Tag Archives: Family

Travel Guide

Skiing in Utah

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Hi! Sorry for not posting last week. I was on vacation in Utah with my family and wanted to focus on them. I also read four books. And skied. And ate excellent food. It was delightful.

When I was in high school, we used to go out to Park City, UT over February Break to go skiing. I haven’t been out there in years because of college and graduate school, so it was especially nice to be otherwise uncommitted this February Break. My brother is still in high school, my sister is in college in Canada where she has a week off in February rather than a week in March, and my boyfriend took a few days off following the financial world’s holiday on President’s Day. The six of us arrived on a Saturday, left a week later, and enjoyed good snow, great food, and excellent company in between.

I’ve skied on various resorts around Park City before, some of which I like better than others. This year’s adventures took us back to Park City and Deer Valley; I also explored Solitude and Brighton for the first time. The following are some pictures that I took while skiing. I really do love winter . . . but now that I’m home and it’s still cold and snowy, I’m ready for it to end.

Park City Park City at sunset

Park City from about halfway up a mountain Looking down on Park City from about halfway up the mountain

Deer Valley Deer Valley

A very solitary powder day at Solitude A very solitary powder day at Solitude

On My Mind

2.14.278

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Yes, 278. That’s the year St. Valentine was beheaded; he was Christian and Christianity wasn’t legal until Constantine signed the Edict of Milan in 313. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, St. Valentine performed Christian marriage ceremonies and was imprisoned . . . and then Hallmark turned Valentine’s Day into a holiday.

Even before I had a Valentine, I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day. When I lived at home, my mum would prepare these Valentine’s Day goody bags for us and leave them about places a the kitchen table. We used to take the candy to school for days. It made Valentine’s Day a day about saying “I love you” to anyone and everyone, which was a very important lesson.

At work today, many of my students complained about feeling lonely and unloved. I asked, “You love people, don’t you? And they love you, right?” For the most part, they smiled.

And that’s what’s important. Valentine’s Day isn’t about chocolate or flowers, though those are nice. It’s about family and friends and reminding those around us that they are loved.

Admittedly, I do have a Valentine. He left me a beautiful surprise on my porch this morning, and I’d like to share it with you. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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New York

Food Makes Me Happy

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There, I said it. Food is good!

And what makes me even happier is cooking, especially cooking for others. Maybe that’s because I’m Jewish and grew up in a household in which food was at the center of everything, always. (And yes, my mum’s matzah balls and hamataschen are better than your mum’s matzah balls and hamataschen.)

For Chanukah this year I received a wonderful new cookbook devoted entirely to vegetables. This is an amazing thing. While I’m not a vegetarian, I don’t eat red meat and only rarely eat poultry, so a whole cookbook devoted to things I eat was very exciting. Even better, this cookbook is by a British chef raised in Israel, so his food takes me back to my favorite place on Earth.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty turns vegetables into works of art, has encouraged me to use spices I’ve never heard of, and makes it incredibly easy to make delicious, restaurant-caliber food at home.

I know I sound like I’m advertising . . . sorry about that. I just happen to be eating dinner, which features a saffron cauliflower dish from Plenty. You can take a look at the cookbook here. Happy cooking, and happy eating!