Growing up, my Grandma Sylvia was known in many different circles in Baltimore, Maryland simply as “the pie lady.” In the late 1940’s, she used to home bake sinfully sweet, deliciously fresh pies and sell them to the local store for some extra cash. Extended family dinners at Gram’s apartment became the Friday night ritual. If you missed a dinner, you’d miss the opportunity to get a coveted piece of one of her pies, where homemade crusts and fresh whipped cream sealed in a variety of intense flavors from: chocolate to pecan to pumpkin spice. … [Read more...]
Get Out of Your Gourd with Pumpkins
October 11, 2011 By 2 Comments
Who doesn’t love going pumpkin picking in the fall? While my kids adore apple picking and walking through all of the orchard rows to pluck their personal favorites, our pumpkin festivities last well beyond the pumpkin patch. Although this year we were again saddened to learn that much of the pumpkin crop in Long Island was ruined in August by the high winds and heavy rains of Hurricane Irene, that didn’t stop us from trudging out in the fields with our wheelbarrows to accomplish our mission: to find enough pumpkins so the kids … [Read more...]
Postive Role Models have Life-Long Effects
October 7, 2011 By 1 Comment
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” Steve Jobs We should all be so lucky to have positive role models orbiting our lives who help us progress as individuals. My mother was mine. She propped me up throughout my youth, adolescence, adulthood, marriage, parenthood- all without skipping a beat. She helped bolster the way I approach life and its prism of challenges. In retrospect, it was her indomitable quiet strength and display of personal … [Read more...]
Reaping the Benefits of the Fall Apple Harvest
October 5, 2011 By 9 Comments
It finally feels like fall. There’s a subtle chill in the air, shorts and t-shirts have been traded in for pants and long-sleeves, and U-PICK signs are dotted alongside many of the farms throughout the small towns of Long Island. This year, apple picking took on a different meaning for me. In addition to creating a wonderful family activity and an effortless science lesson, I was also searching for those perfect ripe apples to help recreate some of Mom’s recipes from her collection. I’ve definitely got food on the brain. Like any city folk … [Read more...]
