Category: Books

Guy Larmandier, Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, Our May Sparkler

This time, our Sparkler of the Month is a Champagne, Guy Larmandier, Cramant Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut NV to be specific. Happy new month!

Those of you who follow our sparkling wine posts may have noticed that we seldom choose a 100% Chardonnay wine. But, we did take this recommendation at Gordon’s because it was from one of our favorite importers, Neal Rosenthal.

We took this gem from our wine rack to Provincetown to sit and sip by the sea. Note that this is a Grand Cru Champagne from the Village of Cramant. It is not a Crémant from another part of France.

And, it lived up to our expectations! It’s a blanc de blancs that is playing in a different key. Penny couldn’t place the fruit she was tasting, so she looked up reviews and then asked Ed what he thought it was. His answer was one shared by experts, pear!

This is a celebration wine, a bit more expensive ($59.99) than some of our selections, but anytime we’re in Provincetown, we want to celebrate! We sipped this bottle over a couple of days and Ed thought it got better when it had more time in the glass and longer to breath. He reminds you not to serve it too cold.

And, we’ve learned, if you’re going to have a blanc de blancs, make it one from a great importer like Neal Rosenthal.

Here’s More About Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny Cherubino

May 1, 2014
Vegetable Literacy Is Our Friday Link

“Vegetable Literacy” by Deborah Madison has quickly become my go-to reference when I want to explore a familiar or unusual produce item. I like it so much that I'm making it a Friday Link.

The full name of the book, Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes, gives a better picture of what the author has created.

Madison takes her years of expertise in vegetarian topics, divides the veggie world into twelve families, and then provides background, recipes, and kitchen and garden tips for each family member. She makes you look at the offerings at your local market in a new way.

Speaking of local markets, I decidead to buy the Kindle version of Vegetable Literacy. That allows me to call up a recipe on my phone when I'm shopping to be sure I have what I need to make it. Or, if I want to know what I might do with some parsnips or fennel, I can search for those and even have tips on buying them.

Great photography is always a bonus in a cookbook or reference book and this one has wonderful photos spinkled among its pages. The photos are by the Canal House team, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton.

This time of year, when many readers are looking for gift ideas, this book would make a great present for many people on your list. Anyone who loves to cook or collect cookbooks would treasure this edition. Even someone like me who has far too many cookbooks considers this a major reference, must-have.

It's an ideal gift for a vegetrian or someone who has to feed a vegetarian or anyone who needs to add more vegetables to their diet to get their 5-per-day!

Deborah Madison has been my mentor on vegetarian cooking. I have well-worn copies of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Holiday Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

December 6, 2013
Vegetable Literacy Is Our Friday Link

“Vegetable Literacy” by Deborah Madison has quickly become my go-to reference when I want to explore a familiar or unusual produce item. I like it so much that I'm making it a Friday Link.

The full name of the book, Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes, gives a better picture of what the author has created.

Madison takes her years of expertise in vegetarian topics, divides the veggie world into twelve families, and then provides background, recipes, and kitchen and garden tips for each family member. She makes you look at the offerings at your local market in a new way.

Speaking of local markets, I decidead to buy the Kindle version of Vegetable Literacy. That allows me to call up a recipe on my phone when I'm shopping to be sure I have what I need to make it. Or, if I want to know what I might do with some parsnips or fennel, I can search for those and even have tips on buying them.

Great photography is always a bonus in a cookbook or reference book and this one has wonderful photos spinkled among its pages. The photos are by the Canal House team, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton.

This time of year, when many readers are looking for gift ideas, this book would make a great present for many people on your list. Anyone who loves to cook or collect cookbooks would treasure this edition. Even someone like me who has far too many cookbooks considers this a major reference, must-have.

It's an ideal gift for a vegetrian or someone who has to feed a vegetarian or anyone who needs to add more vegetables to their diet to get their 5-per-day!

Deborah Madison has been my mentor on vegetarian cooking. I have well-worn copies of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Holiday Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

December 6, 2013
Vegetable Literacy Is Our Friday Link

“Vegetable Literacy” by Deborah Madison has quickly become my go-to reference when I want to explore a familiar or unusual produce item. I like it so much that I'm making it a Friday Link.

The full name of the book, Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes, gives a better picture of what the author has created.

Madison takes her years of expertise in vegetarian topics, divides the veggie world into twelve families, and then provides background, recipes, and kitchen and garden tips for each family member. She makes you look at the offerings at your local market in a new way.

Speaking of local markets, I decidead to buy the Kindle version of Vegetable Literacy. That allows me to call up a recipe on my phone when I'm shopping to be sure I have what I need to make it. Or, if I want to know what I might do with some parsnips or fennel, I can search for those and even have tips on buying them.

Great photography is always a bonus in a cookbook or reference book and this one has wonderful photos spinkled among its pages. The photos are by the Canal House team, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton.

This time of year, when many readers are looking for gift ideas, this book would make a great present for many people on your list. Anyone who loves to cook or collect cookbooks would treasure this edition. Even someone like me who has far too many cookbooks considers this a major reference, must-have.

It's an ideal gift for a vegetrian or someone who has to feed a vegetarian or anyone who needs to add more vegetables to their diet to get their 5-per-day!

Deborah Madison has been my mentor on vegetarian cooking. I have well-worn copies of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Holiday Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

December 6, 2013
Great Heron by The Myth Makers and Convergence – Last Two Weeks!

