Bonnie loves coffee. Especially in Rome

I probably should not admit this but I love the preparations for Thanksgiving. All of the elements are pure bliss for me. Today, I am gathering the “stuff” to decorate the table – thinking pears lined up with orange and yellow flours in jam jars of course. One year my daughter sprayed every other one [...]

I grew up with the delicious opportunity to pick fruit from trees and bushes. I have never gotten over it the delight of it all. So when an opportunity presents itself to gather edibles from their natural setting, I am there – if I can. Nancy Jenkins olives are ready for picking and here I [...]

Peach Ginger jam slathered on a piece of toast with a touch of fresh ricotta is one of my favorite beginnings to a day. But maybe the attention to the details of constructing this little morsel separates the moment. A little ceremony in the spirit of a different take on a “tea ceremony”. Now for [...]

Waking up to a rainy day in Camden, Maine makes for a perfect set up for inspired roasting. With no chickens wandering the yard, and the harbor in view, fish is the natural selection for the meal centerpiece. And since jam is an obsession – well you see where I am going with this – [...]

Mid-September ingredient choices are just too confusing. Consider a typical farmer’s market spread: summer berries and stone fruits alongside seductive apples, alluring orange pumpkins and root vegetables dropping bits of dirt. I want them all. But that’s me. I look at a menu with the same conflict – give me a taste of every dish [...]

Morning coffee with Lewis always offers a bounty of new ideas. This morning lots of ideas of new peanut butter and jelly recipes. Stay tuned!

Another summer with the best of friends on the Vineyard – if only life had this momentary bliss. I cannot think of a better morning. 6 am light with the barest hint of warmth expanding as the sun gets higher. Now sitting sipping coffee and a little toast – and jam of course – the [...]

I grew up in Southern California in a house smack in the middle of an orange grove. Fruit trees surrounding the house produced ripe juicy fruits so flavorful that I have a classic Pavlovian response just looking at a peach, plum, nectarine or any other stone fruit. No wonder I try for that flavor in [...]

Is it me or is summer moving on too quickly? My favorite season too. OK the fruit thing is an obsession but I love the ease of moving into morning in summer – a seamless transition from the warmth of sleep to the day. And then there are the summer menus – I think fish [...]