Solitutde

Friday, July 23, 2010

Moved to Bayville!

Hello! Its been quite some time...I know. Our adventure in Vermont was ... an adventure. We missed our family and friends and all things New York so very much. Its great to be back and see everyone. It feels right.
Vermont is a beautiful state, green, mountainous, a perfect place to relax and get away. We will return every summer to do just that and at the end of the week, happily return home to New York.
I'm certain there were reasons for our brief stay up north, its was quite an education. We met some lovely people, made a few good friends and shared some interesting experiences and a few laughs along the way.
Now on to the next chapter. I'm not sure where this blog is going, we'll have to see where my instincts take me.
To be continued!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Never Boring!

Life is never boring. At least not in my world. Over the past 4 months...yup, its been that long since I've been able to connect my thoughts together in an entertaining fashion, I've made several fascinating discoveries.

Discoveries about friends, family, food, fiction books and myself. Not necessarily in that order. I've made new friends, experimented with interesting foods, added new family members, read some great fiction and I'm still the same me.
I've experimented with various pretzel recipes, developed my own special recipe for yogurt and frozen ice pops, perfected a popover recipe, and an amazing red velvet cake.

It all started when Katina, the youngest of our 9 children, was home with mononucleosis.
It was to become a month off where she was my captive audience as I tried various ways to tempt her-mono ridden palate. John and I ate everything, all she wanted was his Nutella and Brie paninis with basil on sourdough bread.

The ingredients:
12 ounces Brie cheese
Nutella
1/3 cup basil,sliced thin
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 loaf sourdough bread, slice in to 12 thin slices

The recipe:
Preheat the Panini Press.
Brush each slice of bread with olive oil.
Place bread in the press, close and grill.
Remove bread when slices start to turn golden.
Place 2 slices cheese on one slice of bread, sprinkle with basil.
Top with another slice of bread that has been spread with Nutella.
Return to press for another 2 minutes until the cheese begins to melt.

Enjoy! This is a delightfully easy recipe. And, its delicious.

Erica, John's oldest daughter, my step-daughter recently became engaged to Matt. They are a lovely couple and truly made for each other! We are all very happy for them. We are happy to be welcoming Matt in to our ever-growing family.

I've had a chance to break from my usual routine of reading non-fiction books. Reading fiction is like being on vacation, you can escape in to another world of your choosing. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett takes place in the 1960's and examines the complicated life of blacks and whites living in the segregated south. "Casting Off" by Nicole Dickson is the story of a young writer who learns to cast off her painful past to embrace the love and warmth of a new world that awaits. "Knit Two" by Kate Jacobs, is the sequel to "The Friday Night Knitting Club". Its members learn to use their craft to take them on the path of personal growth. "I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti" by Giulia Melucci is a memoir taking the reader through failed relationships from college to mid-life. "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford is a beautifully written love story taking place in Seattle during World War II and the sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans during that time.

Much more to follow...to be continued...you'll just have to wait for what's coming up next. In the meantime you can enjoy the recipe and the books!