Easy Lo-Cal Ratatouille
Easy Lo-Cal Ratatouille and Variations I’ve made ratatouille for decades, ever since my vegetarian days of long ago. In the past, I made it with lots of olive oil (eggplant positively drinks olive oil!) and lots of work. This is much easier and just as delicious. I’m on the 5:2 Fast Diet (I eat 500…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Mentors
Do you have a mentor? Do you wish you did? Who would you choose? Or perhaps you’re a mentor yourself? Tell us a your mentor story. Thank you, reader Dana Crano for suggesting this weekend’s theme. If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your…
Read MoreTotally Yummy Beef Stew
Disclaimer: I’m not a cook. I know nothing about the science of cooking. I do enjoy cooking if I have the time to plan, shop and put a recipe together, but that’s so rare. Wow, though, do I love to eat! That’s why I thought it would be fun to occasionally share my favorite recipes.…
Read MoreStory Weekend: It's a Small World (and a giveaway)
Yes, Story Weekend is back! I’ve appreciated hearing from those of you who missed it. This weekend’s topic is “It’s a Small World” and I’ll start it off with my own story in the comment section to get things rolling. On Monday evening, 7pm EST, I’ll use a random number generator to pick one of…
Read MoreWhy I can no Longer List my Top Ten Books of the Year (and a Giveaway)
UPDATE: We have a winner! Thank you all for sharing your favorite books. The Random Number Generator picked Rhonda Baker. Congratulations, Rhonda! For the past few Januarys, I’ve posted my ten favorite books of the previous year on my blog. Some of you have been asking me when I’d be posting my list for 2013…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Outside Your Window
Isn’t the view from this monastery window beautiful? Describe what you see when you look outside your window. If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve contributed. As…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Money Pits (and a giveaway of an audio book)
I’m now the happy owner of my second beach condo, this one a three bedroom. They are both rentals, but we use them when we can and we looooooove being right on the ocean. This one was a tad dated and I knew I wanted to spruce it up a bit. My youngest stepdaughter, Caitlin,…
Read MoreStory Weekend: Acting (and a Giveaway of a Large Print Edition of Necessary Lies)
As a kid, I always wanted to be an actress. My friend Joyce and I would practice a scene from the movie The Bells of St Mary’s, in which the priest (Bing Crosby) tells the nun (Ingrid Bergman) that she has leukemia, and she cries (with relief, because of the storyline). Joyce and I would…
Read MoreBirth Control Craziness
I lost my virginity at the age of eighteen. I loved the boy; in retrospect I can’t imagine why. Still, I was head-over-heels smitten, the sort of smitten that had me sketching his picture in my notebooks and skipping classes to be with him. I hadn’t completely lost my mind, however: I knew I didn’t…
Read MoreQuestions from a Reader
I did a live Google+ Hangout yesterday during which several of my readers participated. One of my readers, Amy Feld, was unable to hook up with the Hangout (it was a technological challenge, for sure!), so she sent me her questions separately, and I thought I’d answer them here for everyone to see. (Here’s the…
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