The Glories And Mishaps Of GoogaMooga: A Redux

You should be reading a glowing review of this year’s Great GoogaMooga, but the “rain or shine” event was canceled on Sunday because of … rain. Taking into account prior complaints, event planners ensured that cell service was better, lines were almost non-existent and ATMs abounded.  The trading cards – if you could locate a…

Cooking A Deux

Cooking with someone else can be challenging.  With limited kitchen space, you may be constantly on top of each other.  One person might be obsessed with following every word of a recipe, and the other may prefer to experiment.  Much like a vacation, it can bring two people closer together or tear them apart.  If…

The Beautiful Bodensee

When someone mentions “lake country” — it’s Italy that usually comes to mind, but there’s a smaller, cheaper, less crowded version — the Bodensee (Lake Constance in English).  It covers, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but the German part is most accessible, least expensive and the focus of this month’s travel post. The water is clear,…

The Science of Mac and Cheese

According to Modernist Cuisine at Home, sodium citrate is the key to “silky smooth” mac and cheese.  And there is no substitution.  The cookbook claims you can find it in the kosher aisle of grocery stores.  Not true.  And not even in NYC where kosher sections abound.  Frustrated after searching in dozens of stores, I…

Spring Cocktail: Spicy Blood Orange Smash

There’s something tantalizing and forbidden about the blood red juice hidden beneath the bright orange rind.  Slightly bitter than regular oranges and a glorious color, blood orange juice is a perfect mixer, especially for Cinco de Mayo.  (Even if it’s a holiday created by Corona and Tostitos, any excuse for a party works for me.) …