Beverages 
What’s Up With the Paper Cup?
Oscars tonight. In the meantime something else to ponder, and sorry, no gowns involved. It’s the not-so-glamorous, but equally frivolous paper cup. Use them once and discard. While others have been carrying their reusable cups into coffee shops the past few years, I rarely have. Truthfully, I don’t buy much coffee out, but still, I [...]
An Old-Fashioned Christmas Eve
Sometimes tradition trumps local and Christmas Eve is one of those times in our house. Seeing my father-in-law wearing red and green plaid pants, a crisp white shirt and Christmas bow tie, walking in with a tray of Old-Fashioneds is a stunning memory of my first Christmas Eve in Iowa. From that moment on, I [...]
Just Cube It
Even though ice cubes have been around since the 20’s, you’d think they’re the latest, greatest invention around our house. We’ve become devout cubists. Have you got a bowl of perfectly ripe fruit that no one can possibly eat? Make juice or puree and freeze it. This time of year it’s practically impossible to [...]
The Real Blue Angels . . .
Blueberries, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, or give us the vigor to do so. Superfood? Though blueberry’s uber-healthy status is common knowledge, superfood designations in general are presently under scrutiny. Whatever their official status at the moment, it’s one of the sweet things in life that something so delicious is so [...]
Drink It: Basil & Berries
Giveaway results at the end of this post!
You can’t fool a basil plant. it’ll absolutely wait until it’s warm enough to come out and play. Once summer really and truly arrives, basil can be your best friend at a party or picnic — ready to mix it up and bring out even the shyest of [...]
Eat Fish, Drink Rum
Thankfully the weather here in the Northwest was beautiful while I was on vacation in Florida so I don’t have to feel too guilty for spending last week lounging on beaches like this one. I won’t go on and on about how much I love swimming and snorkeling in the crystal clear water but what [...]
A Drink of Water
Tap water. We’ve been condemned for our over consumption of just about everything on the planet. Now it’s bottled water. Like cell phones, bottled water came out of the blue a decade or so ago and once again we’ve been snookered into a product that we probably don’t need.
Cell phones are another matter.
From [...]
Mo’ Better Mojitos
I admit that I’m positively giddy with excitement. We decided on the spur of the moment to celebrate our anniversary by going to the Florida Keys. Who says you can’t be spontaneous after 20 years? Cuba, home of the Mojito, is just a little over 100 miles from Key West so I’m imagining it may [...]
Back to the Locabar: Rhubarb Margarita
I’ve been hinting for weeks that I wanted a special cocktail for my birthday. Last summer we got so used to fresh, seasonal ingredients that our long winter presented a special challenge for the Cocktail Study Club. More often than not, Friday night rolled around and Charlie would say, “How about a martini?” I love [...]
Herbs, the Garden’s Green Tonic
An herb garden is a place for growing seriously healthy food that isn’t merely adornment and flavor. Yes, herbs are attractive and flavorful, but that stereotype limits our recognizing their most respectable characteristic – that they carry a huge nutritional wallop.
It isn’t a precious garden – some attention is required in the spring, cleaning up [...]
