On the last day of 2016, my sister and I had a relaxing lunch at a restaurant and marina overlooking the Back Bay on Fort Myers Beach, Florida. It was warm and sunny and breezy…..the kind of weather that makes
Memories of Christmas at Grandma’s House: Mincemeat Pie, “Munga”
My favorite holiday pie is a mincemeat pie, and my first memories of it are having it at my grandmother’s house. We called her “Munga,” which was my first attempt at saying “grandmother.” Munga always made a great variety of
Visiting the CIA, As American as Apple Pie: Apple Pie, CIA
On a recent trip to upstate New York, we had an opportunity to visit the CIA, the Culinary Institute of America, that is. One of 3 CIAs, (the others are in St. Helena, California and San Antonio, Texas,) this sprawling
Finding Comfort in Norman Rockwell and Making Pie: Tangleberry Pie, Taft Farms
The absence of civility in our communities and civic discourse continues to sadden me, so I find myself thinking about our recent trip to Lenox, Massachusetts where we were, for a very short time, enveloped in the calming fall colors
Enjoying the Bounty of the Pacific Northwest– Ten Pies in Ten Days: Marionberry Pie, Kelsey
Early this fall we returned to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, to visit family and eat pie (Diane) and clam chowder (Dick). Immediately after landing in Portland, we drove to our favorite bakery at Blue Raeven Farmstead and ordered an
Enjoying the Fall Harvest: Harvest Moon Pie, Breadbasket Café and Bakery
It is fall in Indiana. We listen to modern day mechanized reapers as they harvest the crops; we take in the smells of fresh hay and corn stalks; and we attend festivals at markets, town squares, and community parks that
Savoring the Last of the Summer Sweet Corn: Sweet Corn Custard Pie, Maloney Corn
Although I grew up in the Midwest, and our dad took our family when we were kids (and on occasion as adults!) to the Sun Prairie, Wisconsin corn festival to eat roasted corn on the cob, I really did not
Sacramento Valley, Featuring Figs: Dried Fig and Pear Pie
At the meetings of professional organizations that I am accustomed to attending, the exhibitors offer pens or sticky notes with their logos on them. Not so at the 2016 International Food Bloggers Convention held in Sacramento, California. The exhibitors at
Enjoying California Pears in the Sacramento Valley: Cathy Hemly’s Aunty Jo’s Pear Pie
During the 2016 International Food Bloggers Conference I had an opportunity to have a tour of the Sacramento Valley and visit a pear farm. The Valley, just west of Sacramento, is defined by the surrounding mountains, which feed the Sacramento
The Sacramento River Valley: Caramelized Endive Quiche, California Endive Farms
Several weeks ago I attended the International Food Bloggers Convention in Sacramento, California, and had the opportunity to take a field trip to an endive farm (do say “on-deeve”, please, so we know you are not speaking about “end-ive”, the