Now is the season of our discontent. I don’t know why. It doesn’t make sense! We are all vaccinated and we have begun, cautiously, with baby steps, to enjoy some of the things we used to take for granted, like restaurant dining. The weather is tempestuous – hot, cold, rainy, dry, windy, windy, windy –…
Category: Life With Ben
Asian Lettuce Wrap-sody (pick your hoison)
We had a great weekend! We are now all fully vaccinated, and so are Ben’s grandparents, so that warranted a family visit this weekend. It was the first time we had seen each other since 2019, and it was a great time of reconnecting. Picture people running across a field in slow motion, to scoop…
Building a Better Taco
…and a better version of your day. I should have been suspicious when I got home and Ben greeted me with, “I missed you! I had a great day! How was yours? Let me laud your safe arrival home with trumpeting fanfare!” OK. I made up the last sentence, but the rest is verbatim. He…
Ringing in the New Year with the Fondude!
2020, you’re on the bench. 2021, suit up! Ben has a lot of hope pinned on the new year. When the world shut down last March, he was on the cusp of exploring some work opportunities through school. For a guy whose main interest in school has always been social networking opportunities and lunch, the…
Cookie Cutter Christmas?
Our Christmas was great. We don’t need to describe it with qualifiers – “It was fine, considering we couldn’t do all our normal things,” or commenting on only one aspect, “The roast beast was divine,” or the old second grade stand-by, “Sure, it was an awesome Christmas! Of course, it’s opposite day.” It was just…
A Christmas Carol
Phil’s brief stage career peaked when he played Jacob Marley in “A Christmas Carol.” Sixth grade was a long time ago, but he still remembers wearing the chains he forged in life. Tonight, dear reader, you shall be visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, as we remember holidays spent with family and friends.
Long December
Ben has been pushing HARD for this shrimp dish since spying it in one of his cookbooks. We changed it a bit, and I’m writing up a version of what we will do next time, based on our preferences. Citrus Shrimp Kabobs 1/2 cup orange marmalade 1/4 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1…
Puttin’ On the Gritz…An Unexpected Candlelight Dinner
Monday was my last day of Thanksgiving vacation, so Ben and I planned a dinner that takes a long time to make, but is really pretty easy (if you can start at 2:00 in the afternoon.) We made beef braised in red wine, cheesy grits, and Caesar salad. All afternoon, the house smelled incredible from…
There’s No Place Like Home
Dorothy was right. Sure, we’ve been holed up in this bunker we call home for 8 months, but honestly, where would I rather be? Answer: nowhere. It’s just the four of us; Phil, Sophia, Ben and me, but it is enough. Of course, we miss our normal Thanksgiving guests like crazy, but this year is…
“Pye of Several Things”
Many years ago, we found this recipe in Gourmet magazine, and have been making it every November since. According to the original write-up, it is an adaptation of a recipe found in a very early collection of colonial recipes. We can’t guarantee its authenticity, or if it was ever consumed by a Pilgrim, but we…