I always wait until the last minute to buy Christmas and Chanukah presents for my family. It’s not because shopping slips my mind, or because I forget about the holidays or my family, but mostly because I never know what to get my family. I generally end up buying them things I would actually likeContinue reading

The onset of Fall and the approach of Winter can remind you of Robert Frost, of pumpkins, of trips to the mountains to watch the changing leaves. Sweaters. Socks. But for me, it means it’s time to harness all my upper body strength and haul out the Dutch oven. Although a Dutch oven weighs anContinue reading

Easter is my favorite family-oriented holiday. No gifts, just food. The weather is warm but not hot. The flowers are in bloom. Everybody comes home from church in their whites and pastels, ready to sit in the sunshine and nosh. At some point there’s an Easter egg hunt (a ritual no one understands, I mean,Continue reading

  Before , my experience with New Orleans was comprised of beignets at Café du Monde, my first (and hopefully last) hurricane, and a visit with a psychic (he may not have possessed mind-reading powers, but he did regale my friend and me with stories of his days spent partying with Liza Minnelli).   NowContinue reading

Christmas Day is now just ten days away, prompting me to reconsider just how much time I have to do all my holiday shopping. I mean, even if I had the money to buy thoughtful presents, everything’s pretty much coming from Target at this point. If only there were a cost-effective, homemade gift I couldContinue reading