream of living in this place of 300 days of sunshine and warmth…

Visited several of our favorite spots… 

Seis… authentic Mexican food from the six regions of Mexico…  intensely flavorful meals with enough of a portion for two meals…

The Parish…  Cajun and creole cuisine…  pictured…  shrimp and grits with greens…  hush puppies…  cornbread with cinnamon butter…

A brand new Sauvignon Blanc… Chalkboard… crisp… with a teeny tingle on the tongue from a minuscule amount of effervescence… delicious 🥂

An emotional rollercoaster…  busy packing up items being moved to Estes Park in Colorado one moment…  sitting on the floor sorting slides tears streaming down the next…  trying to grasp all the feelings running through our heads…

Tucson’s fabulous restaurants giving us something to look forward to at the end of each day…  

In between the pandemic once again raging in America… delta and omicron spreading rapidly  #GetYourJabOn   vaccinated?  Terrific… get boosted💉

Not vaxxed yet?  Get busy… this winter will be a tough road ahead 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Cheese Plate… Winter White Bean & Sausage Soup… Shrimp Salad

 Resurgence supper tonite… Live from NYC…

A break in the action… temps climbing into the 60’s amidst thick clouds and overcast skies… whipping winds scooping leaves into whorls…  dancing animatedly… cascading to the ground…  a few geese in formation flying south… honking encouragingly at the leader…  

Breakfast… coffee ☕️ for two… toasted english muffin with mozzarella alongside… the hubs enjoying an omelette and quesadillas… Mr Sam noshing on bits of melted mozzarella and pieces of toasted muffin 😽

The daily chores… calls..  paperwork… organizing files… the hubs straightening out his workshop… cleaning and sorting tools 🧰 

A quick outing… zooming around the block to feed and water our dear friends puss… he is missing his mommy and daddy… luckily they came home tonite 😸 As we arrive back home temps skidding off the cliff into the 40’s by dusk…   30’s by morning… brrr 🥶 

Off to the kitchen for playtime…

Supper tonite… appetizer… cheese 🧀 plate of brie, fresh mozzarella and jalapeño jack with whole wheat crackers…  leftover winter white bean and sausage soup 🥣 shrimp salad with celery, red onion and lime dijonaise dressing 🍤 a glass of Line 39 Sauvignon Blanc 🥂 to share

Enjoying the Man in the High Castle… highly recommend… an eye opener…

Delta spreading… Omicron as well… America on the upside of another surge  #GetYourJabOn  spare yourself the agony of serious disease 🦠 

Mask up… limit interactions… glide through the market and wash those germy hands 💕😷

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?