Pork tenderloin is like chicken breast, it can easily be ruined but if it’s prepared well it can be quite good!  Here’s a simple recipe.  Purchase about two medium sized pork tenderloins from your local butcher and season with: salt & pepper test paprika garlic salt chili powder oregano At the same time get your outdoor grill going and place […]

The New York Times ran an interesting Sunday Magazine cover story on the population crisis facing many European countries.  In Italy, for example, a small Southern Italian town has instituted a “baby bonus:” “…in 2003 Falivena let it be known he would pay 10,000 euros (about $15,000) for every woman — local or immigrant, married or single — who would give birth to and rear a […]

I went to see M. Night Shyamalan’s new film The Happening and was pleasantly surprised.   Shyamalan’s critics have been harsh over the last few years and The Happening wasn’t an exception (as the film has received a lukewarm reception thus far). Nevertheless, Shyamalan delivered a Hitchcock-like film which included same wonderful tension, horror, and well placed humor. Go and see […]

Sometimes all you really need to get you through the day is a really good sandwich!  My sandwich ingredients change constantly and usually map directly to whatever leftovers are in the fridge.  Here’s a quick recipe for the sandwich I put together today: Grilled chicken breast Red onion Tomato Fresh Basil Olive Oil Prosciutto di Parma Whole Grain Bread (sliced) […]

Southern Italy Bagnara Calabra Province of Calabria Calabria was, and continues to be, a poor region (by northern Italian standards), however the people tend to lead happy lives.  From a culinary perspective, Calabrians tend to consume: swordfish sardines cod (Baccalà) pork lamb goat eggplant chili pepper Lemon Fruit (pears, peach, cactus pears, mulberry, etc.) From a production and economic perspective, there’s […]

One of the reasons I love the summer season is the availability of locally grown tomatoes and hence the amount of times I can utilize our tomato salad recipe for lunch or dinner..  Tomatoes are incredibly versatile and, like extra virgin olive oil, are a staple of eating well.  My favorite Summer-time use for tomatoes is the simple and elegant tomato […]

In my view, David Brooks is one of the preeminent op-ed writes in the US.  Brooks constantly gets “it” right and his latest piece, “The Great Seduction”, published on June 10 in the New York Times talks about the startling economic reality in the US.  Here’s snip it from the piece: “a typical US household with income under $13,000 spends, on average, $645 […]

A recent New York Time Sunday Magazine article (and video) got me thinking about whether it’s practical to share all responsibilities as a married couple and my initial gut reaction is NO and here’s why: not all individuals have equal skill sets (yes you can use skill set when talking about a marriage).  Just like a typical corporation, getting things […]

I’ve always been a fan of This Old House and my fondness for the show even pre-dates the purchase of “our old house!”  Recently, our deck needed some repair (railing, step, and gate work) and we consulted a local carpenter who bid on our project and came in a bit high on the estimate.  So in turn I think I’ll be handeling most of […]

I recently headed to a local pizza joint for a large pie (half mushrooms, half pepper) and when the bill came over I almost threw hot pepper flakes at the owner!  The price of the large pie was $21.95. I calmly made my way over to the cashier’s desk and politely asked the owner’s wife to please do something about […]