First edition

Lets face it. There are days when life is not as grandiose as planned.  When I need a pick me up, some comfort or maybe even an escape.....I turn to books, food and Mother Nature.  I know I am not alone in this, as members of my book club will testify.  Each month when we meet, the conversation is provocative, often hilarious and the food and wine, oh so good!  As an interior designer, avid cook, and literary junkie ( hey, I even read cereal boxes). I am hooked on beauty, art, taste and the printed word.  Food is love and to me, nothing is better than creating a special dish ( or three since I'm Italian) for friends and family.

After cooking a wedding dinner for seventy people last week, I thought maybe I would lose enthusiasm for entering my kitchen.  Noooo....I was right back at it the next day when we invited a couple of friends to share leftover largesse.

Three days later I decided to surprise a friend with a birthday dinner.  I planned on chicken cacciatore and ravioli.  But while at the market, I saw the most beautiful lamb for osso bucco........that goes so well with creamy Polenta which I know Bruce loves.  Of course, I made it all.   For stress reduction, they say meditation is good.  But I found my bliss when the fragrance exploded as whole cloves, fresh rosemary and thyme entered the simmering wine reduction.  Sorry, Deepak, meditation has never brought me to that level of transcendence.

Being a fast reader is a blessing.  Thursday a dear friend, Toni, loaned me a book BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S.J. Watson.  A member of her family is making this book into a movie with Nicole Kidman in the leading role.  Imagine waking up each day with no memory of who you are, losing yourself each time you go to sleep.  Some things may be better left not remembered, but discover them she must, if Christine is to reclaim  her life.  A psychological thriller with a beautifully drawn heroine, my sympathy was engaged from the start.  The twist at the end was well played and piqued my ego when I had predicted a different conclusion.   I can't wait for the movie!

Today is Easter and my friend Pamela has confessed to eating a whole package of Peeps.  Nothing takes you back to childhood like marshmallow.  Personally, I prefer the dark chocolate marshmallow eggs my mother would put in my basket. 

 My version of Peeps is roast chicken crisping in the oven.  Surprisingly, there will be only two of us for dinner this evening.  Julie gifted me with some oranges from her tree and I have decided to experiment. Here in northern California, rosemary is used in landscaping.  we have a huge bush outside my kitchen window. Hmmm.........rosemary and pink peppercorns with orange juice and olive oil as a marinade for the chicken might be tasty.   I always use the zest as well as the juice for flavor to the max.  Chicken pieces and marinade into a ziplock bag for an hour or two and I may have time for a cup of tea and a few chapters of BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott, our book club selection for April.