There are periods in life where you seem to be either IN or OUT of the wedding circuit. We Cichellos never got invited to weddings when we were kids. Our parents got invitations, but imagine adding seven hungry children to your guest list. Too expensive. The mid to late 20s is an active period for weddings, and for accumulating bridesmaids ... Read More »
The love affair continues. No, dear, I am not asking for a divorce. I am admitting, however, my ongoing and apparently lifelong love for Madrid. I was able to sneak in a one week visit to Madrid in May, accompanied by my undergraduate partners-in-crime, Nina and Charlie. I would venture a guess that they, too, continue to be enraptured by ... Read More »
Does anyone really enjoy a gluten free life? Seriously. No more of this? Or this? So get off my gluten free back! This is not fun! People do this to “lose weight”? News articles call this a “fad diet”? Harrrrumphhhhh! I am 2 1/2 years gluten free. (My confessions can be found here and here.) Why? After 1.5 days without it, ... Read More »
Change. Exciting. Terrifying. Distressing. Unavoidable. If you haven’t met Sierra, then let me tell you that we have perhaps the sweetest yellow lab on the planet. She came to us through a rescue organization, and has seemed grateful to us ever since. With this little girl, we never needed the electric fence; she wasn’t leaving our sides. She never barks ... Read More »
It’s that time of year when allergies quickly morph into head colds and then back into allergies, resulting in a lethargic week or so where I haven’t wanted to do much of anything except veg out to one of Anthony Bourdain’s travel and food shows – too sneezy and tired to even really be envious or inspired by his very cool, very ... Read More »
I can distract myself a thousand different ways depending on what actually needs to get finished. Paperwork for barVino? I guess I should clean. Vacuuming and mopping on the to-do list? Then obviously I need to organize the kitchen pantry instead. Piles of laundry to iron? Definitely time to start test baking desserts for the restaurant. Need to get back to writing ... Read More »
This is not the all-inclusive list of my favorite things (which would include reading in bed with a cup of coffee, reading in a hammock with a glass of wine, reading, coffee and wine). Rather, it’s a list of my favorite kitchen things. Sharp knives are a must, obviously. But I don’t have any pots with fitted lids (I use a sautée ... Read More »
I have written about Bixby’s Best maple syrup before – in Sauced in New York’s earlier incarnation on the Times Union website – but with sugaring season upon us once again, it seems a fit topic to return to as material for this blog. After all, what says spring in the Adirondacks better than maple syrup? Well, other than a ... Read More »
More and more of the wines that I serve at my restaurant barVino are arriving in twist cap format. Pascal Jolivet’s Attitude Sauvignon Blanc seems to switch each vintage, arriving one year in the more traditional cork format and the next showing up in my wine cooler with a twist cap. Recently, the Milbrandt Merlot switched it up. As did the Ca’Donini ... Read More »
Last night, I watched Almost Famous for possibly the 20th time. There are too many great moments, lines and songs to mention in this post, but I will remind you of the scene where William’s (Patrick Fuget) sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel) leaves him a collection of records under his bed with a note attached to one of them that reads “Listen to ... Read More »
Sauced In New York Sometimes the food is in the sauce, sometimes we are