Distancing Diary #2

Hello again! Happy May! I wasn’t planning to make a habit of this, but the pandemic continues and I keep collecting stories to share.

Update – still no routine, no significant change on fitness, still no Spring cleaning – though I have now narrowed my goal to tidying just my office. A few banker boxes and I’m almost there. Of course, that will require a trip to Walmart. BTW – why is that open as an essential service – the grocery, yes – but the other side? Well I should be happy it’s open.

I did get into the garden on a day that was not too chilly. Can it be true that we’ve just gone 200 days with no temperature higher than 20? (Source) They just announced Garden Centres will open on Monday!!

Did a Care Package delivery to family in TO. Lots of goodies that made everyone happy. The Care Package included (frozen) gnocchi. If you need a pandemic project you should try these!

Despite being busy writing for the Spec, I managed to add a few things to Kitchen Bliss. Fabulous Hungarian Goulash and Corn and Bacon Pasta – I had you at bacon, right? I’m on my fourth batch of bone broth – which I’ll add to the blog soon. Made a fab Pork Marsala which I’ll tell you about next time.

Some specific COVID things?

Dalgona

It’s the only pandemic craze I’ve tried (so far) – having avoided sour dough starter. This is a whipped coffee “cream” made from instant coffee, sugar and water. It’s said to be popular in South Korea, but versions of it have appeared in various countries – India, Pakistan, Greece, Libya… You might be surprised that I have instant coffee in the house. I always have a precious wee jar of Medgalia D’Oro instant espresso that I use in a few recipes.

Some people say it takes up to 3 minutes to whip up Dalgona. My immersion blender has a whisk attachment - glorious peaks appeared in less than a minute. A blogging friend has treated this project like a science experiment, testing all kinds of variables. Visit her site for the story – although if it’s too much to read, simply whip together I TB of instant coffee, 1 TB of sugar and 1 TB of very hot water. (I used superfine sugar so that it would melt faster.)

I suppose you could eat this like a pudding, but it’s meant as a garnish. I served it with cold milk but Mr. KB had it with a regular coffee. A fun way to make coffee fancy!

No Flour

Yup – there is never any flour in the stores. Everyone is baking – bread and sweets. Just as well that we may not be able to enter parks this summer. We’ll all be popping out of our wardrobes. Let’s just say our clothes shrank in the laundry. Google “no flour in stores” and stories are popping up even in the UK! What the heck!? In Canada the deal is that they have flour but no packaging. In Hamilton, many restos are becoming grocery stores. Simply Italian Bakery on Ottawa Street is bundling up smaller quantities from her wholesaler. See also Nique.

Remember - there’s a lot you can bake without flour. Here are only a few from Kitchen Bliss. Mrs. London’s Cake; Chocolate Quinoa Cake; Walnut Cookies.

No yeast

Yeast manufacturers are also having a problem with packaging, but added to that is production. You cannot press a button and make yeast come out. It has to go through stages of fermentation and that takes time. Be patient or make your own sour dough starter. (Remember I know nothing about that.) OTOH – google bread with no yeast and you’ll find lots of recipes. You could make Irish Soda Bread.

Too Much Food | Too Many Potatoes

So much new vocabulary. How many times have you heard or used the phrase “supply chain”? Sometimes supply chain problems translate into shortages, but in the case of potatoes the system is over-flowing.

Folks! – stop with the bread and make everything / anything out of potatoes. (There is such a thing as potato bread and I get ours from Bench Kitchen.

There are tons of recipes on Kitchen Bliss that use potatoes - many Hungarian. We seem to love our potatoes!

There’s the gnocchi mentioned above. Mini Potato Gratin we make often and everyone fights over them. Potato Leek Soup (Julia Child’s version). Salt and Vinegar Potatoes - using malt vinegar - I cry just thinking about how good they are.

Gosh, I could suggest so much more. Then of course - there’s Potato Chips

Not Enough Food

I have so many thoughts on this. I hate food waste and seeing crops plowed under because they can’t get it to market!? It’s gut wrenching, but I’ll save that for next time. Meanwhile keep in mind that Food Banks need support.

