Foodie Friday: Spaghetti Squash Pizza (Sort of)

I'm going to begin this post with a disclaimer. I am not a food blogger. Repeat, I am not a food blogger, but my respect for food bloggers has risen exponentially after putting this post together. Friends, posting about cooking, rather than my usual writing about food, is a lot harder than it appears. And then there's the pictures, which look like a seventh grade project, if the seventh grader had never used a cell phone camera. All that aside, I had a good adventure with spaghetti squash last week and I would like to share it.

One of my goals this winter has been to cook more and to try vegetables that I am not familiar with. I've so far become adept at roasting brussel sprouts, as well as braising fennel with onions and oranges. When my Weight Watchers buddy Blaire suggested a spaghetti squash pizza, I rose to the challenge. I had never made spaghetti squash before, but how difficult could it be? I learned cooking spaghetti squash wasn't difficult. Making it into pizza was the problem.

The spaghetti squash waiting to be cooked.

 

Both Blaire and my college roommate, Jane, recommended microwaving the squash, but since I had the oven on -- love the warmth of the oven in the winter -- for another project I roasted the squash in the oven. I did pierce it a few times, to prevent a squash explosion. The recipe suggested cutting it in half before roasting, but I couldn't hack it apart without doing myself bodily harm. As the photo below shows, it did just fine.

 

  

 

I followed the recipe and prepared the "crust." This is the crust after baking. The edges are nice and crispy as described in the recipe. Unfortunately the center isn't pizza crust crispy. I should have covered the edges with aluminum foil and put the "crust" back in the oven for another ten minutes or so. The taste was great, but it wasn't crispy enough to be pizza.   

 

 

 

I added a layer of tomato sauce and sautéed olives, onions and turkey sausage. I baked it for another ten minutes for the flavors to come together.  

 

 

Not exactly pizza, but a great casserole for a winter day. It was filling, tasted great, healthy, and I had two more meals that only needed heating up. It met my goal of introducing a new vegetable to my menus and being easy to cook. The squash itself doesn't have a lot of flavor, but would work well with different seasonings. We've got another cold week ahead and I may try to master making "pizza" crust.  

 

I know I said I wouldn't complain about the weather, but it has been cold, really cold. I take solace in knowing that spring is only six weeks away and I am thrilled that it's light until 5:30. One thing that perked me up this morning was featuring Miss Fluffy in her pretty red outfit for The American Heart Association's Go Red for Women event. This annual effort raises awareness about heart disease and women and encourages everyone to wear red.

 



 Miss Fluffy is asking you to take good care of your heart 

 

 

Please stop by tomorrow for Pink Saturday fun. As always, take care and keep cozy! 

Foodie Friday: My Perfect Pantry

When I was growing up I lived in a house that was built in 1924. It had a big kitchen and a pantry, both of which were standard for life in 1924. It was great for our family life, too. We moved to this house in 1957 and my mother loved all the space in the pantry. She could keep her large collection of pans and cooking implements, as well as take advantage of sales. My mother was a cook and a baker and liked to  have supplies at hand to keep us fed.

In 2015 I live in a small New York apartment and I have a galley kitchen and three shelves in place of a pantry. I like to cook, too, but I don't have space for everything I would like. I was delighted to have the opportunity from Blogging for Books to review "My Perfect Pantry" and get advice about items I could easily keep on hand that would translate into great food.   

If you're a fan of food shows on television you're familiar with Geoffrey Zakarian. I was eager to translate some of the great food from his restaurants into my own meals and I was pleased to see that the ingredients he suggests as pantry essentials are neither expensive or esoteric. I keep tuna, cider vinegar and peanut butter all the time and I can add barley, lima beans and chicken stock. I do need to add some spices, but with some basics there are great recipes. From my regular stock of canned tomatoes I'm planning to make braised green beans with tomatoes. I'm also going to buy dried lima beans and try the lima bean hash. I think it will be a perfect meal for these cold, cold winter days.  These are not especially simple recipes, but I can definitely see making most of them. There are great baking ideas, too, including a fabulous one for chocolate muffins.

I was delighted to have this opportunity to get my kitchen and "pantry" in order and stock up on foods that  will actually translate into delicious meals. Thanks, Geoffrey Zakarian and Blogging for Books for this great opportunity.

