food

Friday Food – Writing Retreat

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One of my rituals when I’m on writing retreat is to take a photo of the first breakfast oatmeal of the retreat. I don’t always publish it, but it’s nearly always there in my phone’s memory. In addition to the taste and variety of the food, there is the wonderful blessing of not having to plan it or cook it or clean it up. It takes some of the stress out of the weekend.

Last weekend’s writing retreat, or was it two weekends ago, left me with inspiration as well as the dread of reevaluating my checklists and my outlines and my path forward. However, the food can still inspire even when the planned inspiration hangs like dew over the morning grass.

Added to my hot, comfortable oatmeal is butter, brown sugar, and dried cranberries. A very simple combination that always says retreat to me, and gets me in the right mindset for a writing weekend.

My tea this weekend was PG Tips. It is a good writing tea.

The flowers were not for eating, but we enjoyed them with our meals nonetheless.

(c)2026

Friday Food – Vacation! Dateline: Canada

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One of the best things about being on vacation is trying new foods or enjoying old favorites. We try to avoid chain and fast food restaurants, although we do like to see the different options available in other places at McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the like.

My daughter found a place a couple of years ago that is her go-to place when we are in Toronto. It has an extraordinary pop culture/fandom decor and menu, and the food is great! I’ll have a separate post and review of that one next week.

Pics and links to follow:

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Friday Food – On Retreat

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Saturday morning on retreat, and breakfast consists of oatmeal. Hot, solid, healthy, and filling. I add a small amount of butter, brown sugar, and craisins. My tea of choice is Bigelow’s orange spice, and a bowl of cantaloupe and blueberries round off the healthiest meal in my repertoire. I don’t know why, but I almost always take a photo of the first bowl of oatmeal on the weekend. I look forward to it every time, and I never get tired of it. It’s a wonderful start to a weekend of contemplation, inspiration, and learning.

Friday Food – 250

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A selection of foods celebrating America’s 250:
brownie, firecracker ice cream, star shaped donut, rocket pop float, stars and stripes donut with rocket pop creme, bomb pop, stars & stripes munchkins from DD, Firecracker pop Oreos.
(c)2026
Coca-Cola chocolate cake with ice cream, red, white, and blue stars and sprinkles, and a cherry on top from Cracker Barrel.
(c)2026

250 – Food!

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I am a sucker for a good food tie-in, and product branding. Especially when it’s mostly my favorite snacks. I know they want my money, but I want their product, so it’s win-win for everyone.

I don’t know if you’ll see these on shelves this week; I got two of them over a month ago (Oreos and my favorite Tootsie Rolls!). If it has red, white, and blue sprinkles on it, I’ll take one and I may even share!

A plate of goodies for work! Oreo Firecracker Pop Limited Edition with blue-raspberry/lemon/cherry creme, Red, white, and blue M&Ms with three designs: star, eagle, fireworks, and patriotic Tootsie rolls, in addition to Bomb pop popsicle – I thought these were bigger when I was a kid, Cake Bites in red, white, and blue, and a sugar packet from Cracker Barrel in one (my favorite design) of the five designs that I saw there. 
(c)2026

Friday Food – An Inspiration

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Strawberry Festivals

While I know something of Native American culture, in writing my current book, I’ve discovered so much more, and it excites and inspires me. June is an important month in the Native American calendar, especially for the Haudenosaunee, as it is the season of strawberries. In addition to the three sisters (corn, beans, and squash), strawberries are a significant part of the culture, food source, and creation story. They are the first fruits of spring, and a leader of the berries. They are singled out for thanksgiving in the welcoming address before ceremonies.

Strawberries are sweet and tart, red and juicy. They can be enjoyed on their own or in other foods, mixed into salads, pureed into ice cream or yogurt, sat atop cakes or baked right in. They are refreshing and if you’re lucky, plentiful in June.

There are two Strawberry Festivals that you should know about happening in the next few weeks:

The 33rd Annual Strawberry Festival at the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community west of Fonda, New York on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28, and

The 11th Annual Kahnawa:ke Strawberry Food Fest just over the border in Kahnawake, Quebec, in southern Canada on Saturday, June 20, 2026.

Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community
Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada

Both events are filled with strawberry goodness, Haudenosaunee Mohawk culture, Native music and dancers, and much more! Check their flyers and websites for admission prices.

If you are in Fonda, stop by up the road and visit the St. Kateri Tekakwitha: National Shrine & Historic Site, celebrating the 350th anniversary of St. Kateri’s baptism on the site. She is the first North American Native Saint canonized by the Catholic Church.

If you decide on Kahnawake, don’t forget your passport for the border! You can also visit the Canadian National Shrine for St. Kateri where her relics are entombed. Contact the Kahnawake Tourism also to set up a tour of the village which sits on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Friday Food – Korma Chicken

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When we visit Canada we always return with food, snacks, and sauces that we don’t often see at home in New York. One of the sauces that my kids brought back last August was korma sauce. We had it once at a restaurant, and I thought it was something we might use. We always make those chicken dishes (like butter chicken or teriyaki chicken) with rice, usually white, but occasionally fried.

I wanted a change for this week’s meal, and asked for my son to pick up small golden potatoes and naan to create an excellent dinner.

Korma Chicken.
(c)2026
Skillet Potatoes - once the potatoes are set up, I cut up the chicken and cook that in the oven. I don't use a lot of seasoning on the chicken since they're going to be simmered in the sauce.

For the potatoes: In a large skillet, put in 3/4 of a stick of butter. Cut the potatoes into smaller pieces, halves, thirds, whatever works for your family. I cover the potatoes and butter with the following seasonings/spices: fresh ground four pepper peppercorns, garlic powder, dill weed, orange peel. Cover and let cook on medium for about 30 minutes.

At the same time, cook the chicken at 350° for those 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, stir the potatoes gently with a spatula.
Put the chicken in a wok with the korma sauce, stir, and simmer. Add in 1/2 bag of frozen corn or can of corn, stir, and simmer until the sauce and vegetables are hot.

Raise the oven temperature to 400° and warm the naan for about 5 minutes.

Serve together.

It is delicious!

Friday Food – What Were They Thinking?

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Last month, my husband and I traveled to the Albany area to see the Titanic Exhibition at the Schenectady Armoury. I had been there a while ago to see their Monet interactive exhibit, and I was excited for the Titanic.

We had visited the Titanic Experience in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2017, and that was fantastic. It was a superb blending of the Northern Irish pride of having built the Titanic and a solemn, respectful balance of the tragedy.

I didn’t know what to expect in Albany.

To begin, its title is Titanic: An Immersive Voyage. Now, I get that these exhibits do have an immersive quality to them. You’re made to feel that not only are you at something like a museum exhibit, you are in the space. We walked the gang plank onto the ship, we stood on the main staircase, and in the screened room, we were on the ship as it crashed and sank. They even had a life sized lifeboat in the room for some people to sit in.

However, immersive? Really? For a ship that sank? I don’t know.

The second thing that made me side-eye things is pictured below. I did not buy these, but I was surprised to see them in the gift shop. They really will sell anything – Titanic themed ice trays.

Titanic

Themed

Ice

Trays

So there you go.

Friday Food – New Year’s Amusements

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I thought for the first Friday Food of the new year, I’d share two amusing ones. Just below is an Advent Calendar I got just after Advent started. It was half price on clearance. It really is a cute box.

I had no intention of saving it for next year, but I wasn’t sure how to distribute the candy until this week.

We sat at the dining room table after dinner and had my family each choose a number between 1 and 24. We did this twice, and had fun seeing which of the candies we got. We’ll keep doing this until the box is empty and then I’ll save the box for next year and fill it with different candies to surprise us throughout Advent.

Chocolate Advent Calendar.
(c)2025-2026
Chocolate Advent Calendar.
(c)2025-2026
Morton’s Iodized Salt.
(c)2026

This is your average, everyday Morton salt that I believe everyone has in their cupboards. What is so special about this one really illustrates how little salt our family uses. This is only the fourth cannister that I’ve had since I was married more than thirty-one years ago.

My family is tired of hearing this, but I am really amused and fascinated by it. I can’t think of any other food item in our house that has lasted that long and is still good to eat. We really only use salt in baking and in our mashed potatoes!

We do have a microwave that we got for my bridal shower in 1994 that is still working well, but the salt is the only food. For added trivia, this is only the third one that we’ve bought – my mother gave us the first one with a loaf of bread, which is a tradition in Jewish families.