Culinary Adventures with Camilla

What a crazy time we're in, right?! Well, I wasn't about to let my 47th birthday go off without a dinner party. So, even though I couldn't have my friends over in this season of flattening the curve of the coronavirus and sheltering in place, I hosted a virtual dinner party and asked them to cook some pasta, open some wine, and sign in to chat. It definitely wasn't the same, but I still felt celebrated and it was nice to catch up with everyone. My family and I had gone on a hike that morning. Public service announcement: When the trail goes from ridge to creek in 1100 ft elevation down...and the trail is one way...yeah, you're climbing that same 1100 ft up again. Happy birthday to me. It was a beautiful hike though. And as soon as we got home, I had the boys wash their hands and roll up their sleeves and pull out the pasta maker* to make the ravioli while I kicked up my feet and relaxed with a book. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll...

Before this week, I had never heard the term 'victory garden'. And, truth be told, D planted this garden before we were sheltered in place to flatten the curve of the coronavirus that's ravaging the globe. But, once I learned what a victory garden was, I was more than happy to call it that as we use it to supplement our groceries, considering the balancing act of preparedness versus panic-buying . And, really, who isn't proud to eat something they grew themselves?! This garden was what he chose to do for his Personal Project - that's a year-long project at the end of the MYP (Middle Years Programme) in the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum and includes a written paper that's akin to a thesis...except he's a sophomore in high school. I didn't have to write a thesis till I was graduating from Berkeley! In any case, as I've been editing the paper - all 59 pages of it! - this week, I know a lot more about it. So, I'll share some back...