I finally got around to finishing the book I began reading on the train from Amsterdam to Paris, Molly Wizenberg‘s superb foodie memoir, A Homemade Life. My fabulous editor Jamie Chavez recommended it a while ago, and she was totally right about me liking it. I sort of devoured it [...]
Ever see a restaurant in a movie and immediately decide that you *have* to eat there some day? That’s exactly what Will and I have always thought about Le Grand Colbert from the Diane Keaton-Jack Nicholson rom-com Something’s Gotta Give. Call it effective product placement, genius marketing or blindly trusting [...]
There’s been no shortage of flowery valentines written to the City of Light over the years, but I can’t resist adding one of my own to the mix. For instance, where else in the world can you enjoy the flakiest croissant you’ve ever encountered with the faintest smear of sweet [...]
It’s no secret that airplane food isn’t all that exciting, so Will and I decided rather than choosing between so-so chicken or pasta that we’d opt for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Clif bars instead. While delicious and very filling, one can only have so many Clif bars before you’re desperately [...]
After picking up our bags and snapping the obligatory shot of the city’s gigantic welcome sign, the first thing you notice about Amsterdam are all the bikes. They’re everywhere, and when I say everywhere I’m talking every nook and cranny. They’re clustered together in a big metallic heap by all [...]
Despite the slightly peevish look on my face (for the record, I look downright goofy when I smile in pictures, so I usually opt for grumpy or somber instead), this is the look of two very sleepy but happy travelers who arrived in Frankfurt, Germany a month ago. Yes, I’ve [...]
After several months of scorching hot temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, it’s probably not all that surprising that I’m positively giddy about it being cloudy and 68 today. Yes, there’s the slightest hint of a chill in the air, and we’re back to 97 tomorrow, so I had to make [...]
A friend of mine recently got married, so we decided a celebratory dinner party was definitely in order this past weekend. After telling me her new husband was half Italian, well, that settled it. Italian food seemed like an absolute no-brainer, and since it’s my favorite food ever, too, I [...]
Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up around water, or more specifically, the ocean. Or it could’ve been because I watched Pretty Woman too many times in high school and remember Julia Roberts’ character referring to sea creatures as “slippery little suckers.” But whatever the reason, Wisconsin’s lack of salty [...]
Last Friday afternoon I did my home state of Wisconsin proud. Yes, I made cheese. From scratch. Now it wasn’t the pride of Wisconsin, mind you, the perfectly squeaky cheese curds (and if you’re reading and wondering what in the world I’m talking about, don’t knock ’em ’til you’ve tried [...]
