It's a Toss Up

Wynham turned 16 today, but he never stopped moving long enough for me to get a decent picture. Karen was more obliging as she whipped up her "prize winning" salad with greens from her garden. I've never been able to top, or even duplicate, her dressing; she should be selling it in gourmet grocers across the country!

Comfort Me with Apples

I was completely charmed by this photo Chloé took of Claire holding her afternoon snack. She has a new camera and has been experimenting with filters, to great effect. It reminded me of a verse from the Song of Solomon: "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love." It's a long time since I've been lovesick (thank goodness), but I love the elevation of the apple to the upper echelons of Comfort Food.

Again, I was reminded of that verse when I went last Saturday with Karen to meet Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet Magazine. She's touring for her latest book, Not Becoming My Mother. The Book Passage bookstore does a great series called Cooks with Books, where you get to meet the author have a meal based on recipes out of their latest book. I've been to a few of these events -- all wonderful.

Ruth has written several memoirs, one entitled Comfort Me with Apples (second in a loose series, but entirely readable on its own). If you love food stories interspersed with recipes, you'll love her books. Her latest doesn't have recipes, though, so the meal we ate was out of the Boulevard cookbook by Nancy Oakes, who was there with her sleeves rolled up on Saturday. All I can say is, I don't get out too much any more, and it's a crying shame. Comfort me.

Aged to Perfection

November is a busy month for birthdays amongst our friends and family. Although Karen says she doesn't like birthdays, you'll have to agree that she looks pretty darn good for thirty-nine-again. She requested steak for dinner and cheesecake for dessert, so we pulled out all the stops and made butter-and-cream mashed potatoes and a Cabernet reduction, too. (Wynham is itching to snag the dregs of the wine glass as soon as I'm not looking...) Going out can be good, but staying home can be better!