It should have been easy. Two screws and five color-coded wires. At least, that's what I thought on Monday when I decided, just before breakfast, to upgrade the old thermostat for one of those new fancy "smart" devices. You know, the kind of gizmo that displays a beautiful HD screen, which, of course, you don't …
Wait a Minute: What Did I Do Right?
I have a confession to make: I don't follow recipes. Oh, I read them thoroughly. I analyze them. And I usually think to myself: "That sounds delicious!" Then I more or less ignore the recipes and go about improvising. Maybe it's because I am so fond of jazz. Also, I'm not what you might call …
Nail Guns: Weapons of Mass Construction
GROWING UP, WE HUNG OUT IN Dad's shop a lot. While he was busy building, repairing and usually swearing, we would tinker on our own projects, invariably getting in his way (this may or may not have been at least partly responsible for his profanity). Dad recycled everything. So he always had an old 3-pound …
The low-down on ketchup
IT IS QUITE LIKELY the most ubiquitous condiment in American households. Whether you call it "ketchup," "catsup" or "catchup," you likely have a bottle or two adorning a refrigerator shelf at this very moment. Americans love the stuff and that's putting it mildly. Somehow, per capita consumption is 71 pounds a year. I know I …
The Battle of the Breads: Wands vs. Slippers
Having successfully produced a few batches of baguettes, the quintessential French bread, I decided it was time to take on its Italian counterpart: ciabatta. The history of these two loaves is fascinating and underscores the friendly culinary competitiveness between the two nations. The baguette has been around since the French revolution. Bread was a mainstay …
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The move
IT HAS BEEN QUITE SOME TIME since we have posted here and we have a good excuse. Amid the pandemic, raging wildfires, heat waves, economic mayhem and political strife, we left (escaped?) the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles for a sleepy suburb in Ventura County. It seems like only yesterday that we were …
Let me tell you ‘bout the birds and the bees
THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN Los Angeles are empty. The stores are closed. The museums are quiet. The tourists have disappeared. But the wildlife, for the most part, seem quite content to be the only hustle and bustle around. Each morning, when the sun peaks above the skyscrapers to illuminate our little window garden, the bees …
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Foolproof crackers
ABOUT A YEAR ago, Sherry and I were in a small town in Minnesota staying at a Residence Inn. It was your typical chain hotel with nondescript rooms. But this place had quite the happy hour. It wasn't the friendly service or copious amounts of alcohol that impressed us the most, though. It was the …
Let the chips fall where they may
When you have lemons, the saying goes, you make lemonade. And when you have potatoes -- and lots of them due to a clerical error in ordering online (5 bags vs. 5 potatoes) -- you start to get creative. Potato chips -- or crisps if you are British -- had always been on my bucket …
