Creating Healthy Eating Habits and Meaningful Moments In this post, I’ll serve up the idea of the apéritif and show you how this custom can support healthy eating habits and help create meaningful moments at the table—anytime. Let’s start by exploring this delicious tradition. What is the Apéritif? Traditionally, an apéritif is a light drink—alcoholic […]
If you're okay with your kids enjoying a little candy on Halloween but want to avoid a big stach lingering around, here's a fun solution: have you heard of the Halloween goblin? Here's how it works. After trick-or-treating, let your kids choose a few favorites to keep and set the rest aside. Then, just like […]
Our routine stop last night at the Gelato shop on the corner of our Airbnb here in Florence sparked some delicious and exciting dinner ideas to share with you today. Many years ago, I studied with a French chef named Marie, whom you’ll meet in my upcoming book. One day, Marie served me an open-faced crêpe […]
What About the Bread? Bread is controversial in the U.S. because some people are gluten-sensitive, and some others simply prefer to avoid white flour. I love bread, but honestly, most of the bread in the U.S. is not good, so gluten-sensitive or not, I agree we can skip most of it. If you like bread […]
My friends in France and Italy often talk about buying “an American refrigerator” because of the extra space these offer and the modern options like an ice maker. Many of us in the U.S. can hardly recall a time before automatic ice makers, and our kids, like my son Alessio, may have never used ice cube […]
Last Friday, I wrote Dinner Stories: Eating Out at Home, which is about using ideas from restaurants to help you figure out "What's for dinner?". Here’s another yummy example of how to draw inspiration from restaurants and gain more confidence in the kitchen. Plus, a tip on how to get children and other family members involved […]
If I could meet you in person instead of writing to you, I’d invite you over for a little apéritif and tell you a Dinner Story. Maybe we’ll meet one day, but for now, today’s story is about the beauty and practicality of the apéritif. It is more than merely a delightful social custom. The […]
“What’s for dinner?” This question follows us every day, and everywhere. Even during our stay in Florence while my son, Alessio, is taking a design class, I still have to figure out what’s for dinner. Wonderful restaurants surround us, but we can’t eat out every night. So I am still cooking dinner most days—for myself […]
Cooking for kids can be complicated. They can be picky and don’t always want to eat the same meals as the rest of the family. I hear this complaint often, and that many parents' go-to solution is to make something simple for the kids to eat and to serve them first, such as microwaving chicken […]
Eating out is a wonderful treat, and you can create the same experience at home. Imagine making a simple meal and feeling like you are dining at a Trattoria in Italy! My son and I had a wonder meal at Trattoria del Pennello in Florence yesterday evening. We ate outside and the setting was beautiful. […]
Yesterday, I was reading a popular food publication’s post about back-to-school lunches. The article featured a gorgeous spread of school lunch ideas—all picture-perfect. There were sandwiches cut into various shapes, with expertly sliced vegetables and other ingredients used to create smiley faces and intricate designs. While the ideas were inspiring, they seemed to require a […]
A topic I write about often is The French Paradox. It's an intriguing “phenomenon” about how the French, in general, maintain good health and weight despite consuming a diet rich in croissants, cheese, bread, cream sauces, and butter – not to mention those delectable desserts! You can read more about the French Paradox here. But […]