The Christian Science Plaza has been a sculpture gallery all summer hosting Convergence, an exhibit by Boston sculptors May 1st to October 31st, 2013. If you haven't visited yet, you only have two weeks to see these works.

Ed waited for a few seconds of calm on the reflecting pool to capture his image of the Great Heron by the team The Myth Makers.

Comments on blog like the one linked to above are often ignored, but Penny tends to read them and was pleased to find one from Lynn Schweikart, author of Peaceful Places Boston. Lynn shared a moment of delightful serendipity when she visited.

"Was admiring this striking sculpture yesterday, and was surprised to hear bird song emanating from it. "How clever!" I thought. "I wonder how the sculptors did that!" Then I noticed that a mockingbird had taken up residence on one of the saplings that make up the head–and was singing away!"

Thanks for sharing your experience Lynn. In addition to recommending a visit to the exhibit, we highly recommend Lynn's book

For those who read us from other parts of the country, the publisher has some peaceful books for other cities.

Peaceful Places: Boston: 121 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: San Francisco: 100+ Tranquil Sites in The City and the Greater Bay Area

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: ©2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 18, 2013
Great Heron by The Myth Makers and Convergence – Last Two Weeks!

The Christian Science Plaza has been a sculpture gallery all summer hosting Convergence, an exhibit by Boston sculptors May 1st to October 31st, 2013. If you haven't visited yet, you only have two weeks to see these works.

Ed waited for a few seconds of calm on the reflecting pool to capture his image of the Great Heron by the team The Myth Makers.

Comments on blog like the one linked to above are often ignored, but Penny tends to read them and was pleased to find one from Lynn Schweikart, author of Peaceful Places Boston. Lynn shared a moment of delightful serendipity when she visited.

"Was admiring this striking sculpture yesterday, and was surprised to hear bird song emanating from it. "How clever!" I thought. "I wonder how the sculptors did that!" Then I noticed that a mockingbird had taken up residence on one of the saplings that make up the head–and was singing away!"

Thanks for sharing your experience Lynn. In addition to recommending a visit to the exhibit, we highly recommend Lynn's book

For those who read us from other parts of the country, the publisher has some peaceful books for other cities.

Peaceful Places: Boston: 121 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: San Francisco: 100+ Tranquil Sites in The City and the Greater Bay Area

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: ©2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 18, 2013
Great Heron by The Myth Makers and Convergence – Last Two Weeks!

The Christian Science Plaza has been a sculpture gallery all summer hosting Convergence, an exhibit by Boston sculptors May 1st to October 31st, 2013. If you haven't visited yet, you only have two weeks to see these works.

Ed waited for a few seconds of calm on the reflecting pool to capture his image of the Great Heron by the team The Myth Makers.

Comments on blog like the one linked to above are often ignored, but Penny tends to read them and was pleased to find one from Lynn Schweikart, author of Peaceful Places Boston. Lynn shared a moment of delightful serendipity when she visited.

"Was admiring this striking sculpture yesterday, and was surprised to hear bird song emanating from it. "How clever!" I thought. "I wonder how the sculptors did that!" Then I noticed that a mockingbird had taken up residence on one of the saplings that make up the head–and was singing away!"

Thanks for sharing your experience Lynn. In addition to recommending a visit to the exhibit, we highly recommend Lynn's book

For those who read us from other parts of the country, the publisher has some peaceful books for other cities.

Peaceful Places: Boston: 121 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: Chicago: 119 Tranquil Sites in the Windy City and Beyond

Peaceful Places: San Francisco: 100+ Tranquil Sites in The City and the Greater Bay Area

Peaceful Places: Los Angeles: 100+ Sites for Tranquility Across the City of Angels

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photo: ©2013 Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 18, 2013
Where is human nature so weak as…

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"

Henry Ward Beecher – US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 – 1887)

This customer brought his own seat. He didn't realize that he could have stacked up a pile of books as a seat or a table.

Henry Ward Beecher also said: "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

If books are one of your weaknesses, you should make regular trips to the Brattle Book Shop on West Street (map) near the Boston Common. These photos were taken in their outdoor bargain book annex.

What shops and stores are your weakness? What products do you find hard to resist? We added seven books to our Boston reference shelf in the past month. Yes, we are weak!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 8, 2013
Where is human nature so weak as…

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"

Henry Ward Beecher – US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 – 1887)

This customer brought his own seat. He didn't realize that he could have stacked up a pile of books as a seat or a table.

Henry Ward Beecher also said: "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

If books are one of your weaknesses, you should make regular trips to the Brattle Book Shop on West Street (map) near the Boston Common. These photos were taken in their outdoor bargain book annex.

What shops and stores are your weakness? What products do you find hard to resist? We added seven books to our Boston reference shelf in the past month. Yes, we are weak!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 8, 2013
Where is human nature so weak as…

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"

Henry Ward Beecher – US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 – 1887)

This customer brought his own seat. He didn't realize that he could have stacked up a pile of books as a seat or a table.

Henry Ward Beecher also said: "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

If books are one of your weaknesses, you should make regular trips to the Brattle Book Shop on West Street (map) near the Boston Common. These photos were taken in their outdoor bargain book annex.

What shops and stores are your weakness? What products do you find hard to resist? We added seven books to our Boston reference shelf in the past month. Yes, we are weak!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 8, 2013