breakfast lunch tea --from rose bakery

i stopped wanting everything my sister had when i was around 7, and she came home from the orthodontist with a full set of braces. but when i found this cookbook from the rose bakery in paris on her kitchen shelf last weekend, i knew i had to have the same.

part of the book's attraction is the pretty green cover with the cool design so typical of phaidon press, but it's not just the appearance: the photos are beautifully but honestly presented, and the recipes so well explained, with generous tips on variations and alternative ingredients. my sister made me a pancake from the book, and it was definitely one of the best i've ever had: fluffy inside, with a crispy surface, and not too sweet. it went really well with peaches we bought from the weekend farmers' market in old town, alexandria, where she now lives.

she also made me some scones from the book, and put them in a ziploc bag for me to take back to new york. she's already acting like a mother --well, she only has a few months to go! i've been eating the scones for breakfast, lunch, tea... and the occasional dinner, so they're almost gone. i'll have to make some myself now.

italy, july, 2007

there's something about italy that feels so foreign and familiar at the same time. i wasn't quite sure about going on my own this year, but i'm glad i went.

great food and wine are definitely reasons i've been back so often...












but it's also the people...









and the way they live (they do it well, as you can see)...

and the feeling i get when i climb to the top of siena's palazzo pubblico, and overlook the tuscan countryside.

a rainy day in astoria


sitting on my sofa, waiting for the rain to end, listening to feist...

slowly getting used to this new life.