Newest Blog Entries RSS

(Photo: Barbara with her mother and two daughters) It started as a labor of love, and evolved, gradually, into a weekly endeavor that made me wonder if I had bitten off too much.  As my mom aged and found it harder to bake the brownies, rugelach and chocolate chip cookies we adored, I took up the mantle and dropped off a good supply at her city apartment, two hours from my home in the country.  And then as she became more infirm and less able to stand and cook even the simplest meals, I took to doing most of her...

We could write volumes about this topic. You wake up. You’re in a funk, not exactly depressed, just moving slowly as if stuck in slow motion. And as the day drags on, you feel like a dull knife. Why can’t you simply shake it off?   Sometimes a bad day is situational. You have a dentist appointment for a root canal. Ugh! You make your way to your computer and it doesn’t turn on; the server is down. You go into the kitchen and the refrigerator is leaking. You call the repairman. Then you stub your toe on a stool....

We each live in our little hermetic worlds punctuated by humdrum days. You work or volunteer or both, exercise, grocery shop, prepare meals and clean up, chat with a friend or family member either on the phone or on FB, read the news, maybe watch a favorite TV show and then fall asleep. And it’s more of the same the next day. That isn’t to say there aren’t high points in all our lives. For us, it can be when we’re researching and crafting an article we particularly like, finishing a book manuscript that we’re pleased about, hearing an article...

This blog will be short, simple and tasty. Yes, food is not the be-all-and-end-all in the scheme of world peace, but a great melt-in-your-mouth cheese bagel can do wonders for your mood and others’ outlook as well. And this week we’re sharing what may be at least in St. Louis the most iconic bagel-related treat, comparable to the also locally concocted toasted ravioli, and St. Louis’ contribution to best food inventions, along with New York’s black and white cookies and Chicago’s deep-dish pizza. We were told the cheese bagel was the exclusive domain of a certain St. Louis country club...

We know you’ve experienced the floodgates that open when someone you know and haven’t seen for a while shares everything that’s happened recently to them, even if you’ve read it on Facebook. It’s going on all around us. You run into them accidentally. You feel so happy initially to connect. The first question that politely pops out of your mouth is: “How are you doing?” It’s great to hear the person’s news but wait. That’s when pleasure may turn to surprise and then possibly exasperation or even annoyance as you stand there—maybe in the middle of the produce aisle at...