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Monthly Archives: December 2012

Goodbye, Professoressa

Corriere della Sera, Milan I was very sorry to read today in the New York Times that La Professoressa — Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini — has died at age 103. I posted about La Professoressa back in 2009. Periodically I have checked to see if she was still living. I believe she was going strong until […]

People I may know??

Facebook flatters and amuses me sometimes with the people it thinks I may know. Helen Mirren? Not hardly. And today Facebook thinks I may know Susan Sarandon. I have no idea why. I don’t think she shops at the same grocery store I do. Facebook seems to think that I know pretty much all the […]

Mushrooms in December

A bunch of shiitake mushrooms sprouted during a cold December rain. Obviously they like the cold. Some of the mushroom logs are now two years old. For whatever reason, it has taken them some time to get started.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

There are no spoilers in this post. Yesterday I went to see “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” I went to the full IMAX 3D version, $12.75 for a matinĂ©e. It would be silly for me to try to review it, because I can’t think of a single meaningfully critical thing to say. In fact, most […]

Miso

Only recently did I realize that miso is a living fermented food, like yogurt or sauerkraut. I had observed for many years that recipes usually warn you to add the miso last to soups and not to boil it, but no recipe ever said why, and it had not occurred to me to wonder. I […]

A grits tutorial

Home-cooked slow grits with home-laid eggs and fake bacon Periodically I have breakfast with friends at a roadside family restaurant in northern Stokes. I keep ordering grits, but I continue to get runny — bordering on watery — grits in a little bowl. Now maybe this is actually some folks’ preference in grits. But, to […]

Mrs. Squirrel

Click on image for high-res version Mrs. Squirrel, now that she has stolen every last one of the walnuts, came back to beg for more. She kindly consented to pose for a portrait.

Radio interview with Ken

Ken was interviewed today on The Story, a nationally syndicated radio show. Here it is in podcast form. It’s about 40 minutes. Ken is in Nebraska at present. And by the way, here’s an Amazon link to Ken’s book, which will be out in May. His blog is here.

Sandwich bread

For a long time, I’ve been scorning sandwich bread, and my loaf pans have gone unused. I can think of several reasons. For one, I’m addicted to hot bread. For two, I try not to rely too much on sandwiches. But sandwiches have their place, especially on busy days. And especially in the winter, there’s […]

Thieving squirrels …

Squirrels are bold, sneaky little things. They come up to the windows to snoop and tease the cat. One by one, this squirrel is stealing my black walnuts, which are drying on the deck. He nibbles off the hull either on the railing or the bird bath, then scampers back into the woods carrying his […]