Music and Cats

It’s apple season here in Washington, and I’ve been tasting every apple variety I can find at our farmers’ markets. As a kid in Texas, I grew up on the two colors of Delicious apples (red and golden); I still remember the novelty of those vivid green Granny Smiths from New Zealand. When I moved […]

At the grocery store today, I stopped in the candy aisle to look for After Eight Thin Mints, which are a Thanksgiving tradition dating from Paul’s childhood. As I scanned the shelves, I noticed a row of simple white wrappers with bands of color and block lettering. I am drawn to elegance, but what first […]

When I was in college, I would finish a semester, go home to my parents’ house, and get sick. Not every single semester, but often enough to consider it a pattern: after the stress and sleep deprivation of finals were over, my body would let down its guard, allowing a waiting bug to make its […]

Come into my kitchen, pull my stained, tattered copy of The Vegetarian Epicure off its shelf, set the book on its spine on the counter, and remove your hands. The book will fall open, inevitably, to page 140: Mushrooms Berkeley. I first tasted Anna Thomas’ recipe for mushrooms and peppers simmered in a rich, spicy-sweet […]

Here’s what I found at the market today:
Apple cider
Brussels sprouts
Chicken eggs
Duck eggs
Eiko’s smile
Flat leaf parsley
Gratitude for the farmers
Honey
Impatient shoppers (how sad)
Joy
Kale
Leeks
Milk
Newspaper (Real Change)
Overheard conversations
Pears
Quiet rainfall
Romanesco cauliflower
Sage
Thyme
Unexpected connections
Vinegar, apple cider (not yet bottled)
Wade’s laughter
XOXOXO (lots of kissing and hugging as friends met)
Yummy aromas
Zabergau reinettes