Long Term Care

I just received a robo-call from my mother’s LTC provider announcing they are still COVID-free. I’m annoyed with “experts” saying “if it was my mother, I’d bring her out”. Totally insensitive, irresponsible and unprofessional. We cannot care for my mother here. We thought she’d be safe and now cannot bear to ponder the risks. She was a bit congested last week, resulting in my only meltdown so far. She was tested for coronavirus and came back negative. Phew!

Lineups

Went to Costco for the first time during the pandemic. Heard they had an early bird shopping hour for people of a certain age. Turns out there are hundreds of people of a certain age, and they all wake up early because they can’t sleep anyhow. Note to self – this is the worst time to go. Took almost a half hour to get in. The woman ahead of us was barred entry because she didn’t look old enough. I was not barred from entering.

“Culture” | Screen Time

Here are highlights of my screen time – and I do mean highlights only. I recently sent a friend a list of shows I’d recommend and I am not telling you how many pages that took. I have spared you.

• Usual PBS viewing – Call the Midwife, World on Fire

• HBO – My Brilliant Friend; The Plot Against America (based on Phillip Roth’s 2004 fiction – what if the president in the 40s had been Lindbergh, known to be anti-Semitic and the spokesperson for the America First Committee – and that is true. )

• BBC Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly. Master dog trainer Graeme Hall makes every episode end “happily ever after” and along the way you either giggle or drop your jaw at dog behaviours that some people cope with. Moral? It’s almost always the owner’s fault. Not sure when it airs, but you can watch this and so many other things on CBC Gem. (e.g. Escape to the Chateau)

• What are you watching?

Social Media

I admit I am now peeking at TikTok. How did this happen?!?! I had known about it but didn’t care.

Pause here. What is it? - “TikTok is an online video sharing social networking service. It lets people create short music and lip-sync videos of 3 to 15 seconds and short looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds. They can post anything from life hacks to dances or even recipes” (Source: Wikipedia)

Then my niece did a cool piece I shared in the last Diary. That set the stage for approach vs avoidance. Then the media goes bonkers over Dame Judi Dench appearing on her grandson’s TikTok.

So I’m thinking… good enough for the 85-year-old Dame is good enough for me – and I peek. She is charming (and without makeup a beautiful woman ageing with class). Her grandson seriously looks like Ed Sheeran!! Click here to watch one of the viral segments of the two of them - and her alone. (They’re doing “juice, sauce, little bit of dressing “ - common on TikTok.)

Many things are done over and over, and can take a lot of practice. Seems parents and kids in isolation have been doing TikTok A LOT!

The true experience comes when you download the (free) app. Nothing offensive has ever appeared in my feed - cats, lip-sync and dancing - oh and home repair. (Swipe up when you don;t like something.) Anyhow, it never fails to make me laugh. I know someone who has done the #lippick lipsync, but forgot to ask permission to share. Here’s an example.

Next Time – more on masks, the environment, pandemic playlists, flowers, supply chains, and haircuts.

Happy Mothers Day!!

(I just did an Afternoon Tea takeout - how cool is that? The woman has totally sold out for Mother’s Day!!)

Distancing Diary

I’ve become accustomed to sending followers a weekly newsletter about my Spectator columns, but this week I did not submit a column to The Spec. Just needed a breather. Typical me - that didn’t equate to stillness or boredom.

An upcoming column will be on “Food Safety in the Time of COVID”. Lots of research and reading and interesting interviews including one with Dr. Jeff Farber, Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety (CRIFS) at the University of Guelph.

This week, I’m sharing from my Distancing Diary.

My days unfold haphazardly with no predictable routine other than reading, writing, connecting with friends and family by phone, email, texting or social media. Calories and pounds are accumulating, and required counter-balancing exercise has been minimal. I just began adding exercise to my days last week, and my yoga teacher is now offering sessions via Zoom – which works quite well. If you’re using Zoom, do note the pitfalls of “zoom-bombing”.

As implied, there is cooking and eating going on, and yet when a friend wrote asking me whether I am “blissing in my kitchen”, I replied “not so much”. The various takeout and delivery foods we’ve been getting linked to Spec articles and supporting local small business are providing plenty of food.

But then I paused and took stock of what I had made in the last week. Rebar Granola and wonderful Date Orange Muffins (twice), 4 different kinds of cookies (Chocolate Kiss, Lemon, Belgian and Oatmeal – no one has complained about the latter but this is the fourth Oatmeal Cookie recipe I have tried over the years and I always find the results to be “meh”). Most of everything went into care packages sent to family in TO.

