Monthly Archives: December 2011

2011 in review

Posted on December 31, 2011 by lisakwinkler

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,500 times in 2011. If it were a … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment

Weekly Photo Challenge: Winter

Posted on December 30, 2011 by lisakwinkler

Cold, ice floes, no snow. Awaiting summer swimmers. Blog in hibernation this past week; hope to return soon. Happy New Year!

Posted in environment, holidays, postaweek2011, Trees | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Chefs’ Choices: Chocolate Pasta & Thai Cocoa Chicken

Posted on December 21, 2011 by lisakwinkler

Chocolate pasta? Sounds like something out of Candyland  or Willy Wonka’s world. Healthy eating and chocolate?  Now that really sounds like an oxymoron. Not for Casey  Granieri and Jerry Comi, professional chefs, who make tossing together ingredients look as easy … Continue reading →

Posted in food, health, interviews, Recipes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

NYC Police: “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught”

Posted on December 19, 2011 by lisakwinkler

“When I was 14, my mother told me not to panic if a police officer stopped me. And she cautioned me to carry ID and never run away from the police or I could be shot. In the nine years … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, New York City, parenting, teaching, teenagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mumbai Morsels

Posted on December 16, 2011 by lisakwinkler

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is a city of contrasts: new high rise office buildings abut slums, shacks where people live on very little a day, working at street stalls, selling items and offering services: haircuts, shaves, ear cleaning and more.  For … Continue reading →

Posted in food, Movies & TV, travel, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Spinach Muffins for Simon

Posted on December 12, 2011 by lisakwinkler

Today my grandson is two years old.  I asked his mother if they’d bring cupcakes to his preschool.  I learned the school has a “no sweet” policy: birthdays are celebrated with healthy snacks.  She makes spinach muffins, which my grandson … Continue reading →

Posted in celebrations, Family, food, health, parenting, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fertel’s “The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak”

Posted on December 9, 2011 by lisakwinkler

The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak offers as much surprise as a thick Cajun crawfish bisque. Randy Fertel’s father Rodney, ran for mayor of New Orleans on a single platform: he promised to deliver gorillas to the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, food, Reading, travel, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Homemade Holiday Gifts: Pecans & Cookies

Posted on December 6, 2011 by lisakwinkler

“Why don’t you post about things made in the US?” my friend Sharon suggested. She’d had a frustrating afternoon, searching for some specific items on-line, that were both within her budget and made in the US. “I ‘ll think about … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, food, holidays, Recipes, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Happy 21st Birthday, Lydia & Leah

Posted on December 4, 2011 by lisakwinkler

My daughter and niece were born the same day. Today they are 21. From this:  To this:  Happy Birthday, girls!

Posted in celebrations, daughters, Family, parenting, Writing | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

NYC’s High Hopes for Haikus

Posted on December 2, 2011 by lisakwinkler

Yay!  New York City! Celebrating poetry Promoting safety I wrote the above when I read about a new traffic safety campaign launched this week by the NYC Transportation Department.  About 200 eye-catching, 8″ x 8″ signs, some with accompanying haiku … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Cycling, New York City, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments