by Karen Creamer | Mar 28, 2023 | (it's all about the) food, Connection
I grabbed a box (admittedly, it had been on the shelf for a while) of raisins to throw in my oatmeal this morning and they were very hard, dry, and generally unappealing looking. I was about to give them to the chickens–who are far less fussy than I am–to eat when I remembered a trick my grandmother taught me years ago, when I was making cookies.
I liked to add raisins to the chocolate chip cookies and sometimes, just like in my present life, they had been on the pantry shelf for awhile.
She told me to pour boiling water over them and let them sit for a bit, and drain the water off. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Mar 21, 2023 | Book Reviews, books, Connection
I knew almost nothing about this book before requested it from the library. I don’t even remember how I heard about it but it was next in the pile, and so I started reading it.
Right away, Small World had my attention because it mentioned a place that I had actually worked, The Walter E. Fernald State School, one of my first jobs after I became a nurse.
A bit later in the book it mentions Paragon Park and Nantasket Beach. My parents met there, and my grandmother had a house in that area for many years. We often visited her for Sunday dinner when I was younger. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Feb 28, 2023 | (it's all about the) food, Comfort, Connection, family, italian
With the supply of pastina at an all time low, I’ve been thinking about other staples in my diet that have been around since childhood.
Spaghetti is one of them.
I usually buy DeCecco Angel Hair Spaghetti (cooks in 2 to 3 minutes!) but they didn’t have any at the supermarket, so when I was looking for the Prince Pastina (and striking out again), I saw the Prince Spaghetti and thought I’d by a box for old times’ sake. This also reminded me of the commercial from back in the day, of Anthony running through the streets of the North End in Boston to make it home on time for supper. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Feb 14, 2023 | (it's all about the) food, Connection, italian
We were looking for new places to try for Italian food.
After doing a search of nearby restaurants, I came up with Calzolaio Pasta Company in Wilton, Maine
Eggplant Fries
Wait. What? Eggplant fries?
In the spirit of adventure, my husband agreed to try them. I love eggplant but he does not.
These things were amazing! They were a little crispy but light and the gravy that came with them for dipping was almost as good as my own. I would have bought some if they sold jars of it.
Everything else was excellent as well. The bread. The Angry Meat Pizza. The Chicken Parmigiana. To me, the mark of a great restaurant is that there are so many things that sound so great that you want to try them all. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Jan 31, 2023 | Book Reviews, books, Connection
I heard about this book from someone on a YouTube channel and requested it from the library.
Before I started reading it, I noticed that everyone was recommending this book and also it was being featured in a lot of book clubs. When I picked it up from the library, the librarian mentioned that “they” are already talking about making this book into a movie. This actually almost put me off reading it, but I decided to forge ahead.
What’s great about this book: SO MUCH! It made me laugh out loud several times, which is not an every day occurrence for me as a reader. Also, the main characters were all so very interesting, even—maybe especially—the dog, and each is quite brave in their own way. Keep reading
by Karen Creamer | Jan 17, 2023 | books, Connection, friends, Metaphysical healing, Signs and Symbols
My friend recommended this book to me last year.
I looked at it and remembered that I had a mala somewhere that looked exactly like that one on the cover!
I took this as a sign to read the book.
It drew me in right away and I recommend The Magic Mala by Bob Olson to anyone who is looking for motivation and structure to help with their floundering (or non-existent) meditation practice. I found my mala and started meditating. After several months, I got away from it but recently it popped into my mind so I pulled the book and the mala out again. Keep reading
Karen Creamer