Today was an errand day and warm enough for a walk outside. The temperatures are dropping quickly -- my phone reports that it feels like it's ten degrees outside -- and I can hear the wind. I may just keep warm and cozy indoors tomorrow and drink lots of herbal tea.

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care. Keep cozy!

Please note: I received a copy of "My Perfect Pantry" for review purposes. The opinions are all mine.

An Ode to Homemade Cookies Foodie Friday

I like many things about food. I like eating it, shopping for it, cooking and reading about it. In the last year I've come to enjoy writing about it, too. I especially enjoy writing about food in New York City. I tend to write about luxury items, like the fabled macarons of Laduree or very New York centric foods, like bagels at the local bagel shop. This Foodie Friday post is about food, but its focus is on neither luxury or local specialties. I'm toasting perhaps my favorite food, one found throughout America and many other countries as well, the homemade cookie.

I've not been known to throw away a store bought or restaurant cookie and I have fabulous memories of biscotti in Rome or the simple pleasure of an oreo and a glass of milk. However I can think of few food items that vie with the homemade cookie, especially the really good homemade cookie.  

Patricia's linzer tart Christmas stars

 

A favorite part of Christmas is sampling my friends' homemade cookies. This year there were no homemade cookies until New Year's Day, when my patience was richly rewarded. I had the pleasure of a being invited to a wonderful lunch at my friend Betsy's apartment. The main course was black eyed peas, but the dessert was two kinds of cookies and at risk of gaining five pounds on the first day of the new year, I refrained from eating every cookie on both plates. It was a struggle.

 

The linzer tarts pictured above were made by one of the guests' sister. I am not generally a fan of jam cookies, but these were so buttery and delicious that I may have become a fan, at least of Patricia's cookies. The other variety was Betsy's molasses cookies. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture, but they are one of my favorite kinds of cookies. I have memories of eating warm molasses cookies during our fifth grade trip to Sturbridge Village. Yes, that trip was fifty-four years ago, but such is the power of a really good cookie right out of the oven.  

 

What is your favorite homemade cookie?

 

My goals for this weekend are movies, exercise and putting the stuffed animals and snowmen away. I will be back this evening with my last photos of Christmas in New York for Pink Saturday and tomorrow I will be once again joining Sunlit Sunday. 

 

As always thanks for visiting and take very good care! 

 

I'm happy to join the fun with sweet Stephanie at the Roses of Inspiration link party. Guaranteed you will meet some of the nicest bloggers in all of BlogLand.  

Foodie Friday at the Union Square Holiday Market

I had a great visit yesterday to the Union Square -- East 14th Street -- Holiday Market. This was my first visit to a holiday market this year, and I'm sorry I waited so long into the season to do this. There were wonderful gift ideas and delicious foods presented. I especially enjoyed the local artisan food companies and the unique crafts that were sold there. I collected a number of cards and had a great time taking pictures. The day was relatively mild, but on a colder day I could have fortified myself with delicious looking hot beverages that were for sale.

 

Besides the hot cider this booth had beautiful and delicate wooden decorations. 

 

I completely fell in love with Fatty Sundays, the best looking -- and tasting -- gourmet pretzels I've encountered in a long time. They were so pretty and delicious. I will definitely be on the lookout for them for gifts and fun hostess presents.   

 

I sampled the Sprinkle, and I bought a box of the Toffee Crunch to bring as a get-well cheer up gift for a friend who had knee surgery. The toffee crunch definitely brought cheer. 

 

 

There were a large number of food booths, all very enticing. I especially enjoyed the spicy pepper cashews at Nuts+Nuts. They are imported from Indonesia and have the added benefit of working with local farmers in Java and Bali. I am a cashew fan and these were not the norm. They were plump, delicious and an immense treat.

 

I enjoyed chatting about the company and sampling their wonderful choices.

 

 

Not to leave out our canine friends I found this booth with doggie food treats -- the cutest -- and clothes, equally cute. 

 

 This company, YoYo Dog, doesn't have a website, but if anyone is interested in their products I am happy to share their phone number. 

 

The holiday market, surrounded by skyscrapers.





I hope you've enjoyed your visit. We'll be back on Sunday for gift ideas and decorations that I think you'll enjoy. Tomorrow we're going to one of the most iconic New York Christmas sights, Rockefeller Center for seasonal Pink Saturday. 

