50 Years Later and Still Not Ready for Prime Time

As a 14-year-old groupie of comedian George Carlin — thanks to my summer friend, Kathy Fay — I could not wait for 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 1975. The Hippy Dippy Weatherman was the host of this new TV comedy show called, “NBC Saturday Night” and I was staying up to watch, dammit. By 1 […]

Miss Laura Hangs Up Apron at Paraclete Academy

Tonight, I hung up my apron in the kitchen at Paraclete Academy, the South Boston after-school program where I have cooked dinner for 25 kids and teachers every Tuesday night since Dec. 2. The Last Supper, as Linda, the secretary, called it, was bittersweet. Not literally though. The dinner program at Paraclete ends this week. And […]

The Foodsmith Gets Its First Bit of Press!

I know, I know. I’ve been remiss about posting on the Foodsmith blog. But I’ve baked up a decent excuse! Do check out the first wee bit of press my new venture got today on the Boston Restaurant Talk blog. I am beyond thrilled. Thanks, Marc Hurwitz! More on this new Duxbury bakery and take-away lunch […]

Getting Baked in the Big Apple (and Other Crumbs)

I spent what little time I had in New York last Sunday morning scoping out — and sampling the offerings — at various Big Apple bakeries. Because that’s just what I do. It’s really not my fault. My husband is still peeved that our family spent most of our time in Lisbon at Casa Pasteis […]

The Foodsmith: A Menace to the Road

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is of the opinion I’m a menace to the road. In fact, I’m such a threat to man and beast when I get behind the wheel, the Registry of Motor Vehicles threatened to pull my license if I didn’t pony up $125 to attend a day-long, re-education seminar called “Attitudinal Dynamics […]

Gettin’ Roasted

I don’t have a vegetable garden, but this summer I found myself with an overabundance of tomatoes — tri-color cherry tomatoes, beefy beefsteaks and hearty heirlooms. I bought a plethora of pints at local farmers’ markets. And recently, one of Colleen‘s organic farm friends off-loaded a crate of cherry tomatoes amongst other veggies at Goat […]

True Confessions: From Gastronomy to the Gastric Sleeve

Anyone who knows me is well aware of my love of food. I like to cook it, bake it, eat it, write about it, talk ad nauseum about it and was humiliated on national TV because of it. I even gave up a 30-year career in daily journalism to pursue my food-inspired talents. So why […]

I Survived Wegmans…Barely

CHESTNUT HILL — It started with parking attendants directing cars like they do at Gillette Stadium, and then moved onto a scrum at the Asian hot take-away bar. There was incessant choo-chooing of an overhead train by the dairy case that drew screams from a overexcited tot named Adam. Maybe it was the mosh pit […]

I Had to Share…

this Zagat post with you since I am a HUGE fan of New York’s Hudson Valley. Besides my gazillion trips to the Culinary Institute of America for bootcamps and one-day classes (they really should give me a diploma by now), I plan my spring through fall forays around the Rhinebeck Farmers Market. It is, hands […]

Why Break with Routine? Just Cook Clean!

Like our two spoiled silly cats, my husband and I are creatures of habit. We each drink our coffee out of the same mugs every morning and he must have a snort of single malt every night. My standing Starbucks order is a “venti non-fat one Equal latte.” No shots, thangyouverymuch. At our local Asian […]