La Bandita Townhouse, a boutique hotel on Pienza’s Corso Il Rossellino, opened during the spring of 2013, with a primo main street location, extremely friendly staff who speak fluent English (and a menu in both Italian and English, though I do prefer using Italian when in Italian restaurants – it doesn’t hurt to have a… Continue Reading
Inside the Garden at La Foce
The estate of La Foce has claimed a special place in my heart. I remember, years ago, reading an article about people returning to the same vacation destination year after year, renting the same apartments or houses or going to the same hotels, and I thought, “Who the heck would do that?” Well, 13 years… Continue Reading
This Week in the Garden: Early June
Perfect spring days are like hallucinogens. Hallucinogens that I am happy to take, even while our perennial gardens’ progress is proof positive that this spring has been less than kind. Our southern New England growing season has been set back slightly, a result of the brutal winter, and the still occasionally brutal spring. But a… Continue Reading
Maple-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
Grocery shopping day at our house is Tuesday. Kind of odd, really, but it makes sense if you know that I do the shopping after I collect what JR and I call “slop” and what the Whole Foods team calls “compost”. The compost is Whole Foods’ waste produce, which they very generously share with us… Continue Reading
Orange Soy-Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
This is really more of a sauté than a stir fry, if we’re being fussy about it. Stir frying requires high heat, while this dish is asking for an ever-so-slightly more gentle medium-high heat instead. Adjust the name as you like, it’s still simple and delicious, and is the dish that I demonstrated this past weekend… Continue Reading