 

As always, thanks for visiting! Take care and hope you're having a fabulous Friday. 







What's Your Favorite Foodie Treat?

Yes, it's Foodie Friday and Pink Saturday on Sunday, but I've got an important question for Buttercupland:

What's your favorite food treat at this time of year?

I've given this question a lot of thought. I've been careful with my treats and I'm trying to be really selective and only eat those items that are special, and I do have criteria for special. The food has to be exclusive to this time of year and something I really liked. I spent time thinking about this and after a visit to my local mall and some browsing, narrowed it down to two choices.

My nearest mall, the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle

 

I scanned the shelves at Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma. I found some enticing treats at Whole Foods, including this Pink Elephant themed beverage. It's not at all my choice, but I couldn't resist the photo for Pink Saturday.

 

 

 

These sea salt truffles were closer to my taste. I do like candy, but they weren't unique to the season.

 

 

I found my answers at Williams-Sonoma. I debated between the legendary Peppermint Bark and the variation of Peppermint Bark peanut butter cups...

 

 

 

...and ginger spice cookies.

 

 

 

 

I debated and debated, and there were samples to help my decision. Would it be chocolate and peppermint or would it be ginger spice?

 

The winner of the Buttercupland favorite Christmas food is...

 

 Peppermint Bark!

 

The ginger spice goodies were delicious, but I stayed with my favorite peppermint bark. I am a chocolate and peppermint fan throughout the year and on those rare times when I get a sundae it's always mint chocolate chip and hot fudge.

 

It was a lovely day in New York and I spent the afternoon walking and enjoying a relatively balmy day. I continued my decluttering this morning and worked on my coat closet, which now has three less coats. Linen and storage closet are next on my list. 

 

 

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care!

 

 

Please note: This is not a sponsored post. The only compensation I received were the samples available to all Williams-Sonoma customers. 









First Thanksgiving Foodie Friday

 

I'm delighted to have a guest post this Foodie Friday, my good friend, Carol G., who blogs at "Wheat-Free Dairy-Free Kitchen." Carol has many wonderful attributes. She is funny, intelligent and a kind and loving friend. She is also one of the all-time best cooks anywhere. I have had many years of wonderful every day meals and holiday celebrations with her. Though you may not have any specific interest in gluten free or dairy free recipes, her recipes are always delicious. I am grateful for many good meals cooked by Carol, as well as the gift of her friendship.  I can't think of a better way of thinking about the blessings at this time of year than by sharing Carol's thoughtful post. 

 

 

GIVING THANKS

It's Wednesday night (oops, just turned Thursday morning) and I'm writing my guest post for Buttercup.  This is as far as I'd gotten:

 

My First Thanksgiving

I hope my title is not misleading; it’s not a memory of my first Thanksgiving. Honestly I don’t remember my first Thanksgiving because it was soooooo long ago. I  usually go to either my cousin or my sister-of-choice to spend the holiday with their families.  This year the "kids" (now in their 30's and 40's) were going to the in-laws and both of my hosts were not planning on cooking.  It seemed only fair that I pick up the slack - so this is the first Thanksgiving I am hosting…and I’m really excited. I love to cook and I love to entertain.  For me, opening the dining room table and using my best china and silver is always a thrill.

 

 

I happen to be one of those awful guests who has multiple food restrictions and every year I assure my hostess that I will not have a problem finding something to eat. But besides the turkey and whatever dish I bring, I really have few choices unless I want to eat outside my usual parameters. This year I can eat everything!  It hadn't occurred to me when I volunteered to host my usual hosts that I would have this extra bonus.

when my dog, Bella Blue Cheese insisted that she needed to go out.

 

Bella Blue Cheese

We went on our usual late at night walk around the corner where I was struck by this sight

 

outside of Hale and Hearty soup restaurant

There are so many ironies here.  I was about to complain in my post about how deprived I felt at the Thanksgiving table (and give you tips for accommodating guests with allergies) yet I had just come home from cooking butternut squash soup (the same as the one advertised in this window) for the soup kitchen my synagogue runs on Thursdays (and I've been cooking for for the last 20 years).

