From fairy rings to the perfect Thanksgiving side dish, mushrooms have fascinated people since antiquity. ℘℘℘ Alert! Savvy insider grocery tip I’ve kept secret for several decades ahead! One crisp November afternoon while shopping for my Thanksgiving feast ingredients, I was selecting perfect mushrooms one by one from an overflowing display for my yummy wild rice side dish. I … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Magic of Mushrooms
Food & Drink
Sláinte! The Doors of Dublin
The story behind the Georgian houses in Dublin City and why no two adjacent doors are alike. Mention the word “doors” to someone of the Boomer Generation (me, for instance) and the first free association response could easily be The Doors, that late 1960s music trio featuring Irish American lead singer Jim Morrison, whose iconic song “Light My Fire” earned the group a … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Doors of Dublin
Sláinte! Women Rule
“I was elected by the women of Ireland who, instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system.” – Mary Robinson, President of Ireland, 1990 – 1997 Several months ago, when 2016’s presidential campaign launched with more hoopla than has been seen in U.S. politics for more than a century, a Dublin-born friend told me he was placing his bet that, for the first time in American … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Women Rule
Chef Gabe Kennedy: Living Below the Line
Gabe Kennedy speaks here with R. Bryan Willits about teaching the basics of cooking in Haiti and the power of food as “a catalyst for change.” Aside from his indisputable culinary prowess, Gabe Kennedy often uses his fame as a platform to promote the idea of having a more mindful relationship with the things we eat. Kennedy, age 24, was raised in Boulder, Colorado, in a … [Read more...] about Chef Gabe Kennedy: Living Below the Line
Sláinte! Flower Power
The long days of summer are upon us, and gardens everywhere are in bloom. Admiring the pretty flowers will satisfy some, but Sláinte columnist, Edythe Preet, likes to eat her plants. Freshly picked salads from one’s own garden, even if only from a few container plantings, are one of the great gourmet pleasures. And nothing pretties a bowl of mixed greens like a confetti of … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Flower Power