Blog Page 3 - French-Secrets

YES, THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO

June 11, 2020

I read something I had to share. It is a letter that challenges us to take action and explains how we can and must stop the killings and abuse of people of color. The letter was sent by the president of Fordham University Father Joseph McShane to my husband, Mark, who is an alumnus. Mark has always credited his . . .

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IT’S TIME TO LISTEN

June 04, 2020 5 Comments

Sometimes hearing thoughts through someone else’s words starts a dialogue, evokes ideas, or just makes you think about the world from a different viewpoint.

I thought it was important to see the world through a different perspective… I was right. Olivia’s words are thoughtful, provocative, and positive. Most of all…

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COMFORT FOOD

May 28, 2020

The thought of something that is comforting right about now sounds great to me. I am feeling under the weather, not with COVID, thank goodness, but with seasonal allergies. My sinuses are unhappy and I feel like I’m living life under water—not a lot of fun. Comfort food is . . .

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A PERKY RECIPE—AN ANTIDOTE TO THE BLAHS?

May 21, 2020 1 Comment

Writing has always come easily for me until now. I feel emotionally drained; it isn’t really surprising since my mother passed away less than a month ago. I’m back at my desk working on Le Kitchen Cookbook, but staying focused isn’t easy; when it comes to writing something thoughtful—nothing. Instead, I’m going to…

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IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP OUR TASTE BUDS

May 14, 2020 1 Comment

Just because we are in isolation doesn’t mean that our taste buds need to lie dormant. It’s springtime. Let’s enjoy foods that have big flavor. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the warm weather is with food that is fresh and light, and using lemon evokes that perfectly. I love lemonade in the summer. Whenever I’m in…

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A LIFE WELL LIVED — AN OBITUARY

May 07, 2020 7 Comments

It is never easy to capture someone’s life in a few words, but Monique’s 100 years gave me a lot to choose from. There is so much I didn’t mention and much I didn’t know, but the following words are her obituary and they are intended to give you a glimpse at a life well-lived. Monique Olmer’s passion for life and incredible…

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DIFFICULT NEWS

April 30, 2020 9 Comments

After a difficult week, my mother, Monique Olmer, passed away on April 28. It was very hard not being able to visit her while she was in the nursing home, not being able to hold her hand or kiss her goodbye. But a few hours earlier in the day our family gathered with her on Zoom. We were able to see her face, see how...

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HAVE WE LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THE 1918 SPANISH FLU?

April 23, 2020

My sister-in-law, Theo, sent me a series of photographs from the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. I found them haunting. They were surprisingly similar to what we are going through now. The effects of the 1918 Spanish flu were that “about 500 million people—one-third of the world’s population—became infected with the...

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WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

April 16, 2020 2 Comments

Isolation is something we are all dealing with. I am not finding it difficult since it isn’t much different from my regular life. I like my home and I love working from home. As long as I can get out and enjoy the outdoors I am fine. But then the lights went out! Not for five minutes as I’d hoped. No, they just . . .

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THE TASTES OF CHILDHOOD CARRY OUR MEMORIES

April 09, 2020 1 Comment

José, my father-in-law, lived with us at the end of his life. He loved food and would tell me stories about the food his mother made. As he described the foods of his childhood, he’d refer to her as mama. Stories about mama and those meals brought a gleam in his eye and longing in his voice. Unfortunately, I wasn’t ..

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HOW DO WE OVERRIDE OUR NATURE AND STAY SAFE?

April 02, 2020 2 Comments

How do we override our social needs [in order] to accomplish social distancing?” is the question asked in an article in Psychology Today. “If we want to get through this pandemic we need to acknowledge that our drive to be with other people is an essential part of being human. It's ingrained into who we are, and into

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WE NEED A LITTLE NORMAL—A VIRTUAL DINNER PARTY, INTERESTED?

March 26, 2020

I have the kind of personality that loves being home. But being home only works if I have something to look forward to—hence, my love of entertaining. It’s a good balance that allows me to spend time alone and time with friends. Mark and I decided to host a virtual dinner party. How are we going to pull this off. . .

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