So, as you can see, not too much time in the kitchen – hahaha.

I have not succumbed to the sour dough starter craze and instead tried to make focaccia – supposedly one of the simplest breads. I used the recipe from the delightful Samin Nosrat. The result was disappointing – although she’s not. If you’ve binged everything else watch her series Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix. She’ll make you smile.

If you are keen on making bread, you can’t beat this recipe for Almost No-Knead Bread.

I tried Lemon Poppy-seed Pound Cake from NYT’s Melissa Clark. It was not stellar so I’ll hunt for a better recipe or keep making Cannoli Bread.

Have you tried making Dalgona Whipped Coffee? (Google it) It’s another pandemic obsession that I might attempt sometime.

I’ve also been making a new Goulash Soup (also twice), and dusted off my recipe for Bone Broth. (My third batch is in the slow cooker right now.) The bone broth trend (which arguably has been with us for centuries) became trendy again some years ago with various health claims that have since been debated and disputed. Even if it’s a placebo effect, I am noticing positive changes in my various “ailments” and am enjoying this daily treat. It becomes gelatinous when refrigerated. I simply warm it up, add a good pinch of turmeric and a wee bit of honey and enjoy.

The book I use has a website from which they sell prepared broth, but if you have bones, a slow cooker and 24 hours then it’s easy to make at home. (I’ll post the recipe asap. They share recipes, but not the one I use.)

Easter has always been spent with family, but this year it will be just us two empty-nesters. I’ve set the dining room table and we will enjoy a meal from one of my favourite restos in Hamilton Bon Temps - a half roast duck, smoked ham hock, house-made Mac and cheese, French beans with brown butter and almonds, brown sugar turnip with demi glacé, and duck fat roast potatoes.

Oddly, we have few “Easter food” traditions. The exception being braided egg bread “challah” from Quality Bakery. That bread has shown up on our table not only at Easter breakfast, but for every birthday party as the base for traditional Hungarian open-faced sandwiches. While I hope to one day make that bread, this year it was my Easter nostalgia purchase and it’s been open-faced ham sandwiches for the last few days.

Speaking of sandwiches, I backup photos on my iPhone to Google Photos which occasionally throws up a notification inviting me to see what I was doing on this day in ‘xyz’ year. On March 29, 2018 my retired friends were here for a tea party. It was fun to prepare – a kind of treat that leaves everyone smiling and in good spirits. I LOVE tea sandwiches and for several days after this reminder I was obsessed with eating (crustless) cucumber sandwiches - enjoying my own mini tea party.

Back to Easter… my brother should be fine with a house full of people working in isolation. My mother-in-law (turning 98 on Easter Monday) spent part of the pandemic in hospital and is now home being cared for by loving sons, with limits on other visitors because of COVID isolation. My mother is in Long Term Care. It seemed, at first, like a safe place to be – suddenly no more, but her care is too challenging to bring her out. My brother and I have been dropping goodies off for her at the front door of her LTC.

Daily she asks “When will this be over?” I have an app from the library - here’s their guess. At first they changed the due date for all my books to April 14, and now it’s been changed to July 6.

We missed the celebration of my daughter-in-law’s birthday – that would have been (and will one day) be good company and a great meal. There was a pandemic birthday party on our street. A procession of decorated cars, tooting their horns though I never could figure out who’s birthday it was. A nice gesture.

Speaking of my brother. Yesterday was Sibling Day and I didn’t post on that, but I’ll use this opportunity to say that we’ve made a great team in the course of the last decade’s journey and he’s a treasure.

My Mother knit that sweater!!

Whereas I spend money eating out, he saves it for musical theatre (and must be thrilled that he saw “Hamilton” before the world turned.) Reminds me that when I was in grade school we had to walk home for lunch which I ate with my mother in front of the TV watching “As the World Turns” and “Search for Tomorrow” – crazy titles - fitting for our current situation!

It was fun to make my brother laugh with this great UK pandemic adaptation of Les Mis. {Seriously Watch this! The Marsh Family from Faversham is magnificent!!]