 

Later this morning I will be handing out these cards to the 30 or so, mostly male, hard core homeless that line up for free breakfast at the church next door to my apartment. So you see, I'm very familiar with the problem of hunger and homelessness here in the city...but to be reminded so graphically that there are people going through restaurant garbage to find a meal hits me in a different way completely.

 

With Thanksgiving right around the corner; knowing I will be eating a delicious gluten-free dairy-free meal with people I care deeply about; makes me all the more aware of how blessed I am.  I am blessed with a home I love, plenty of food to eat, work that I thoroughly enjoy (I write a food blog); a large circle of friends and family I love,  a huge community of caring people; and the gift of helping others less fortunate.

 

With all these blessings, along with the blessing of many years of friendship with our Buttercup, I want to give thanks and wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Carol Gelles

 BTW today's post on my blog is about accommodating guests with allergies, if you would like those tips I was thinking of publishing here.
 

www.wheatfreedairyfreekitchen.com

I'll be doing at least one other Thanksgiving post in the next week, but tonight I am grateful for good health, good friends and a warm and cozy apartment. What are your thoughts tonight?

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care!

Vibrant Food Foodie Friday

I have a shelf of cookbooks in my apartment and it's a long shelf. I don't use them all that often anymore, turning more to the internet to look for a recipe, but there are times a cookbook comes along and I remember why I used to spend happy hours cookbook reading. Thanks to my friends at Blogging for Books I've had the good fortune to discover "Vibrant Food" by Kimberly Hasselbrink, and once again found a cookbook to spend happy hours with, reading and cooking.

I like to eat and cook with the seasons. The summer is a wealth of blueberries and peaches and watermelon and in the autumn I turn to apples and squash and pumpkins. I haven't been very creative in my autumn cooking this year and having "Vibrant Food" has made me expand my autumn horizons considerably. The book -- with gorgeous photographs -- is divided by seasons and each season features five or six foods. The autumn section does include tree fruits and winter squash, but it adds figs and persimmons. I am a fig fan, but I do little more than simply eat them as a snack, and I am looking forward to trying the turkey burgers with balsamic figs. Persimmons will be a new food for me and with the encouragement of "Vibrant Food" I will be adding them to my shopping basket. I don't want to get ahead of myself but the citrus recipes in winter do look good.

A cheer for persimmons, apples and pears and winter squash and a big cheer for "Vibrant Food."

What is your favorite autumn food? Do you stick with traditional recipes or look for new ways to serve favorites?

Autumn has definitely arrived and New York has been very fortunate to have been so far been spared the early winter weather. It was cool today -- definitely time for gloves -- but not windy and I got in a long walk. I'm trying to keep as active as possible before I worry about slippery sidewalks.

For those of you who have snow, please be safe and keep cozy. For everyone, have a great weekend! Thanks so much for visiting and take good care.

Please note: I received a copy of this book to review, but the opinions are all mine.
 

Pumpkin Treat Foodie Friday

One of the benefits of going to the gym, besides the obvious fitness ones, is its proximity to Whole Foods. Some things are pricey, but I like their own brands and enjoy finding new and interesting items. I don't always, or even often, buy my discoveries, but I do like the samples.

Yesterday they outdid themselves with great samples. The one that sticks with me the most and one I will go back and buy is Pumpkin Pie Soda. It's made by a company called Maine Root, which makes handcrafted beverages. I've been cutting down on my soda drinking, but I am going to splurge with a four pack of this flavor. The sample was served with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream and it made the best float I have ever had. It tasted like pumpkin pie in a glass topped with ice cream. So far, it's the best of pumpkin treats I've tried this year.

A not-too-be missed pumpkin treat

I also enjoyed this maple pumpkin butter. It was served as a garnish to a tiny pancake and it was delicious. The pancake mix was a little fancier than I usually use, but I think it would make the plainest pancakes special. I'll be going back for this, too. 

 A treat any time of year

There's something in this display for everyone

 I'm not an ale drinker, but I liked the look of this display

I hope you've enjoyed our pumpkin menu this Foodie Friday. I know I enjoyed the sampling. Buttercupland pumpkin fans, what's your pumpkin favorite?

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care!

Autumn in New York Foodie Friday

Yes, It's Foodie Friday on Saturday...

