gratitude and Judith Jones – thanksgiving in january

I was recently reading an article in Saveur’s December issue. The article is entitled, “Personal Space: an editor’s kitchen reflects a lifetime.” The writing is about Judith Jones (an accomplished cookbook editor who published Julia Child’s first cookbook), her kitchen and recent publications, and about how one’s kitchen can be a telling reflection of the style and personality of the cook who spends time there. This was a thoughtful article, but what struck me the most were the pictures of Judith in her little kitchen and apartment, as well as the mention of her latest cookbook, The Pleasures of Cooking for One.

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small and beautiful – a note from Cecil

My Grandma Cecil had a habit of writing her thoughts down on little pieces of paper. These little paper gems were tucked away all over her house; in drawers, inside of books, in glass dishes, posted on the giant bulletin board that occupied one of her kitchen walls. Now that she is gone, and now that I am a grown woman with a lot of questions for her, I cherish each of the few little scraps that I have salvaged as insight into her thoughts, her hopes, her affirmations, her struggles, her wisdom, her encouragement. I am so thankful for the things that she taught me as a young girl, but these little notes must suffice as answers to my grown up questions. These notes must suffice as the means to understand who she was, woman to woman.

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love for mom – love for philippe’s

Let me tell you about a place that I love with all of my heart – a place that makes my eyes water from nostalgic emotions and the spiciest mustard on the planet. I love this place because it serves delicious food – I love it because it is historic and has a story and an identity – I love it because it is located in my sunny home state of California. These are all things that speak the love language of my heart, but I love it mostly because it reminds me of my family. This place is part of our story – part of our history and tradition.

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soul food – trinity house

Yesterday I made four pounds of black-eyed peas. FOUR POUNDS. That’s a lot of beans to contend with. The two largest pots that I own were filled nearly to the brim. Jon and I were headed to Trinity House with some of our friends. Dinner is brought to Trinity House nightly by different groups of volunteers, who then have the fortunate opportunity to break bread with the residents and hear their stories. We had been recruited, and our assignment was to bring black-eyed peas. I am so thankful that we went.

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