I broke some rules during this period. Since childhood I have never been a fan of chain letters. Breaking the chain always came with warnings of dire consequences and once I realized they never happened I always opted out. During the pandemic I have been scooped up in two Recipe Share chains and have played along because I love the people who sent them. I have received not a single recipe from participating – maybe I’m not the only one on the planet who doesn’t play nice? Now that I think of it there have also been various forms of chains on social media, tag women you admire etc. etc. Sigh.

There is much to criticize about social media, but if you’re careful it does connect you daily with people you know and care about. In one poignant example, a blogger friend in Montréal lost her mother and as per Jewish custom the service happened quickly. None of the family were allowed to attend except by a FaceTime group chat. She shared that and I watched it. So sad. Meanwhile, a couple of friends have welcomed grandchildren into the world – with another on the way anytime soon. Yes, the world turns.

Babies are more cheerful news than much of what is on offer. I think most of us are trying to limit our exposure to news which might actually leave you misinformed, and maybe angry depending on who’s speaking. Overall, not cheerful. We love NYC where son #2 lived for almost a decade and scenes from that city are particularly gut-wrenching.

NYC: Governor’s Island 2017

And yet, it does seem that pandemics can bring out the best in people both in kindness and creativity and good humour.

Need proof? My creative (and athletic) niece paired up with her talented film-making brother to create this TikTok which should make you smile - maybe even laugh!

Many people report feeling helpless. Our movements are being restricted, but there is so much we can still do in attempts to make a difference. I am writing and ordering food from local entrepreneurs in an effort to help keep them afloat. I know someone making masks. I’ve been saying for weeks that regular people should be wearing regular masks but it was not until April 6 that Dr. Tam formally announced – “ok, I guess it doesn’t hurt”.

Mask patterns abound on the internet. They are easy to make and creative fabrics make them fun. I have pondered making some, but it’s not coming to the top of the “to do” list. Besides, I got stuck on one that requires a handkerchief and two hair elastics and no sewing (and is easily washed). That will do for now.

I REALLY thought I’d be doing Spring Cleaning. With the exception of a few cupboards this is not happening - yet. In recent months, I have also been inspired by “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family” by Margareta Magnusson. I’m beginning with my office. If COVID gets me - let my little space at least be purged and sorted. This is taking way longer than I hoped for a tiny room, and now I am stepping between and over piles of stuff I need to dispose of. Lots of books.

A great breakthrough is that I am finally tossing all the cards my mother saved from my wedding and shower. We emptied her house a couple of years ago and the collection has been taking up space here. The idea behind Death Cleaning is not the “joy” question. It’s more putting yourself in your kids’ shoes as they deal with your belongings and imagining them saying “Why in heaven’s name was she hanging on to this!?”

The sun is shining, and though a bit chilly my roses are coming back to life. Tulips we planted last fall are getting tall and will soon be joining the display of snowdrops and irises. May your Pandemic Days be safe and healthy!

Blog Birthday #5!

“Kill two birds with one stone.” It’s a common expression and I use it without thinking, although I don’t really want to kill any birds – they have enough problems.

In this case, “two birds” refers to one blog post with two goals – wishing you a belated Happy New Year and wishing Kitchen Bliss a Happy 5th Birthday!

As you may know, the restaurant review gig has hijacked parts of my life and although I managed to post some recipes in 2019, the last “blog post” was “Happy 4th Birthday” – good grief. I have continued to work on perfecting a few more Hungarian recipes and they sit on my shoulder begging to be added to the site.

I wonder if you noticed that in the Resto Reviews I have enjoyed cuisines from many parts of the world – but not Hungary! Locally there is no Hungarian restaurant (though there were a few when I was younger). I have no idea why that is, but a recent Bloomberg article called “How Food Will Change in 2020”, listed one trend as “Central European Cuisine Heats Up”. They offered the example - “In New York, Stephen Starr’s new Veronika restaurant will highlight Hungarian and Viennese food, two areas that haven’t seen major play in the city for decades.”

We need that trend to move north! I know, you’re going to tell me about a Hungarian restaurant in Toronto – but in truth I am not over the moon about that place.

One Hungarian place worth a visit is the Budapest Bakeshop in Niagara on the Lake (NOTL). Their main (only) feature is the Chimney Cake (Kürtőskalács). It’s been a while since we visited Hungary, and of the many times we did, these were not yet a “thing”. They were popular in the Romanian–speaking parts of Hungary and now seem to be everywhere – there is even a Chimney Cake Food Truck in Hamilton! The NOTL location is charming, as are the owners. The savoury versions use Hungarian salami and sausage, and the sweet versions include cinnamon and walnut. You’ll love them!