There has been some concern from my readers -- actually only one reader -- that my posts are getting sparse and my blogging days may be waning. That's not the case, but real life is getting in the way. Tonight, for the first time in four years I am actually entertaining and I've spent the last few days cleaning, decluttering, shopping and cooking. The cooking has been on the light side, but the rest has been intense. My Bible study group will be over tonight for dinner before the Selichot service. This service precedes the Jewish New Year, which starts next Wednesday. Our service is at 11:00 p.m. and we have a study session before that. I live only two blocks from our synagogue and in years past have had a dinner for the group before services. For the last three years I've been recovering from surgery, but this year, thankfully, I'm back to tradition. 

An oasis in the midst of Manhattan

I took a coffee break in the midst of my errands yesterday in one of my favorite building plazas. This tiny park is nestled between a number of apartment buildings and is a quiet place to read, have a cup of coffee or visit with a friend. It's also across the street from my gym, which is the building on the left. I had my coffee while I enjoyed looking at the mums and the waterfall. But I noticed the mums weren't the only planting that had been done for the fall. 

There was a wonderful border of pepper plants...

...and cabbages and more pepper plants. 

I've seen ornamental cabbages planted elsewhere in the city, but this is the first time I've seen them mixed with peppers. I never would have thought of it, but they look so bright and autumnal. 

On a different foodie note, I treated myself to my first pumpkin frozen yogurt of the season, and it was as good as I remembered. I've had my first pumpkin muffin, but haven't had pumpkin coffee yet. But soon, very soon...

 This was the sign at the frozen yogurt store that lured me inside. 

So grateful for another glorious almost-fall day. I hope you're enjoying the beauty of the season, too. 

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care!  

For the Bounty of the Earth Foodie Friday

It is a glorious Friday in New York City. It's warm, sunny, not a bit humid and just glorious. There is no other word to describe it. It's my first long summer weekend staying home and though I've got some nice things planned it's hard to shake the feeling that I should be at the beach. What fabulous beach weather...

I stopped by my local fruit and vegetable stand and was rewarded by the most glorious of summer bounty.

There was fabulous sweet corn from Long Island...

...Juicy, cold watermelon from Texas that looked so good.

One of my all-time favorites, concord grapes from Northern New York. These beauties have a short season, and I am thrilled when it comes around every year. 

I've never seen these grapes before and they looked great. But the price put me off. I may succumb on another day, but for now I'm sticking with the concord grapes. Has anyone tried these grapes?

There were also new apples from Pennsylvania, just a little to the south. The New York season should really get going in the next few weeks and I'm going to wait until mid-September for apples. For now I'm going to enjoy the last of the summer produce. Though I love apples, I've got time for them in the next few months, when the Concord Grapes are only memories. 

Thanks for all the good wishes on my medical tests. The test I had yesterday was not the one I thought I was having and I still need to schedule a cardiac stress test. The test I did have went well, but it gave me lots to think about, and those thoughts will be the subject of a post to come soon. 

As ever thanks for visiting. Wishes to all for a sweet, wonderful Labor Day weekend. Enjoy!

Apple Foodie Friday

Not Quite the edible apple...

One of my retirement goals has been to buy a new computer. My almost seven year old computer freezes and starts very slowly. It's still functioning, but I think it's days are coming to an end. My printer has just about come to an end and I definitely need to replace it. In the last seven years the computer world has changed significantly and what was standard then is antiquated now. I am also seven years older and I would love a bigger monitor to work on. From a perspective of orderliness I'd like to be working in a wireless environment.

A year ago I would have done some research and then bought a new p.c., but that was before I got my iPad. I have come to really like using it and that opened my thoughts to getting a Mac. I used it on the cruise and liked it a lot, and it would be great to be able to easily use the photos I take with my iPad on my desktop. I've now visited two Apple stores and I'm just about ready to take the plunge. But before I do I'm turning to my blog buddies for advice. Is anyone using a Mac and if so, what are the pros and cons that you can share with me? I don't see any negatives, but there might be things I haven't thought of. Much appreciate your thoughts and input. 

I can't leave Foodie Friday without real food and I loved these crispy rice cereal treats at one of my favorite places, Treat House. The theme is summer treats and the crispy rice treats were cute, cute, cute. 

The store is next door to the library. Major temptation every time I go to the library. 

