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Monthly Archives: July 2009

Honoring the tomato sandwich

Few things make better eatin’ than a tomato sandwich. And you only get them a couple of months a year, when tomatoes are in high season. Last summer, after 17 years in California, I was so starved for a tomato sandwich that I went out and bought some Bunny bread, which, in my opinion, is […]

Some old photos

Gladys and me, Winston-Salem, circa 1989. Photo by Gavin. Gladys had a stroke soon after this and completely lost the use of her legs. She slowly recovered, but she limped and dragged one of her hind feet for the rest of her life. She was the crippled collie. Gavin and I both were with her […]

In fact…

In fact, Lily has gotten so at-home in the new house that she is rooting her way into the most important spot in the house — my computer chair. Never mind that I got two identical chairs, one for her and one for me. She wants my chair. Quoi? Moi? Evicted and grouchy Update, 30 […]

Cats and new houses

It has taken time and patience for Lily to accept the new house as home. She’s known this place for a year from her cozy little trailer up the hill, but it’s always been associated with loud noises and strange traffic. I’ve taken a bit of a vacation after the painters left three weeks ago. […]

Carolina peaches

These peaches came from eastern North Carolina. I bought them at a produce stand at Germanton. California agriculture is so incredible that I don’t lightly make the claim that there are some things that grow better on the East Coast. But I do make that claim about two things: tomatoes and peaches. Southern tomatoes have […]

What's beneath the eggs ?

Guest Post by Anivid Is it sauercraut ?? Is it beans ?? Is it rice ?? NOPE 😉 It’s hash brown …… sort of. Hash Brown made of raw potatoes, which after grating is placed in a strainer, and rinsed thoroughly in lots of water until the outgoing water is free of cloudyness. – and […]

Living to be 100

The Island of the Ancients The Huffington Post has an article today on the growing number of people living to be 100 years old. One of the reasons cited for this is “improved diet.” I think it would have been more accurate to say “the possibility of improved diet.” The diet of the average American […]

On the absence of color contrast

Looking through the radio room railing to the living room fireplace I’ve had a lot of doubts about the lack of contrast in my interior color scheme. The pine floors are lot like the rosy beige walls, the pine trim, the gray-pink marble, and even the almond Formica in the kitchen. I made the decision […]

Garlic harvest

It looks a fright, but there are couple of pounds or more of good garlic in there. I had been waiting for a cool morning to harvest the garlic. It was a chore. It would be nice if one could just pull it up by the stalk, but the stalks were too dry and weak […]

Chapati bread

The dough, kneaded and resting Those of you who’ve been reading my scribblings here know that two tenets of my theory of cooking and health are that we should all eat like diabetics, even if we’re not; and that the elimination of simple carbs is the key to maintaining body weight. The problem is, bread […]