Comfort Me with Apples

Molly O' Neill, a local woman died last week.  She was a cookbook author and food critic for the New York Times. I know the O'Neill's from years ago when I taught some of the O'Neill children.  Her death made me think about authors who lived their lives in search of great food.  Molly could write even better than she could cook. She could put together a sentence almost as well as Ruth Reichl and Ruth has a new cookbook out right now that I look forward to buying.  Ruth's books and the complete series of Sex and the City got me through some long nights in London and Paris.  Tender at the Bone, Comfort me with Apples, Garlic and Sapphires, My Kitchen Years (which I liked least), Delicious (a novel) and now Save Me the Plums completes her list, however, Gourmet magazine was the love of her life. When she was released from the magazine she was at a loss and simply devastated and that is when she wrote My Kitchen Years. It was cathartic for her but depressing for me. Delicious, the novel, I don't remember too well, if at all.  But the others, oh my, they are a great read.

Garlic and Sapphires was written after she spent a year or more in disguise visiting New York restaurants and then writing about them.  That woman can write!

Today at Many Branches it was chicken balls on the menu for the 4th.  I bought four pounds of chicken ball mix from Carfagnas and added my twist to that base and ended up with great balls of fire and herbs.  I plan to use some in Alfrado, some in a sweet and sour sauce, and some in another plucky concoction.

I cleaned the refrigerator today.  I am making room for many more dishes and treats.  I am not going to do many more really big entertaining projects.  It is time to pass the baton. I will be hanging up the blog, too, after our trip to Italy in October.  (I expect I will do Thanksgiving this year, however.)