In Italy, large meals are concluded with the saying "siamo alla frutta", literally translated, "we are at the fruit"(dessert). In our household, we always ended our meals with a home-cooked dessert and my favorite, without a doubt, was my grandmothers butterscotch pie, always made from scratch in a double boiler. The tradition and [...]
One of my grandfather Rossignol's and memère Bouchard's favorite meals was pork, beef, rabbit and sometimes partridge Slow Cooked in a big roaster with potatoes, carrots, turnips and lots of onions. This was simply known as, "un rôti". This was always served with plenty of sides like, coleslaw, pickled beets/cauliflower, swiss chard and buckwheat ployes/pancakes [...]
I say you can learn a lot about someone if you ride bike with them for 3 or more consecutive days. I think Yogi Berra said, ".. you can observe a lot by just watching." Recently we completed our annual Vermont spring cycling trip in Middlebury with a great bunch of guys. Every year, every [...]
A couple of years back my very good friend and cycling companion Dave Chamberlain told me that we have to go cycling in Belgium. "What for?", I asked. "Because there's a lot of great riding there with many historic climbs." I'd heard about the famed Koppenberg, but not much more. I also knew that there [...]
As we get older it's increasingly important to find and participate in exercise and activities that build you up, not tear you down. For me the days of playing basketball and soccer 3-4 times a week are pretty much over, I think?! Don't get me wrong, I still have that desire and need to lace [...]
There are many fitness crazes and exercise programs garnering so much attention nowadays that it's difficult to keep up with, much less decipher what's the best fitness routine for a particular individual. P90X, T25, Zumba, spin, bootcamp, cross fit, yoga and the list goes on. All of these disciplines have their merit with excellent concepts [...]
The photo below of the bottles of Brunello di Montalcino sparked a friendship not only with Marlane, but of the small Tuscan village of Radicondoli and it's people including, Francesco, Clizia and especially Giovanna and Umberto. This chance meeting also reawakened inside me the importance of community, spending time together while enjoying excellent food, the [...]
