If it’s not chocolate or pistachio or, all right fine, let’s be honest ... chocolate-hazelnut, or chocolate-raspberry or chocolate-orange, or pear or, apricot .... my favorite sweets are made with apples. I think that if there was a Global Holiday and every nation had to bring their signature to the table, the US ought to bring a perfect double-crusted apple pie!   In Normandie, apples are the stars of many shows, as an almost-endless variety grows and thrives here. Morning a

My dad and me, his last visit to Disneyland. late 1990s. We had a wheelchair for him and got to jump all the lines! He loved the roller coaster in Toon Town, all his heart could handle at that time. He pleaded for a second ride. Yesterday was the anniversary of when my dad passed. It doesn’t seem 24 years since, yet apparently it is.   Over the holidays I felt incredibly nostalgic, maybe this being my first holiday season as an actual European resident. I was very grateful to

In Bayeux France, where I am right this cozy winter moment, at the onset of 2026, I’m reminded of a promise I made right around Thanksgiving ...   Lydie, my soul-sister and angel for the City of Light , hosted me in Paris on my way to Bayeux. We spoke at length about how much we love storytelling. We made a pact, that we would share more stories – in writing - from now on, and coach each other as we did so. We see that, as yet for me, that hasn’t exactly happened as planned .

Best-EVER Oatmeal Double-Chocolate Chunk Cookies   1 cup butter (2 cubes), at room temperature 1/2 cup white sugar 1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 2 eggs 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract 1 ½ cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats* ½ cup quick oats* ½ cup Grape Nuts cereal or cluster-less granola*  1 ½ cups chopped fine-quality milk or dark chocolate, or mix of both* *See notes at end of recipe!  Combine soft butter with s

My humble Thanksgiving table. The first four seasons (including this spectacular Fall ) of my life here in Italy have filled me with so much overflowing joy and gratitude. It’s actually difficult to articulate what this has meant to me, so thank you for bearing with me, as I try to do just that.   Suddenly I got to thinking that my 2025 New Year intentions were to enjoy deeper connections with people , and to spend more time in giddy joy .   2025’s home stretch has me notici

This story is all about the feast for my senses that Italy is offering me right this minute.   I’ve never quite experienced an Autumn like this in my life. While almost everyone I know – especially those in southern California, my home until now – has travelled to “see fall colors” since that is really not a thing in SoCal, I never did that.   Now I’m privileged to live where Autumn is quite possibly the most gorgeous season of the year. I’ll spin as short a story as I can be

My own artwork ! Notice how Sister Moon is blushing ...   I really hope that’s true.   I’ve been blessed with a new idea and I really...

Renata and me, summer 2022, just before she moved with her family to France and took my heart with her. We're sharing "nose bisous"...

Renata and me, spring 2021 ... apparently a non-glam, lazy Saturday morning, typical of our precious time together. Just now there was a...

Lisa and me (far right) with dear friends Adda, Edith, and MammaGina, in Frontone, on a fantastic fun June evening ... that had been...

Having learned to make simple pickled onions once upon a time, I decided to take that idea and run with it to create a new salad habit...

This e-card magically popped up on my phone one Sunday morning, apparently when I needed it the most. It’s from the app for Louise Hay’s...

A really great evening practice inspired by my new mentor Kami McBride , is an herbal eye compress. It doesn’t take a lot of time. It...

Having a home on a new continent is wonderful for lots of reasons ... my favorite probably being that my passion for cooking and baking...

Oil on canvas, The Holy Virgin of Rescue, by artist Giovanni Francesco Ferri (Pergola 1701-Urbania 1775) In one of my favorite films...

Renata and me in La Rochelle, summer 2023, on the upstairs horsies of our favorite carousel. In the gorgeous medieval town of Gubbio, my...

Not really what you’d expect from this Chef living in Italy at the moment? I hope you’ll love this surprise.   When I had the idyllic...

On a glorious sunny April Saturday, my sister Lisa, our friend Gina, and I ventured out to explore a little neighboring city called Fano....

In 2007, when I returned from an entire idyllic month of May in Italy, I wrote a sweet story called  A Sense of Home  for an...

This week I had a profound experience, regarding my identity ... just about a week after I wrote a story about my seemingly lost identity...