"You only live once, but, if you do it right, once is enough"- Mae West. This past weekend we traveled to Baltimore for Father’s Day. It’s the only weekend this entire summer we’ll be in town so inevitably every second is mapped out. That’s one of the challenges with marrying your high-school sweetheart—we’re constantly shuttling ourselves between two sets of families (who live 5 miles apart) trying to play fair to both. Over the years things have gotten much better. We no longer switch between houses each night. We unload our bags and … [Read more...]
Judy’s Chicken Salad with Mango Chutney
June 20, 2011 By 6 Comments
It is finally consistently hot here in the concrete jungle so I wanted to try to replicate a dish of Mom’s that celebrates summertime: light and refreshing with some zest and crunch. Judy’s Chicken Salad with Mango Chutney immediately came to mind—actually finding that recipe was a different story. I have such bitter-sweet memories of this meal. The last time I remember eating the dish was at my baby shower for my first child, ten years ago. As per usual, Mom was the consummate hostess. She somehow pulled off a surprise shower for me with … [Read more...]
Judy’s Earthquake Cookies: They’ll Make You Tremble
June 13, 2011 By 34 Comments
Two months ago we learned that we had to travel to Baltimore for a funeral of a great-grandmother. Talking about death with my kids is like pulling the scabs off wounds--they immediately bring the conversation back to my mom’s death. They still can’t really understand why she had to die so young. However, that made it easier to then turn the conversation around and talk about their great grandmother's full life. Remarkably, she left a family legacy of 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. To brighten the mood and change the … [Read more...]
Judy’s Garlic Chicken
June 6, 2011 By 12 Comments
Mom’s Garlic Chicken was my all-time favorite dish for dinner. Remember, the Banana-Chocolate Chip loaf was my favorite dessert. Are you starting to discover a pattern here? Of course I had to start my culinary expedition cooking meals that were my highlights. That softens the blow a little bit, right? I don’t consider this cheating but rather, like getting that long summer reading list from school and only starting with the books of interest. If I could purchase the Cliff Notes for all of Mom’s recipes I would, but, since that’s not a … [Read more...]
