The great thing about getting older is that you forget so much, everything is new! Recently, I made a batch of polenta because I was worried the recipe in my book might not be accurate. I was sure I’d never blogged about polenta, then checked old blogs and realized that, not only did I blog about it, I made four batches to be sure it was good. It…
Holy smokes, my essay about my mom just went up on the Huffington Post! The link to it is in the highlighted words, just click on them: They’re calling it, “My Mom Dreamed of Getting on The Price is Right, I Never Imagined What Would Happen When She Did.” They may try another name for it too, which I will post if the name changes. I am thrilled…
Jim Rice, a baseball player for the Boston Red Sox, saved a boy’s life with his quick actions on August 7,1982. The photo on the Boston.com page (link below) is incredibly touching and the story makes you marvel at Rice’s kindness and immediate actions that made all the difference. (The quick story is that a young boy got hit by a ball and Rice immediately ran into the…
Frosty the Snow Cone Man proudly sits on top of my refrigerator. I believe he’s considered an antique now, as am I. Frosty is a plastic toy from my childhood. He was sold in the 60s as a gadget to help kids make snow cones…and friends (according to this advertisement). I don’t remember the commercial, or an influx of friends, but I know I begged for him and…
I didn’t know I was different. I just assumed everyone’s mother had an electric Jesus she told her problems to and a collection of saints that could fill a room. I thought everyone invited you in, filled the table with food, then cried when you didn’t eat enough. Then I got older and saw very calm white women on TV who baked cookies, wore pearls and aprons and never…
This week, I’m lucky enough to have Andy, Milena and her boyfriend here for the holidays. I’m in my usual flurry of crazed activity, making last minute cookies and favorite dishes and putting final touches on beds so they look like the perfect beds you see in Pottery Barn catalogues. I’m clearly not taking my own advice about not fretting over how the place looks. Luckily, my sweet…
As you know, I count my blessings every day that I grew up with a “colorful” mom, who helped make me the food-loving goofball I am today. But she wasn’t alone because another mom, Mrs. Carolyn Riley, was there reinforcing all the good lessons and helping me to mature. If you ever think what you say and do doesn’t affect your kids’ friends, here’s proof it does. The…
I’ve been working on my book for the past several weeks and came across a chapter that will help you all realize how lucky you are that we live in 2024 and not 1960. It can be summed up in one word, appliances. Take a trip down memory lane with me and relive the hell that was laundry day in the Tunno household… All my young life I…
It’s been tough getting into the Christmas spirit after recently losing Uncle Richard and my nephew Marc last December, but I’ve busied myself with walks, spending more money than I should, hosting friends, stressing out over whether I’ve gotten enough gifts for people, and non-stop baking. The worst thing about getting older and losing the elder in the family is realizing that elder post is now filled by…
Some blogs are easy to write and some have to be pulled out of you. This one is being pulled because with every word I write, I’m still in disbelief that Uncle Richard is gone. He passed away in the early hours of November 22nd. Although I knew it was coming because he’d been ill for several months, I held out hope he might make it through the…