Meanwhile, while hoping for a Hungarian restaurant to open, I cook Hungarian at home. Family Day is around the corner – and that’s our sausage-making day with best friends, using equipment crafted by my Dad. Just after NYE, Mr. KB once again made Kocsonya – a pork stock gelatin that surrounds delicate pork meat. His results are far more gourmet than what my parents/grandparents used to produce. Very flavourful though I have not yet warmed up to that dish. If it had the fancy name “aspic” would I be more inclined to eat it? For now my gelatin preference seems limited to fake red stuff that tastes like strawberry - though I haven’t had that in this century. Nonetheless, the Kocsonya recipe will one day go on the blog for the benefit of family and friends.

You never know who will use blog recipes. My blog averages 80 visits per day and last November I got a traffic alert that over 180 people has visited on a single day. What were they looking at? Liver Stuffing!! (this was close to American Thanksgiving). For those who made it, I hope they enjoyed it. I have to say that if, on Xmas day, I had to eat only one thing, it would be that stuffing. Last February 250 people visited on one day searching for Gingerbread Cake – and I must say that cake is out of this world. Try it soon!

New Year? No resolutions – especially about food since I am now paid to eat (too much) every week. And last week I went to three bakeries – prepping for a Valentine’s Day column. (Happy V Day BTW.)

2019 was a year with a few “milestones”. We went to a Pink Martini concert and were startled to learn it was their 25th Anniversary. Lordy – have we been fans that long? Even worse – we saw the Chieftains perform – their final tour after 57 years. I don’t know what to say. We weren’t on the bandwagon right away, but jeepers – where have the years gone? When again will we tread the “Rocky Road to Dublin”?

Another milestone was the end of Star Wars with the last film – The Rise of Skywalker. We clearly remember the experience of the first movie in 1977, and continued to be part of this unprecedented phenomena of following a series for decades - dragging family along on the adventure. So, no more Star Wars? One consolation prize is the return of Star Trek’s Captain Picard. And Star Wars has joined the TV world offering Mandalorian.

And that brings me to my new love of 2019, a character in the Mandalorian – Baby Yoda. The Mandalorian production company clearly figured out that some of us are suckers for “big eyes” – a characteristic shared by two of my other loves – Luka and Dusty.

I’ll leave you with thoughts from one of my favourite writers – Nora Ephron.

As a side note, in recent years I have returned to using the library. When I updated my card, all the librarians gathered around ogling my old card - they had never seen one of that vintage. I was on a wait list for Ephron’s book - “I Feel Bad About My Neck”. Then a strange thing happened - a “good as new” copy showed up at the book-share space at the Senior Centre where I volunteer as a tech tutor. It felt like it was meant for me. On the inside were the words “Mom, from Mary. Xmas 2006”. I can’t help wondering if “Mom” was decluttering or if “Mary” was emptying her house. I’m sure they’d both be happy to know the book found a good home - until I declutter.

The book is a collection of essays on topics from wrinkled necks, to parenting, to decluttering, and dying - and was published in 2006, six years before her own death. An excerpt:

“Here are some questions I am constantly noodling over: do you splurge or do you hoard? Do you live every day as if it’s your last, or do you save your money on the chance you’ll live twenty more years? Is life too short, or is it going to be too long? Do you work as hard as you can, or do you slow down to smell the roses? And where do carbohydrates fit into all of this? Are we really going to have to spend our last years avoiding bread, especially now that bread in America is so unbelievably delicious? And what about chocolate?”

I eat too many carbs – yet still maintain that bread (and butter) would be my choice for my last supper. I also wrote about overcoming my fear of yeast and making my first bread in 2015. Now, I not only love bread, but love making it. I think it’s not too late to declare 2020 “My Year of Bread”. (Watch for some new recipe posts on that! In fact I’ve already posted a great recipe for a Cannoli Quick Bread.)

Carbs? Damn the torpedoes! Happy Birthday to Kitchen Bliss and Happy 2020 to you. Life’s a bit scary these days. Eat bread - maybe even cake! Hugs!

P.S. I have been slowly posting reviews of my favourite restos on the blog.

Blog Birthday!

