This morning, while paging through an old cookbook called Heritage Southern Cooking, a recipe with the name Chocolate Whispers appeared. What a name. I want to make that today, or at least make it for someone I would like to whisper to. Chocolate Whispers. How romantic. How perfectly inspired to conjure an emotion from the perfect assemblage of simple baking ingredients. I began to think of pastries that were inspired by artists, like the Pavlova, the Russian ballet dancer An

My sister sent me a picture of my Dad the other day that I remember taking. He was gently staring at the camera with his hand resting on his cheek. I love that picture. He died when I was twenty and I think about him often. To me he was a kind philosopher who recognized the artist in me, but to my brothers he was an enthusiastic sportsmen and life coach. He was both, and considering our shared DNA, I can see both characteristics in each of my siblings. But there are fat

I’d like to dedicate this years Fathers Day Blog to all the young men I know, especially my son, who will become fathers for the first time. This will turn me into a Grandmother for the first time too. When our sons were running crazy round our houses, accidentally breaking lamps while throwing footballs across the dining room table or wearing that same favorite shirt for the fifth day in a row, it was hard to imagine that those darling crazy boys would be the fathers of ou

What a warm and quintessential spring day it was today. While I was making a cup of tea this morning, I opened the back door to see what the day felt like beyond the door. It was what I would call pre-warm. I could tell that the temperature today would soon be perfect, perfect for a person who thinks “in the 80s” is too hot. The water in the kettle began to boil, and as I poured the water into my white porcelain cup, I heard a buzz. Was it a fly already? I soon saw one of my

After writing my last blog, I started looking at some of the other cookbooks I own. Like a hundred other things I have collected, cookbooks have always interested me. I bought a Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook a little while ago. It was copyrighted in 1950. It was in pristine condition, which meant no one ever used it, so it was a great find for me. The illustrations are truly historic artworks and worth preserving. I first started reading the recipes out of curiosity, but now

I still get the Sunday Enquirer each week. I actually enjoy walking out to the end of my driveway in my robe to pick it up and bring it into the house. It’s as if it was a specially delivered gift I get to unwrap each week. It covers the news from the world to my city and sometimes even to my neighborhood. Once in a while I will cut out pertinent articles I want to remember, line my kitchen compost bin with it, save it on the porch to start a fire, or occasionally I’ll wrap d

December 4, 2025 A new Holiday Perspective Christmas. Some people love it. Some people don’t. I am always vaguely disgruntled when I see Christmas decorations up the day after Halloween. We barely had time to count how many pumpkin cookies we had left at the bakery. But the rush is always on. A panicky feeling takes over that perhaps I too should be in a hurry or I’ll miss out on something. I don’t think choosing to do something because it saves time is necessarily the b

October 1, 2025 Fall in Cincinnati ….. the best place on earth? It’s always a debate with me. Is Spring or Fall the best season? But right around mid- September, it’s always Fall, especially in the beautiful Midwest. I was just out in the real West visiting my niece for her 50th Birthday. It seems like whenever I’ve gone to Denver it always looks about the same, except for winter. Brown barren land punctuated by a flurry of trees, big blue skies

June 9, 2025 Father’s Day is almost here. My Father’s birthday is June 10th, so we celebrated everything about him in the month of June. Dads are easy. A kiss on the cheek, a small box of golf tees or a promise to wash his car was all we needed to do to wish him happiness or to thank him for being our dad. I’ve recently been introduced to the newest technological feature of my phone which is that it randomly brings up a photo from the past. I’m not sure why Apple feels compe

May 26, 2025 Thank Heavens for Family and Friends. We know that our families and friends deserve partial responsibility for our success. From giving us seed money to separating doilies, they helped us succeed physically and emotionally. Mary Pat’s Family’s Contribution Brother Tom $500. Investment, financial advice (and constructive criticism) Husband Mark brainstormer, designed our original computer ordering system, fixit man, middle of the night emergency problem solver, Wh

May 8, 2025 This is a picture of an etching from 1590’s. It’s a woman wearing a skirt covered with all things having to do with pastry making. Oh how the French romanticized everything perfectly. I wanted to use this image as our logo and did for awhile, but eventually we needed a better way to identify ourselves in a bolder, clearer way. After many of my own uninspired attempts at creating a logo, I met Lauren Hayes. I had never hired a professional before to design anything