Our requisite “buenos días” as we pass locals on our Camino landed us in quite a conversation this morning. We were in Arcade, seven kilometers into our 18 kilometer day. She was headed uphill, maybe 80 years old, with a cane for support. She was well below five feet tall, spritely for one with a cane, with lively eyes. She stopped ... Read More »
Pre-Camino mandatory stop: Porto, Portugal, where you are greeted at the reception desk in your hotel with a glass of Port wine. Not a bad way to start a vacation pilgrimage! After some 16 hours en route, Porto greeted us with sun, smiles and lovely tannins. A quick nap at the elegant Hotel Park Atlantic, a shower, and we were ready ... Read More »
“I’m going on pilgrimage in May.” The response I get to that statement tends to be a wavering look of indecision, a momentary pause, and something aimed at not really offending. Except, of course, when I tell my Spanish-junkie friends. Then the response is more like “That is on MY bucket list!” or “I wish I was going too!” or ... Read More »
I offer up Exhibit #1, the Avocado Tool. I saw it advertised in a cooking magazine, and, well… I like avocados. I am fortunate to be the only one in the house who likes avocados, so I don’t have to share. And they CAN be messy. And how to remove that slippery pit? A genius true avocado aficionado must ... Read More »
Last week, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit two wineries in France. The first, Pol Roger, I wrote about in an earlier post. The second, Hugel et Fils, located in Alsace (a region of France that has, as a result of its close proximity to Germany, had to change its loyalties, language and friends every 50 ... Read More »
Now that I’ve finally kicked my jet lag, I’m able to sit down and make an attempt at distilling the images, memories and tastes of the last week into a somewhat coherent entry to the Sauced blog. Here I go . . . From Saturday to Saturday I was in France, staying in Chaville-Vélizy at the house of my boyfriend’s sister ... Read More »
I cannot get out of ShopRite for under $100. I go for two or three items. I only bring in one recyclable bag. I get caught at the cheeses. I hail from Wegmans country, in the western part of New York State. Apparently, our Auburn Wegmans is the armpit of the Wegmans empire. Still and all, it was always worth ... Read More »
the tree the kitchen gadget! I am a confessed lover of kitchen gadgets. This penchant, much like my love of naps, I get from my mother. It’s all her fault! As I plan my weekdays, I always look for that one hour where I might pretend I am busy ahem, avoid direct eye contact with the dog who wants to go for ... Read More »
Do you buy it? Do you believe the Mayans predicted the end of the world as we know it? Do you know that most high school-aged children are using the Mayan calendar as a way to hedge their bets on homework assignments? “If we’re still here on December 22, I’ll get my annotated bibliography done.” I wonder how many mortgage ... Read More »
Tonight’s dinner: Valdeón blue cheese, Serrano ham and fresh bread. In my glass: 2010 Quinta de Gomariz Alvarinho, a Portuguese version of the Spanish Albariño wine. Rich, fresh, utterly delicious. When I first studied in Spain, I remember feeling somewhat perplexed with the idea of dinner at 10 pm. On top of that, “dinner” was almost nothing, no series of ... Read More »
Sauced In New York Sometimes the food is in the sauce, sometimes we are