If you’re an organized person, you planned your Fourth of July menu weeks ago. You have a little menu card, a shopping list. Actually, you probably already shopped. But if you’re the rest of us, there’s still time to prepare properly for the Fourth of July. And by properly, I mean, there’s time to declare [...]
Posts under ‘Holidays’
An advertent holiday wish
For those celebrating Christmas today, a merry one to you. For those not into the Baby Jesus et al, I extend my very best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. However you’re spending today, may it be with people you love doing what makes you happy. I’ll return in January with more tales of plant- [...]
Oakland’s December decoration
On the morning of December 1, I had occasion to wander through Oakland’s City Centre plaza on my way to a meeting, and noticed that all the flowers in every planter had been replaced by bright white and maroony-pink cyclamen. Cyclamen are a slightly strange-looking flower, sort of like a tulip that refused to get [...]
The 2009 calendar finally makes its debut
I’ve been playing fast and loose with Christmas this year, acting as if it wasn’t actually coming, that the goose wasn’t actually getting fat, and that the old man did not, indeed, have his hat out for a penny. And so, this means that, a week before the holiday, I have just now gotten around [...]
From my table to yours…
It’s Thanksgiving here at Chez Inadvertent, and there’s much to be grateful for. My parents arrived Tuesday night to celebrate the holidays here, and we’ve been making our way around to various eating and drinking establishments that are favorites of mine: Shan Dong for dumplings, The Trappist for Belgian-style brews, Café Madrid for tortilla Español [...]
Single-malt maple frozen yogurt
I decided this Thanksgiving will not be traditional. Why serve turkey, for example, when I live just a block or so from excellent Peking duck? Why serve green bean casserole when I can serve garlicky Romano beans with rosemary, every ingredient of which will be grown or produced within 100 miles of here? Why serve [...]
Singing for one’s locally-grown supper
My parents and I tried something a little different over the holidays this year — we celebrated in New York City. We hit all the typical requirements of Christmas in New York: the Rockettes, FAO Schwartz, Rockefeller Center, the New York City Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker — but also included plenty of unexpected stops [...]
Green Thumb Sunday: Christmas bow
Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in Green Thumb Sunday every week. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information. Also, a very happy holidays to you and yours, no matter what you’re celebrating. I’ll be back in the New Year with more garden posts!
Pear salad with honey-cranberry drizzle
Our family Thanksgiving menu is a little bit of a moving target. Turkey? Check. Stuffing? Check. Cranberry sauce? Check. But sometimes the sweet potatoes show up roasted, sometimes mashed, sometimes in a pie. Some years, mashed potatoes make an appearance, other years, we save them for another meal. This year, steamed broccoli made the menu. [...]
Getting close to your food
As those of you who read this blog often know, I am a huge fan of the macro lens. Get close, get detailed, get intimate with one’s vegetables, herbs and flowers. Besides, shooting the garden that way eliminates any chance that those of you out in the world will ever know the true state of [...]
