Going home for the holidays means two flights, two rental cars, a 250-mile drive and hundreds of thousands of calories of favorite foods in between, including our mothers’ holiday specialties: lasagna and beef wellington.  I grew up in New York. My husband grew up in Maryland. We lived in Maryland for 10 years after we married and visited New York many weekends. We both love New York-style pizza, bagels, Maryland steamed crabs and shrimp, cheap eats and our mothers’ cooking.  For the entirety of my life I have been at my mother’s on Christmas day. And for all those 44 Christmases (at least …

I want to sum up 2011 like this: It was a lousy year, because it was. I lost my dad in February and a few other friends throughout the year. Bad news just seemed to be in abundance: broken bones, unfortunate diagnoses, weather disasters, parental worries (about my parent and about my child), legal concerns and, of course, the common stresses of life. Then I was reminded 2011 wasn't entirely lousy. There were celebrations: a successful writing gig; National Honor Society induction; a Bat Mitzvah; babies born; the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden. There were trips to the Jersey Shore, California…

Who thought it was a good idea to put Thanksgiving so close to Christmas? The Canadians are smart, their Thanksgiving is in October, putting more than eight weeks between the two holidays. I’d like that, I feel like I need more than eight weeks to recover from Thanksgiving, yet I only have about eight days, less even, before I’m thrown into the next holiday frenzy.  I really shouldn’t complain. My Thanksgiving is tiny compared to most. Dinner for five, two house guests for two to three days, easy-peasy, right? Yes and no.  Every year our house guests are my in-laws. Lovely people, though …

Pazzo’s, the latest concept in Michael Del Pietro’s family of restaurants, opened Oct. 25 in Station Plaza with little fanfare. Pazzo’s opened in the space formerly occupied by La Salsa. They are the third occupant of the space and hopefully third time’s the charm. In order to charm Kirkwood, however, they need to come into the light and really wow us.  Pazzo’s seems wrapped in a bit of mystery. Their website is very basic, with a menu, an address and a phone number. No hours are listed – they are open for lunch and dinner – and a call to the phone number provided was never answered by a …

A tense excitement for this weekend’s athletic activity is overflowing the streets of St. Louis. Many have trained for years to reach this goal. Praise, accolades and fanfare will greet the winners, because that’s what it feels like to cross the finish line of a marathon – a big win.  Yes, the inaugural Solutia Rock and Roll Marathon and Half Marathon will run on the streets of downtown St. Louis Sunday. Is there some other exciting athletic event taking place this weekend too? Oh, right, the World Series - Go Cards - blah, blah, blah.  Of course the World Series is exciting too, but I haven’…

My basic understanding of karma is what goes around comes around; actions taken now affect the future. I believe in a very specific, heretofore undefined, type of karma known to me as parental karma. Parental karma is a cosmic slap in the face and gets me every time. Here is the basic principle behind parental karma – every time I criticize another person’s child or another person’s parenting style, it comes right back at me with a stinging blow. My son is generally a well-behaved kid, although he’s had his moments of misbehavior. One particularly funny karmic event took place when he was …

My 16-year-old son has his learner’s permit. He isn’t one of those kids who had to run out and get it as soon as he turned 15, which means he wasn’t ready for his license at 16, either. We’ve been in the learning-to-drive mode for 10 months, trying to smooth over some of his poor habits. He’s slowly getting better, and more confident, but there is one thing in particular I can’t stress enough: don’t get a speeding ticket in Kirkwood. In the midst of teaching my son how to drive, I received my first speeding ticket in 27 years of driving. I was on Adams near Kirkwood Park, and when I saw the …

I’ve shared my struggles about weight loss throughout these last nine months. My concerns about reporting on food and drink for Kirkwood Patch while trying to lose another 20 pounds were well-founded. I have not lost anymore weight since March – boooo – but I have not gained any weight back either – yeah! I decided it was time to get this old body jump started on weight loss again, so I am walking half of the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in October.   Training for a half marathon requires many hours roaming the streets. I’m pretty sure if I wasn’t wearing workout gear I’d be suspected by …

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, will forever be etched in my memory. As the 10th anniversary of that tragic day approaches, many of us are remembering where we were when we first heard the news. I’m doing that too, but perhaps more important for me, I’m recalling the moments the World Trade Center played in my life, not the moments they were gone.  I grew up in a suburb of Manhattan, about 40 miles northwest of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. There were a few vantage points of the spectacular New York City skyline with the towers marking the spot just where the island ended at the tip of …

People love to talk about the weather. They praise it, curse it, worry about it, reminisce and watch it obsessively. My mother is a weather worrier. She lives in New York, in a suburb of Manhattan, and when she sees any news about weather in Missouri she calls me. The conversation goes something like this: “Are you having rain?” she’ll ask. “No, Mom, no rain in Kirkwood today,” I’ll reply. “But on the news this morning they showed rain in Missouri,” she’ll say. “Missouri is a big state, Mom,” is my typical response. She told me once that she thinks I’m lying to her about my weather so she won…