Neglected… that’s how my little blog has been feeling. No “stories” since August and the last new recipe was in November! Most readers will know that is because of my new gig as restaurant reviewer for The Hamilton Spectator.

I’m determined to get back to blogging and this entry is prompted by a special occasion. February 7 – Kitchen Bliss is 4 years old!

In four years Kitchen Bliss has shared 162 recipes and 51 stories. A year ago many of you had great comments on my Dinner Party reflections. Two years ago it was all about the secrets to happiness with reference to social media being dominated by the hashtag #f*ck2016. (Really!? We thought 2016 was a bad year?)

This is a terrible time to be a political junkie. Humour may be the best antidote.

This post will also have to serve as a (belated) Happy New Year greeting. The year flew by – they all fly by. 2019 will mark seven years since I retired – not hard to remember that number - it has also been seven years since my Dad died. He’d be 92. He always liked “a good feed” and it would have been fun if he could have been my dining date for a restaurant review!

Resto reviewer sounds like a dream job – the fun of eating out and reconnecting with friends who offer to be dining partners. But, true to form, I have stepped up to the plate and proved that for each weekly review I can make the work expand to fill more time than one would imagine, or hope for.

I have to figure out where to go – aiming for some balance of resto type and location. Do some research on the resto and the chef or owner. Drive and dine. Do a post-dining interview, and then write. In the words of the Food Editor – “Just barf out the first draft and go from there.” So, that’s kind of what I do and I always end up with 1200-1400 words which must then be cut back to 800. All those lovely words falling to the floor… I’m learning to not become too attached to any of them. Then there’s photo editing and the paper trail to keep myself organized. It’s been a “full circle” life activity. I am back to earning 75 cents per hour – my wage when at age 15 I first began working as a “duster” in Sherwood Drugstore. (Do they even hire people to be dusters anymore??)

I have passed my probation period and have no idea how long this will last. I already know that once it’s over the best part will have been the people. It is startling and heartwarming, week after week, chatting with young entrepreneurs who love Hamilton and see it as a thriving, happening kind of place. So much of my life has focused on Burlington, Oakville, Toronto and New York. Now I am re-discovering my hometown at a time when there are exciting changes.

If you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll know that each week I hunt for the story behind the restaurant. I love stories, and story-telling. In The Faraway Nearby, Rebecca Solnit says “We tell ourselves stories in order to live… We think we tell stories but stories often tell us, tell us to love or to hate, to see or to be blind.” Telling stories about food - and those who passionately prepare it - is often about love and seeing things anew.

The unexpected resto gig has helped me keep on track with many of the so-called secrets to successful retirement. Stay busy, be a lifelong learner, give back, get social. A world that was shrinking has suddenly become bigger – eating out weekly, exploring new places and cuisines, sometimes re-connecting with people I’ve not seen in years, and forging new relationships with people of varying ages. Inter-generational experiences are, as promised, good for you. Researching for some reviews sends me down rabbit holes learning new things. And opportunities for giving back pop up. Just this week I was a judge for Hamilton’s 17th fundraising SoupFest. Fun – but after tasting 20 soups I don’t want to see soup for a wee bit.

I remain humble about this role as a reviewer, and hold no illusions that I personally am “an influencer”. But people do seem to read the GO section of the paper and more than one resto has been in touch with me saying that they have had their best day, or best month ever of sales. That’s got to be a good thing, right?

Let me take this opportunity to thank all who have sent along kind words about the reviews. That’s always appreciated – though never consider it a compulsory reading assignment!

One last bit of trivia. There is little room in this house for another kitchen toy, but… we just got one. No, not an Instant Pot – so far, resistance on that front has not been futile. With our annual sausage making day coming up, we got a vacuum sealer to prevent freezer burn on the frozen sausages - or any frozen thing - because… well… check out the cartoon. Say no more.

I always end a blog with a recipe. Here’s my recipe for the famous, iconic Hungarian confection – Zserbó Szelet. In all honesty, I suspect few of you will make it, but it will be waiting online for the day that someone else in the family wants to re-create this sweet that has been part of Xmas memories.

[PS. I have been sharing links to the resto reviews via my newsletters. Subscribe to them here. I promise one day soon I’ll add links to the Resto Page in my site – another section that has been neglected.]

There are blossoms on the west coast – 40 days to Spring!