DURING MY THREE-WEEK STAY  in two hospitals this winter, I was greeted by many attending physicians who visited my room to check on me. One doctor even encouraged me to join a sleep apnea assessment. At first, I thought she had the wrong patient as I had a failing mitral valve with a few other glitches in the mix, but my name and birth date were confirmed, so she continued with her pitch. In business, we call this cross-selling. It just hit me that it was perhaps ill-timed, b

I STARTED MY MORNING  thinking I would make a mini loaf of artisan bread and 4 sesame hamburger buns from my dough that was proofing overnight. Never getting locked into a direction is one of my cardinal rules in my kitchen. This thinking also feeds my ADD and fuels my curiosity. My shift really began when Nancy brought me half a large bag of frozen blueberries after making her morning fruit smoothies. These were wild blueberries, my absolute favorite. These smaller gems have

AN OLD-FASHIONED WINTER has finally returned to Michigan. During most nights in February, temperatures have been flirting with 0 degrees. It is very cold out, just like the good old days, with winds topping it all off. The sure indicator is that East and West Bay, coming into (out of) Traverse City, have almost frozen solid; the floating ice appears to be covered with a blanket of pure white snow, creating the appearance of a desert oasis. I hope you’re aware that we have bee

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY has arrived. I’m happy to have this day come, not because I’m a fan of professional football, but because I’m alive and healing nicely after a few heart procedures that arose unexpectedly in January. I guess the best way to explain my situation is that a new pig valve replaced my worn-out mitral valve. And, while they were doing this, they elected to shave some excess thickness that had developed in my septum. Finally, they did a few tweaks to calm my atrial

AS MOST ARE AWARE , I committed to writing short essays about favorite places along our iconic M-22 highway in northwestern Michigan. The majority of the 116 miles of the roadway is in Leelanau and Benzie Counties, with the beginning and ending segments in Manistee and Grand Traverse Counties. There is so much to see and experience along this infamous highway that connects four beautiful counties, each offering a unique blend of adventure and lifestyle opportunities. I had a

AFTER EXPERIENCING TWO DISAPPOINTING  selections from my library over the holidays, I decided to revisit my 2013 memoir, From the Hip & Heart. I   still had an early copy resting on top of my dresser. https://goo.gl/Uecvh6 I’ve become a steadfast reader of printed and bound books, and I like this habit very much. It helps bring balance to my dependence on my electronic devices. Twelve years have passed since I published my collection of humorous essays. I was interes

MY DINNER ENTRÉE FOR CHRISTMAS was a New England-style turkey pot pie. It came at the suggestion of my New Hampshire sister, who orders her pot pies from a specialty store on Cape Cod. She knew I preferred making my own, which prompted her to recommend a recipe from Yankee Magazine. I decided to buy a puff pastry to top off the homemade ingredients, reasoning that my kitchen was busy enough with several other recipes in progress. As you can see from the above photo, the puff

EMILY DICKINSON, THE FAMOUSLY RECLUSIVE poet from the mid-nineteenth century, expressed to associates that to experience peace in life, we must seek out simple pleasures and be grateful for the small joys we might easily take for granted. With these thoughts spinning in my head this Christmas week, I reflect on the importance of being grateful each day. I actively generate thoughts on being joyful, which I often express with whispers and little chuckles during my daily routi

I AM IN THE MOOD  to make a Christmas cookie I haven’t had in years. My search unearthed many recipes, and I picked the easiest one. It's essentially a shortbread-style recipe rolled by hand into 1-inch balls and coated with powdered sugar. The most common name for them is Christmas Almond Snowballs, but there are many variations depending on your ancestors' country of origin or the nuts you use. I remember having these on Christmas Eve from our dessert tray of cookies at De

IT OCCURRED TO ME  as I was waking from my nighttime slumber that I am basically a happy person. A sense of wonder connects me with most things around me. My interests are driven by curiosity with a desire to learn new things. It certainly helps in my well-being. This insight came to me after recently reading a couple of American classics that I had checked out of my library. I also remembered some words I wrote about my sons in my memoirs, which were recalled during these re

I HAVE TO ADMIT  I’m a bit reticent to reveal my interest in making fresh holiday centerpieces. It is one of the hobbies I've enjoyed for many years. My third wife used to call me metro sexual. I think it was meant to be in a loving way, but maybe not? I have some gentleness in my makeup, and Google thinks I’m a woman based on my search history. If you believe algorithms are spot on and AI won’t perpetuate biases, think again. Apparently, they focus more on my garden and reci

THE ONLY PIZZA PLACE I RECALL from the 1960s in my hometown of Birmingham was “carry-out” from Casa Mia on Woodward just south of Lincoln Avenue. My older brother and I would cruise up to the Italian restaurant to retrieve our take-out pizza, and somehow we had the willpower to resist taking out a slice during our four-mile drive back home. Pizza wasn't very popular until entrepreneurs Ilitch (Little Caesars) and Monahan (Domino's) entered the scene with their unique value p

I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE  of attending a book signing sponsored by NWS (National Writers Series) for best-selling author John U. Bacon. He told of his four-year endeavor/adventure researching and writing “ The Gales of November — the untold story of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” It was an eye-opening evening; the insights shared through his talk and then book (photo above) focused mostly on the lives of the twenty-nine men who worked on the Edmund Fitzgerald. They were particularly r

I GROW PLANTS FOR MANY REASONS: "to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.” David Hobson I recorded this quote in June, and it came back to me this week as I was planting my first Amaryllis bulb for the coming blooming season… for the joy in seeing them grow. Yes, for the joy! I’m hooked. Enough words. It bloomed a week before Christmas

AS I HAVE REVEALED IN THE PAST , I get my recipes from about anywhere, and sometimes they arrive rather unexpectedly. I tried a new recipe this week and was thoroughly surprised and impressed with the flavor enhancement that this unusual ingredient added, and this time it isn’t cottage cheese! It is pumpkin puree. I’ll share it with you in the recipe below. I love my proven soups and chilis, but I’m always open to new tweaks, flavorings, and ingredients. This recipe falls int

THE ABOVE PHOTO SHOWS a giant Sequoia sapling planted in 2023 on the front lawn of the Benzonia Public Library. Kudos to the patrons who support David Milarch’s Archangel Ancient Tree Archive through their donations and interest. The organization’s lifelong mission is to collect genetic material, or germplasm, from notable tree specimens around the world. Sequoias and Redwoods are among the top candidates for cloning these ancient giants, which have existed for thousands of

THIS FOLLOWING STATEMENT RESONATES  with me, especially considering my lifelong passion for food preparation and the numerous challenges there are in developing great recipes. “Do not fear mistakes, there are none.” Miles Davis, musician I have tried so many different recipes throughout my life. It all started when I was eleven. During my early days, I helped my mother a lot (from my point of view). She had me learn my way around the kitchen centered around her stovetop elect

FIVE DAYS OF SUNNY WEATHER   are in the forecast for our area as we enter early October. The blue skies and blue water are absolutely...

MID-SEPTEMBER MARKS THE BEGINNING  of my favorite time of the year. It is welcome and brings pleasure and reflections for me. The cooler...

IT WAS LATE NOVEMBER 1966 . Wet leaves were scattered on the ground, and it was already dark by 5:30. I was a senior in high school, and...