Last Wednesday, school started in Kirkwood. My son, a junior at Kirkwood High, requested a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich for lunch on the first, second and third days of school. Then it hit me, he’s not my little boy anymore. Sure, his voice changing and his large feet were an indication of his growth, but his request for such a sophisticated peanut butter sandwich showed his maturity.  Nutella, for those not familiar, is a hazelnut and chocolate spread. Popular in Europe for years, it’s gaining some notoriety here in the States; I saw a television commercial for it just the other day. …

School starts in Kirkwood on Wednesday. No doubt 10 weeks of summer with kids is a challenge. School days offer a routine; summer days scream for an escape. I escaped several times this summer, my favorite being a brief trip to San Francisco over Memorial Day weekend.  As finals at Kirkwood High neared the end, along with patience in my home, I hopped on a plane to San Francisco and spent five days away from a cranky teen, his volatile father and a spring filled with tornado sirens. A daughter of one of my oldest friends was becoming a Bat Mitzvah, which gave me the perfect excuse to escape …

Every summer my son and I take a trip to the East Coast for a visit with family and friends, where we spend at least three weeks, sometimes more depending on what the grandparents have planned. One summer we spent five weeks. No grown woman should spend five weeks with family, but I did because it’s important to the grandparents and the grandchild. As an only child living away from family, my son needs those weeks to reconnect with his relatives and I do too. During our week in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., my husband joins us at his parent’s house and we immerse ourselves in all …

Frances Duarte comes to Kirkwood next week. This is not a particularly important news item to anyone but me, my son and my husband. She’s my mom and she hasn’t been for a visit in nearly two years. Some of you may recall from my column in late February my father passed away February 1. He was ill for three years, and as he deteriorated, Mom stayed close by his side. It will be a lovely change of pace for her, and I plan on spoiling her as much as she plans on spoiling her 16-year-old grandson.  What does any of this have to do with weight loss? Mom’s been reading my columns and she wants to …

Adults walking into the Sugar Shack in downtown Kirkwood for the first time are undoubtedly brought back to their favorite childhood candy store or newsstand. Children walking into the Sugar Shack for the first time are simply thrilled by the abundant selection of sweets and treats. Fun for all ages, what better place to find just the right items to make this year’s Easter baskets extra special? Barb Francis started the Sugar Shack three years ago. “I just felt like Kirkwood needed a candy store. I think we need a good bookstore too, but I wanted to run a candy store,” she said.  Sugar Shack …

Coffee, tea, chocolate, jams, soups and hot chocolate – all available at Plowsharing Crafts in Kirkwood? Wait, Plowsharing Crafts? That’s right, delicious fair trade food items from around the world are available alongside the baskets, jewelry and other gift items. For over 20 years Plowsharing Crafts has sold fair trade goods in St. Louis. The two stores, a second location is on Delmar in the loop, are a project/ministry of the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship. The business grew out of a church committee's decision to open a store to sell handmade craft items from the developing world as a …

Halfway to Easter - tired of Friday night fish fry yet? Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fish fry. Kirkwood and Webster Groves have lots of fish fry options: St. Peter, Mary Queen of Peace and St. Gerard Majella – winner of fridaynightfish.com 2010 fan poll. Sometimes, however, it’s nice to skip the fried cod, baked salmon or tuna noodle casserole and make a simple, delicious Lenten dinner at home. My husband’s favorite is Shrimp Scampi. Yes, you can make shrimp scampi at home. No, you don’t need those little metal pans from which scampi is served at places like Red Lobster. This simple dish…

When I started my Patch.com column almost three months ago, I decided to call it, "Food For Thought: Musings on Food, Drink and Life," because I love food, dining out and entertaining but I also have a lot on my mind about what I like to call Life In The Sandwich. I am firmly entrenched there right now. It is a place of joy and conflict, a place between being a responsible parent and wife to my son and husband and a responsible daughter to my mother. It's a place where I am still trying to find myself as a person and more importantly as a writer. Yet it is also a place where I am confident in…

Is there ever a wrong time of year for ice cream? Not for Beckie Jacobs and her successful Webster Groves ice cream shop, Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream. Located in Old Orchard on Big Bend Road, Serendipity specializes in premium, flavorful selections, delicious any time of year. Jacobs started Serendipity eight years ago. “There was no decent ice cream in St. Louis back then, so I took a chance and started the shop,” Jacobs said. “At the start I had no competition, especially in Webster.” Competition grew over the years with national chains moving in, but Serendipity has maintained its …

I'm pretty sure someone once said, "Never trust a skinny food writer." This isn't a problem for me; I am definitely not a skinny food writer. In fact I'm a downright overweight food writer. Food is my very good friend and it loves me back - and front and all over, especially under my chin.   This year, however, I vow to balance my friendship with food, create a healthier relationship, lose some weight and still be a great food writer.  I may be making this resolution at exactly the wrong time. I've only just started my food column for Kirkwood-Webster Groves Patch, less than four weeks ago. I…