Love & Saffron Quotes

“When a new experience comes into my life, it doesn't feel real anymore until I've shared it with you.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Spring is such a hopeful time on the island, and despite the pall that continues to hover over our nation, I find it impossible to resist. The air is still chilly as a well-digger's ear first thing in the morning, but as the hours pass it hints at the warmth to come in later months. As the days become longer, the rains change. They are less punishing and more promising, bringing out the native grasses and glimpses of green on the trees. Then there are the little families of deer, grazing as if the entire island is a spring buffet, and wild rabbits are hopping everywhere.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“The less we cement ourselves to our certainties, the fuller our lives can be.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“There is unequaled satisfaction in composing words on a blank page, sealing them in an envelope, writing an address in my own messy hand, adding a stamp, walking it to the mailbox, and raising the flag. It's like preparing a gift, and I feel like I receive one when a letter arrives....”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Dazzling jacaranda petals covered the sidewalk like a carpet of amethyst velvet. It always amazes me how the trees sit so quietly, unnoticed all spring, until one day it feels as if every single one throughout the city bursts with blossoms at the exact same second.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Spring is well underway, and the wild cherry trees are in full bloom. The fields are filled with darling violets and buttercups, and the sides of the road lined with the blossoms that will become berries in the summer heat. I know from the weather report that a crisp spring light is shining down on the navy blue water of Saratoga Passage, and my view, whether I can see it or not, will remain unchanged. I wrote to you once about the comfort I find in that. This remains true.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“I don't have anything as exotic as saffron. I hope a jar of blackberry jam will do. As you know, I write often about picking wild native blackberries. It's a chore since they're not easy game like the big purple bubbles that grow all over the sides of the road around here. Whenever I set out to hunt for a hidden patch in an old clear-cut, Francis accuses me of looking like a hobo with my canvas sunhat, khaki trousers, and Folgers cans tied over my shoulders. I don't care. When I'm in the brambles, I'm happy as a clam at high tide. Just writing to you about it makes me wish for July mornings. There's always a perfect moment when the sun strikes the bushes and a deep, sweet, earthy smell rises into the air.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“I notice you have written about mussels a few times, but you only ever mention cooking clams. I recently learned a creative mussels recipe from a Frenchwoman I met on a voyage to the Far East. I am enclosing a packet of saffron from that voyage. It is my small way of thanking you for "Letters from the Island."
For steamed mussels, in a stockpot add a generous pinch of saffron, coarsely chopped garlic, and parsley to a half cup of melted butter. The red enamel pot you mentioned in your column about racing Dungeness crabs, the one with the pockmark from your niece's Red Ryder BB gun, will do perfectly. If you can't find fresh garlic, shallots can be substituted, but in my opinion, without fresh garlic the dish isn't worth making. The Frenchwoman told me the addition of a cup or so of white wine is considered standard for this broth, but she prefers vermouth. I agree with her. It gives the dish a crisp, botanical flavor, and I can save my Chablis for drinking with my meal.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“I will smile my way into my dreams as I think about the countless ways my life is blessed.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Our crab pots are out front, and Francis has fixed a big metal barrel right on the beach. He lights a good fire to get the water boiling, and after the crabs are cooked, we women sit on the patio shucking until we have a mountain of meat in the middle of the table. We stir up buckets of cocktail sauce from catsup, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, lemon juice, and celery salt, and the kids come running. They eat on their towels on the sand, soaking up as much sun as possible to get them through the next winter.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Your mention of Elizabeth David reminded me of her recipe for risotto alla Milanese, which I have wanted to try for a long time. As I am sure was the case in your area, the grocery store shelves went bare as everyone prepared for end times. In a harebrained panic, I rushed to C & K Importing for their gallon cans of artichoke hearts, and by the time I got to the Mayfair, all the macaroni and bottled water were gone. Fortunately, I already had the ingredients for risotto in my pantry.
It was a balm to turn my attention to rice and butter. It was my own small way of rebuffing shattered nerves and the Reds, although I suppose hamburgers or hot dogs would have been a more appropriate form of patriotic resistance.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“If there’s a full moon we can dance in its radiant ivory light.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Your jam puts store-bought to shame. As I ate it on a fresh croissant from the French bakery at the Farmers Market down the street from my house, I savored the image you painted with your words. I would love to spend a summer morning in the Pacific Northwest sunshine picking wild blackberries. I also crave your backyard access to crisp apples, plums, and pears, although I am not sure I would trade them for the grapefruit and oranges I pluck from my own trees for breakfast whenever I like.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“2 large chayotes 1 brown-skinned yellow onion 2 tbsp. butter 1 cup stewed tomatoes, drained ¼ tsp. Mexican oregano Pinch of ground cloves Pinch of garlic powder Salt Freshly ground black pepper ½ lb. ground beef ½ tsp. taco seasoning mix Grated Parmesan cheese Cut the chayotes in half lengthwise. Remove the thin, flat seeds and boil the halves until tender, about ½ hour. Then scoop out the pulp, leaving the shells intact for stuffing. Chop the onion and cook in 1 tablespoon butter. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with oregano, cloves, garlic powder, salt to taste, and pepper. Stir in the chopped chayote pulp. Brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon butter and season with a little salt, pepper, and the taco seasoning mix. Combine the beef with the vegetables and heap the shells with this mixture. Sprinkle generously with grated cheese and bake at 350° for ½ hour. Serves 4.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Too many avocado soups are bland and unexciting, but nothing with a Mexican touch is ever dull, as this excitingly flavored, liquid guacamole will prove. ½ avocado 2 tsp. lemon juice 1 cup half-and-half 1–2 tbsp. coarsely chopped green chile 1 small clove garlic 3 tbsp. chopped brown-skinned yellow onion 2 tbsp. cilantro 1 cup light chicken stock ½ tsp. salt This soup is made entirely in the blender. Start by blending the avocado with the lemon juice. Next add the half-and-half and blend again. Now add the chile, garlic, onion, and cilantro and blend again. Lastly, add the chicken stock and blend.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“P.P.P.S. I have discovered the suspense novels of Phyllis A. Whitney. I highly recommend her for escape. P.P.P.P.S. Frida is due on June 20.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“To think we are made up of so many different layers, and we may never meet all of them before the big sleep.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Have you read The Seventeen Widows of Sans Souci yet? If you have, please don’t give anything away. Once I finish, I’ll let you know and we can share our thoughts on it.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“P.S. I am also a Nero Wolfe fan, and I enjoy Simenon, as well. My favorite local writer of suspense novels is Charlotte Armstrong.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Those were painful times, but that particular longing was only one small part of the much bigger life I have shared with Francis.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“I wonder if this communal tenderness will last, or will it be like after the Second World War, when everyone eventually replaced their memories of gold stars and rationing with automatic dishwashers and two-car garages?”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“I’m beginning to understand that the two of them squabble simply for amusement’s sake.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Her legs are as limp as seaweed.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“Even though winter was on its way, geraniums were in full bloom in bright blue Maxwell House cans on the front porch.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron

“the facade is an ornate confection of Spanish, Italian, and Moorish influences.”
― Kim Fay, Love & Saffron