Cynthia D. Bertelsen's Blog, page 6

Happy Holidays! The Iberian Way

Happy Holidays! I discovered Portuguese cooking several years ago on a visit to Sagres. Standing on the edge of the cliff, I struggled in the merciless wind to keep my unruly hair out of my eyes. A losing battle it was, for I could barely see the roiling blue Atlantic Ocean below. No trees, scrubby … More Happy Holidays! The Iberian Way

The Christmas Chronicles: Nigel Slater’s Paean to Midwinter, a Blissful Reading Experience

Best known for his memoir, Toast – both book and film – English author Nigel Slater is one of those food writers who really writes about a heck of a lot more than what’s on the table and in the mouth. Take his stunning work in The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, Stories & 100 Essential Recipes … More The Christmas Chronicles: Nigel Slater’s Paean to Midwinter, a Blissful Reading Experience

The Christmas Chronicles: Nigel Slater’s Paean to Midwinter, a Blissfrul Reading Experience

Best known for his memoir, Toast – both book and film – English author Nigel Slater is one of those food writers who really writes about a heck of a lot more than what’s on the table and in the mouth. Take his stunning work in The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, Stories & 100 Essential Recipes … More The Christmas Chronicles: Nigel Slater’s Paean to Midwinter, a Blissfrul Reading Experience

“Take a Goose or a Duck” Wins Gourmand Awards Best in USA for Cookbook History & Writing

Wow! And to be in such company as Henry Notaker and Tom Jaine. Doing somersaults!   So happy to report that “Take a Goose or a Duck” has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for cookbook history and writing for the USA! Competing for Best in the the World, but with Henry Notaker and Tom … More “Take a Goose or a Duck” Wins Gourmand Awards Best in USA for Cookbook History & Writing

Snobbery isn’t Just for the Upper Classes: An Incident with a Couple of British Twits

  A book that furnishes no quotations is no book – it is a plaything. ~ Thomas Love Peacock   Snobbery tends to be a universal human tendency, so despite my comments below, I know that it’s not exclusive to the British. Apologies to my decent British friends right up front. However …. A particular … More Snobbery isn’t Just for the Upper Classes: An Incident with a Couple of British Twits

Escaping to Morocco, via the Magic Carpet of Memory: COVID-19 Isolation, Day 62 (I Think)

I wrote this back when none of us had a clue about the long haul we were in for with COVID. From May 2020 originally. Last night I watched the film, “The Forgiven,” with Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain. So Morocco has been n my mind this morning.   Once upon a time, I lived … More Escaping to Morocco, via the Magic Carpet of Memory: COVID-19 Isolation, Day 62 (I Think)

Chronicle of a Death Not Foretold*: The Shocking, Early Passing of Food Writer Julie Powell

Food writer Julie Powell’s death came as a monumental shock to me. Her Wikipedia page is right up to date: “Powell died of cardiac arrest at her home in Olivebridge, New York, on October 26, 2022, at age 49.” People who blow out only thirty – or fewer – candles on their birthday cakes think of forty-nine as … More Chronicle of a Death Not Foretold*: The Shocking, Early Passing of Food Writer Julie Powell

A Gator Tale

I’ve started writing on Substack as “Florida Girl” and would like to invite all of you to take a look.  

Oranges, Florida’s Gold

Luis Egidio Meléndez: Still Life of Oranges, Watermelon, a Pot, and Boxes of Cake, ca. 1760 The thorn-like spines on the stems nicked me. I had no idea orange trees bore thorns, like the crown of Christ on the cross. And like Christ on the cross, I bled. Sucking my finger, I yelped, and Daddy … More Oranges, Florida’s Gold

Oranges, Florida’s Gold (Part I)

Luis Egidio Meléndez: Still Life of Oranges, Watermelon, a Pot, and Boxes of Cake, ca. 1760 The thorn-like spines on the stems nicked me. I had no idea orange trees bore thorns, like the crown of Christ on the cross. And like Christ on the cross, I bled. Sucking my finger, I yelped, and Daddy … More Oranges, Florida’s Gold (Part I)