Author: Liz

entertaining

New Year’s Day Open House

Suzie and Joe’s annual New Year’s Day Open House. We’ve covered this extensively over the years, and I’m pleased by that — because this year, they’ve announced it will no longer be annual! Related posts: Nyack House Tour To Hopper […]

family

To Rockefeller Center, To See the Tree

An annual tradition to see the tree on New Year’s Day, continued. Though this year, we did not get up super-early and get there first thing in the morning. We slept in a bit, and got there around noon. Skaters! […]

entertaining

Reading of ‘A Christmas Memory’

Joe and Suzie hosted year’s annual reading of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.” Now, you may recall that Joe and Suzie also host a New Year’s Day Open House, and they spend days preparing for it. So, they did the […]

recipes

Citrus Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

A festive salad for a winter ‘s day. It takes advantage of the so-sweet Texas grapefruit we love to have around the holidays — and the blood oranges and Cara Cara oranges that are so good this time of year. […]

family

Brunch with the Neighbors

Steve and Jessie hosted a lovely brunch for the neighborhood to toast the new year together. A lovely way to end the old, with delicious food and lovely company. Related posts: Brunch at Irene’s Brunch at The East Pole A […]

family

Christmas Night at the Farm

After the present opening chaos, we took a nice walk, did a few chores around the house, and had our traditional tamale supper. Merry Christmas! Related posts: Saturday Night at the Farm: Margies, Movies and a Marvelous Sunset Tamale Supper […]

family

Christmas Morning: Present Madness

Christmas morning for a seven-year-old! We slept til 9 (go Sammy!) and opened gifts by the fire. Sam got: a LOL doll, a Beanie Boo, a joke book, Squishmallows, binoculars, an Electromagnetic toy kit, a rocket toy kit, a LOT […]

family

Christmas Eve 2018

We celebrated in the traditional way, by attending the early Christmas Eve service and dining at Sondra and Leigh’s afterward. We had oysters — Pemaquids, this time, from a great mail-order company we just discovered called Real Oyster Cult — […]

recipes

Cauliflower Puree

When you don’t do carbs, but you want something like mashed potatoes to go with your big holiday meal. Or just your roast chicken. This recipe is super-easy, and very, very rich. There is more butter in this than I […]

recipes

Prime Rib Roast

This is one hell of a big piece of meat. And it ain’t cheap. But every now and again, it’s really nice to do something really extravagant. And the roast keeps on giving: we’ll have leftovers and make broth for […]

family

Lighting the Advent Wreath

We haven’t been doing it religiously (see what I did there?), but we tried this month to keep up with Advent prayers and lighting the wreath before dinner each evening. Today was the Fourth Sunday and we lit the pink […]

family

Afternoon in Nyack

A walk downtown, to the library and with a stop at Hickory Dickory Dock, the most Christmas-y store ever. Related posts: A Christmas Walk and a Red Rose Sam’s First Trip to the Library Car Show in Nyack Snowy Afternoon

family

Pre-Game Show at Redd’s

Dave and the sports team at NorthJersey.com did a cool thing this season: they took it on the road. Dave and the beat writers for the Jets and Giants set up a Facebook live show from Redd’s, a sports bar […]

family

Christmas Crafts and Puzzles

Had a fun Saturday at the house, making a gingerbread house and doing a 300-piece puzzle. it was nice to have this kind of down time during the holiday season. Very relaxing. Related posts: Christmas Chic De-Christmas-fied at Last A […]

cocktails

Salty Dogs!

When the grapefruit arrives from Harlingen, Texas, in the Valley, as they say, our thoughts turn immediately to our favorite Christmastime cocktail, the Salty Dog. We’ve shared the recipe before — here it is: Salty Dog recipe — so this […]

restaurants

Porta in Asbury Park

A holiday lunch at Porta — and a goodbye to our food editor Susan, who is (happily!) retiring. Food was terrific. Company was lovely. We will miss Susan. Related posts: The Stone Pony in Asbury Park Taka in Asbury Park […]

family

Holiday Traditions at UNES

This year, for the winter party at Sam’s school, the children were asked to do a project that represents their holiday traditions. Sam chose cutting down our Christmas tree (a long-standing SCF tradition that dates back to 2017). We came […]

shopping

The Farm Gets a New Couch

Lucky us! Greg scored a new couch at the Design Within Reach Employee sale. We have loved our old “Gucci” couch — so dubbed by our guests because it is so luxuriously comfortable — and it has served us well […]

family

Pageant at Grace Church

Like last year, Sam was a sheep for our annual Grace Church School Christmas Pageant. She makes an excellent “Baa!” Related posts: Christmas Pageant at Grace Church Christmas Pageant at Grace Church Easter Sunday: Church and Egg Hunt Palm Sunday […]

family

Saturday Night at the Farm

Reading the stories in the Advent calendar, eating oysters, drinking bubbly. Hard to think of a better way to spend a Saturday night. Related posts: Saturday Supper at the Farm: Burgers, Margaritas and Outdoor Movies Saturday Night Supper, with Cocktails […]

family

Pageant Rehearsal

Some photos from the rehearsal for the Christmas Pageant. Related posts: A Christmas Sunday Messiah Sing! Christmas Pageant at Grace Church Christmas Pageant at Grace Church

restaurants

Viaggio in Wayne

Another super meal at Viaggio in Wayne. I can never not get the breasola, and it lived up to past billings. But the new star of the show was the calamari. Oh, this calamari! The photo does not do it […]

family

Sam’s Holiday Traditions Project

As a way to share holiday traditions, the second grade was asked to make a project. It could be a movie, a story, a painting, a diorama, anything. Sam chose to make a triptych. The center is our Christmas tree. […]

family

Caroling at Nyack Manor

The church school and the Brownie troop went caroling at the Nyack Manor Nursing Home. It brought a lot of joy to the seniors there. Related posts: Great Nyack Get Together Nyack Fire Department Parade, Celebrating 150 Years The Nyack […]

recipes

Roast Chicken

Julia Child will tell you: The key to a really good roast chicken is butter. For these, I softened butter and spread it under the skin of the breast and thigh, then nestled some herbs in there, too. To get […]

family

Camel Repairs and a Messiah Sing

A big day at church today. I took the camel from the Christmas pageant home for repairs. Then brought it back at 4 p.m. for the Messiah Sing. I sat with the altos and did the best I could. More […]

entertaining

The Goodmans’ Christmas Party

Jessica and Ken did it again. A winner of a party to kick off the holiday season. A little embarrassing to have such crappy photos when visiting a photographer’s house, but what are you going to do? Related posts: Mary […]