If at first you don't succeed, Try, try, again. Or so the old adage goes. It was a battle of will between man and nature on the third day of the Adirondack Balloon Festival this past Saturday. Once, Twice, Thrice, and more, onlookers waited with bated breath as hot air balloon pilots fought against the… Continue reading Up Goes the Balloon
Dropping outdoor temperatures marks the arrival of Fall, and trumpets the highly-anticipated start of the apple-picking season. There is truly something magical stepping through an apple orchard during the crisp morning hours. The earth wakes from its dewy slumber. The branches extend their silent welcome. The air dense with an aroma of delightful serendipity. Colors… Continue reading Falling for Apples
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated every year on August 15 of the Chinese lunar calendar (and falls this year on 8 September - today!). *** Read the background story below or scroll down directly for how to make "ice-skin" 冰(bing)皮(pi) mooncakes, or in all practicality, mochi.*** In Chinese tradition, the year is divided into 4… Continue reading Unify under the Autumn Moon
After the food, no good Labor Day celebration is complete without drinks, namely beer. Admittedly, I've never cared much for the abundant cans of Budweiser, Coors, Molson and to a lesser extent Heineken and Beck's at Labor Day parties. Yet, it was because of these typical omnipresent beers (all pale lagers as I would later… Continue reading Beer and BBQ: Part II
I've been meaning to write this for a while now, and this being Labor Day weekend, there's no better time to indulge in the topic. (Scroll down directly for recipes to Vegetable Shish Kebabs and Apple and Cheese Chicken Sausage.) Grilled foods are a mainstay of Labor Day festivities. Especially in the Northeast, Labor Day… Continue reading Beer and BBQ: Part I
Labor Day in the US is observed every first Monday in September, which this year falls on September 1 (today!). While the three-day weekend has now evolved into another commercial extravaganza marked by BBQ parties and store sales (some retailers claim that sales are second only to Black Friday in November), the public holiday itself… Continue reading Happy Labor Day!