Today was a busy day, with errands and an appointment in the afternoon. I wore a skirt and a nice blouse and it struck me how infrequently I wear "business attire" now. Tomorrow is a quieter day, with services in the morning and time with friends in the afternoon. Sunday afternoon I am back to the gym. 

As always, thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful weekend and savor the last of August.  

Farmer Appreciation Week Foodie Friday and Four Winners

Thank you, farmers and farm families. 

My walk from the subway to my gym takes me past both Lincoln Center and a local farmer's market. The market is set up across from Lincoln Center several times a week and the produce is amazing. Even though I live in the center of the densest urban area in the country there are fabulous farm fresh fruits and vegetables just a mile from my house. I know this doesn't happen by magic, but rather by the hard work of the farmers of New York and New Jersey. This summer I've made every effort to buy local produce and the effort has been so worthwhile. My favorite fruit has been the actually ripe peaches that have been the glory of the summer. They are every bit as good as the peaches I remember from childhood, sweet and so juicy. 

 I was delighted to find the first apples of the season. I did hold off buying them, and instead chose a selection of sweet plums and donut peaches. Plums and peaches have a shorter season and I've got the entire fall to enjoy apples. 

I'm a day late, but happy to announce the four winners of the Sonic coupons. They are Tracy, Anne, Kelly and Carol Sue. I will email the winners in the next day. I so appreciate everyone who stopped by and shared their favorite flavors, and as always wish I had more coupons to give away. Happy there will be sweet times all over the country. Thank you, Sonic and my buddy, Madison. 

We've had great weather and I have been outside enjoying the lack of humidity and moderate summer temperatures. I've had two ten thousand step days in a row and it is a treat to be out and walking.   

As always thanks for visiting, take good care and have a great weekend. 

Please note: The coupons have been provided by Sonic, but the opinions are all mine. 

#oneaDayThanks

One of the things blogging has taught me is the value of Twitter. I started a Twitter account over five years ago and for four of those years rarely used it. But last summer at BlogHer13 a number of the sponsors asked for tweets in order to enter contests. I was definitely green, but I began to catch on. In the fall I did an assignment for Collective Bias. One part of the project was to tweet about the product for fifteen days. I wasn't especially adept, but I had a wonderful project manager who gave me a lot of assistance. After those fifteen days I was off and running.

Last week I had a concern about my flight to San Jose and turned to Twitter for an answer, something that wouldn't occurred to me a year earlier. The Jet Blue folks got right back to me with a response and we exchanged a number of messages. One of my messages commended the agent who had been very helpful to me. On my return trip I used Twitter to commend the gate agent and when I got home I wrote about the crew on the plane to New York. It was quick and easy -- never more than 140 characters -- and I was able to do something grateful right away. So often my good intentions to send an email of thanks simply don't get done. But tweeting a quick thanks was different.

The world is a sad place these days on so many fronts. Besides the big international issues, there are the myriad issues that touch friends and family. I'd love to fix all of it, but that's beyond my limited ability. But I realized I can say thank you, and say it publicly. I liked the idea so well that I'm going to tweet a thank you every day for the next year, using the hashtag #oneaDayThanks. I can say thank you for a kind act, a brave deed, friendship or good customer service and let the world know that I am appreciative. I did two tweets today and expect that I will find many reasons to say thank you in the next year. I hope to use #oneaDayThanks often. Please come and join me. Gratitude is only a tweet away.

On a Foodie Friday note, I'm grateful for wonderful local produce. I've been loving peaches from New Jersey sold at the local fruit store. I also liked these beautiful cucumbers also from New Jersey.

Yes, the price is real. That's what happens when you live on an island and everything is shipped in. 

As always, thanks so much for visiting. It would be a lonely blog without all of my Buttercup buddies. Take care and have a great weekend.  

Ode to the Olive Foodie Friday

Sometimes we go 3,000 miles across the Atlantic to Norway or across the millenia to the beginning of time for the inspiration for a blog post. But sometimes inspiration is just ten blocks away. Yesterday I went thousands of miles and centuries for inspiration for the post and today's post was inspired by a quick stop at Zabar's, my favorite food store, literally just down the street.

I read the post I wrote about Zabar's in April and realized I didn't mention the olive section at all. It's next to the door and usually I'm stepping past it on my way to the cheese or coffee sections. In fact if you had asked me any day before this Tuesday about my liking for olives I would have told you that they weren't a particular favorite food. For no reason I can think of I stopped at the olives. Perhaps it was because I had no special errand to do at Zabar's and I wasn't in a rush. Perhaps it was because it was a rainy day and the store wasn't crowded. Perhaps... I became enamored of the olive assortment and read the descriptions. I decided to buy a small container of the Moroccan mix, an assortment of green and black olives in a lemon and oil marinade.

Like most Americans who grew up in the 1950's the only olives that I made acquaintance with were small, green and had pimentos stuffed inside. We rarely had them in our refrigerator and I never developed a taste for the them. I learned to like broccoli and whole wheat bread, which I didn't especially like growing up, but not olives. But the olives I bought on Tuesday were different. They had a wonderful flavor and as a fan of all things lemon, I was delighted in the taste. I was won over and all it took was a rainy day and a few minutes browsing.

Here's a toast to the olive, and a toast to the foods I think I don't like. This older dog learned a new trick and I am happy to proudly state that I am now an olive eater.

Though most of the time the news in the world seems very grim, but sometimes there are rays of bright light. There was a burst of joyous news in Vermont yesterday. Born yesterday -- I can't resist using the phrase -- was the beautiful Nora, daughter of Julia and Tom, niece of my goddaughter, Jess and granddaughter to my dear friend, K. From her pictures Nora is a complete snuggle bunny and I can't wait to meet her. Let the spoiling begin. I already have a lamb for her that I bought in Ireland, but I think a Madeline doll needs to go with it to Vermont.

We've got glorious summer weather in New York and I am enjoying these sunny days without humidity. They are so rare and so appreciated.

As ever, thanks for visiting. I hope your days are bright and sunny, too. Wishes for a great weekend. 

Faroe Islands Foodie Friday

We're going far, far away for our Foodie Friday this week to the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are a chain of islands west of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway. It is an "autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark." One of the things I most enjoyed about this trip was traveling to places I'd never visited before and in the case of the Faroe Islands, knew very little. The islands are beautiful and people I traveled with said that the Islands looked very much like the coasts of Scotland and Ireland.

One of my favorite parts of the entire trip was a boat ride to the Vestmanna Bird Cliffs. We sailed thorough grottos and saw the nesting places of sea birds. The scenery was fabulous. 

I spent the rest of my visit in Torshavn, the major port city of the islands. I took a lot of pictures of houses with traditional grass roofs.  

I also visited a mall in Torshavn. I enjoy seeing markets around the world and the Faroe Islands didn't disappoint me. There was a great supermarket and I was taken with this refrigerator case with assorted fish products. A major industry in the islands is fishing. Usually my Foodie Fridays focus around ice cream or bakeries, but I thought this made an interesting foodie contribution. 

I hope you've enjoyed our Foodie Friday from the Faroes. How's that for alliteration! 

I'm pretty much back to my regular routine now, sleeping better and I'm all unpacked. I've been on the subway a few times and there's nothing like a subway ride at rush hour to remind me I'm not on vacation anymore.  I took a number of "pink" pictures and I'll be sharing them tomorrow for Pink Saturday fun from Iceland and Norway.

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care. Wishes for a great weekend and prayers for peace.

Oh to Be in England Foodie Friday

I had the easiest set of flights I've had in years and arrived right on time in London. Aer Lingus -- the Irish airline -- did very well. It was almost like flying in days gone by. There was a snack, dinner and a nice choice of movies and television shows. I started with "Game of Thrones, " which I'd never watched and lasted about three minutes. I switched to "House of Cards" and watched five episodes in a row, which made the flight go by very quickly. I'm actually looking forward to the flight home from Dublin when I will watch five more episodes. "House of Cards" looks at a fictional congressman and is equally completely absorbing and a completely depressing. 

My room won't be ready for another while and I'm down the street from the hotel at Caffe Nero, a very pleasant coffee house, enjoying iced coffee, a croissant and free Wi-Fi. It's a very pleasant 74 degrees, not a whit of humidity, and I'm enjoying the moment immensely. 

I hope you're enjoying the moments of today, too. As always thanks for visiting and have a fabulous Friday.