A million dollar question

Take a look. Do you know where this mural is?

How about this one?

One is in Paris. The other is in New York. Do you know the connection??

My Vegan Mondays

After the weekend (grilled pizza, homemade cherry ice cream, hazelnut cake, apple dumplings, a turkey reuben, cheeses galore, fresh figs, berries and watermelon, grilled chicken and squash, orzo salad, goat cheese fritata, four-layer strawberry cake, marcona almonds, rosé, rosé, rosé, a soft serve cone, macerated strawberries and... more), Vegan Monday was a smart start to the week.

Morning
Coffee with soy milk
Granola with almond milk


Afternoon
Cali sandwich: a pita with avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and carrots
Trail mix
A clementine

Evening
Veggie lentil soup
Three dried pineapple rings

(Already looking forward to my next weekend of ice cream and seafood in Connecticut...)

What a weekend

Everywhere I turned this weekend in the Catskills...

Ridiculous beauty.

From morning...

 ...to night...

... it was gorgeous, enchanting, fun, delicious and relaxing. Filled with great friends...

... and amazing food.

We played tennis and took walks. Lounged and laughed. Went to the farmers market in Kingston...

... and admired the magnitude of the Ashokan Reservoir.

In short, it was the kind of peaceful, inspiring, fulfilling weekends that leaves you wondering...

...why do we have to go back to work on Mondays?

Let the good times roll

Sunny days are always ahead, mes amis.

On any old Saturday in June

How lucky to live in New York City. To wake up and stroll through the Union Square Farmers Market.

To grab a Ceci-Cela almond croissant and eat it in on a bench in Washington Square Park.

To see your very own book in one of your favorite bookstores in the city (Three Lives!).

To have brunch at Locande Verde in Tribeca, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge with all the tourists under the bright summer sky, and then discover a whole new slice of Brooklyn.

To meet a dear friend of over 25 years for Wes Anderson’s latest movie, have a fresh fish dinner, and then train back over the Manhattan Bridge with its sparkling city views.

How lucky to have a life filled with such inspiration, security, happiness and fulfillment.

Sweets reduction

Last Wednesday, I ate two cookies. And a pound of Twizzlers. This was on the heels of a night of downing red wine, which washed down two slices of cake and copious amounts of gummies.

Needless to say, not sustainable. 

So while not a perfect record, it's with not a little pride that I say in this past week, all I've had on the sugar front is:

• A few bites of apple crumble

• Half a blueberry muffin

• Half a bran muffin

• Half a dish of pistachio ice cream

• 2 malt balls

• 3 swedish fish

• and 4 pieces of vegan cookie from the free sample tray at Life Thyme

Is it bad that I feel even a little proud??

Petulant weather

If there's one thing Paris is not...

it's subtle.

My Vegan Mondays

Morning

Coffee & soy milk

Apple & cinnamon oatmeal

Afternoon

Cannellini bean salad from Amy’s Bread

Almonds

An orange

Evening

Sunshine Pie from Life Thyme, where I also dipped into the free samples of vegan cookies one-two-three too many times

So I’m coming out of my quasi-hibernation, my little break from overloaded schedules and emotional taxation. Thank you for your patience and kind words. I wouldn’t say I’m back with a vengeance, but I’m back. And happy for it. Ready to crank up the productivity levels again. Excited for new summer adventures.

On the book front, I had the delicious honor of being interviewed by Joan Hamburg for her talk radio show. A foodie and Francophile herself, it was fun to chat chocolate and cookies with her. I also found out my book is getting translated into Portuguese for the great, big country of Brazil, and it’s also been recorded and released as an audio book. Further heartening news: one of my best friends as well as a dear cousin are both reading Paris, My Sweet with their book clubs—which is so sweet, but also makes me feel a little funny (there's always someone who hates the book and/or author... how will they respond when the inevitable happens?? Eek!)

On the personal front, I happily have a man in my life. But I lost a dear aunt. I guess life is nothing if not a rollercoaster with many lessons to be learned and moments to be savored. I’m weaning myself, even if it’s ever so slightly, from sugar; working on an article about my beloved home, Connecticut; and wondering how I can get a Tracy Anderson body without the workouts (accepting all ideas and advice on any of the former points).

Et toi? What have you lovelies been up to??

A little respite

I hope everyone's summer is off to a glorious start, with barefoot walks through the grass, wine and cheese picnics, and double scoop afternoons on the agenda. I'm taking just a wee break from the blog... back before the fireflies come out for the season! xo