by Janice Nigro Tomorrow at midnight, Week 9 under lockdown in California will be over and we will be heading into Week 10. If I really try, I can convince myself that I’ve been on a vacation. Maybe vacation isn’t the right word. Sabbatical? Hiatus? Artist-in-residence? (if I'm really generous to myself). Maybe these are... Continue Reading →
The Lockdown Diaries: Week 8
by Janice Nigro Two months under lockdown. Another month and it will be one quarter of the year. This is unbelievable. And yet, I’m worried that if it’s coming to the end, have I accomplished anything? The lockdown is one of those things like the seasons which we don’t have much of in California. Seasons... Continue Reading →
Falling in love with Napoli in a pastry shop
You can often recall the precise moment you fall in love. Sometimes the match looks good on paper and the connection is immediate. And sometimes it comes out of nowhere and hits you like a ton of bricks. There are no birds singing or harps playing, but your basic chemistry changes from a blip for... Continue Reading →
Dialing 911 for pasta
An emergency text from a friend: Hi! We got a pasta making attachment for the KitchenAid mixer. Some recipes say all purpose flour and some say 00 flour. I thought we should ask an expert. That’s how my holiday season started, and it seemed to be a theme that carried through to the end when... Continue Reading →
Making “untradition” the tradition of Christmas
Turkey or ham for dinner in the USA. Pinekjøtt or lutefisk in Norway. Gathering of families usually at the home of the grandmother and grandfather. Yes, we are stuck on tradition, truly stuck if you look forward to eating fruitcake or maybe lutefisk each year for Christmas. I remember a few traditions about Christmases growing... Continue Reading →