It's New Year's Day, and I have gotten out of bed, maxed out on coffee, gone to the gym for a spin class, washed all the glassware from...

Sometimes things go just as planned when we are cooking. But at other times, a cook needs to get a little creative and figure out how to...

I do not own a kitchen blow torch. I wish I did--I like playing with fire a lot, and kitchen blow torches look like fun. You can do...

I have always liked Governor Howard Dean, MD. Like me, he's a primary care doctor. As governor of Vermont, he was an authentic and...

When I mention that I speak and love all things French, it's not uncommon for someone to mention the purported high rates of...

A few years ago, while visiting New York, my husband and I ducked into a restaurant on Prince Street in Soho on an early spring evening...

I indulged in a very pleasant work lunch on last Tuesday at an outdoor café on Southport Avenue near Wrigley Field. I enjoyed my meal...

Activism can take many forms. We can canvass, write postcards, visit our elected officials, make phone calls, attend rallies and most...

Jewish holidays follow the seasons. Passover (my favorite Jewish holiday) celebrates liberation and comes at the beginning of spring. ...

Many people say that the most beautiful French is spoken in Tours and as a French major in college, I went there to perfect my French....

I have canvassed for Democrats running for the house, senate and for the presidency in cities and towns all over the midwest since 2004. ...

Tomatoes--heirloom, organic, locally-grown--are the stars of late-summer midwestern farmers markets. Classified as a fruit with interior...

From the crowded streets of the Marais neighborhood of Paris to the open countryside of Normandy, France is a beautiful country full of...

Do you like to travel near and far? Are you interested in both building community at home and exploring other communities? I hope you...