Eat. Drink. Live.
A nice little ritual we’ve taken to doing each year for Advent. Sam reads the weekly Advent prayer and lights that week’s candles. Then we read a little story from our Advent calendar, which, with little books, tells the story […]
So festive! And, the stockings hung on the mantle: Related posts: The Tree Is Up at The Farm Cutting Down our Tree at Emmerich Tree Farm To Emmerich Tree Farm, for the Tree The Tree is Up 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 […]
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 […]
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 — […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
The 2018 Christmas tree, friends. No Radko ornaments this year. I couldn’t bring myself to bring up 5 boxes from the basement. I think it looks pretty good! Related posts: The Concept Tree at Sour Cherry Farm The Tree is […]
Cutting down our own tree is a tradition we started just last year, but one we really look forward to. And our Christmas trees are healthier and last longer because of it. Merry Christmas! Related posts: Merry Christmas from Sour […]
It was time. The old bows were ratty and ripped. I ordered new ones, handmade by TheHandmadeBow.com, and was so pleased! Beautiful and well made. Nice to have an update for the holiday season. Related posts: The Carriage House Market […]
Merry Christmas, all! Here’s our annual photo on the stairs of Grace Church: One of my favorite hymns is “In the Bleak Midwinter.” Pretty church: Our cocktail this year was a Old Fashioned, doctored up by cocktail guru Dave Arnold: […]
Cheers! Enhoy Related posts: Cutting Down our Tree at Emmerich Tree Farm The Tree is Up! The Tree is Up The Tree is Up at the Farm!
Somebody is pretty excited about decorating the tree. This year, we decided to move the wardrobe to get the tree farther away from the fireplace. Always a good move. The one that ended up on Instagram: And later, relaxing. […]
A wonderfully quiet, laid-back day, with gifts, breakfast and a brisk walk around Rockland Lake. Santa brought Sam a robot! Hunna wins the wrapping contest once again. Just gorgeous! Hunna, Sam, Boo. Post-present relaxation. Sondra and Leigh join us for […]
We scored a last-minute guest to Christmas Eve services and dinner. Welcome to the Farm, Boo! Sondra, before the 4 p.m. service. Owen preaches. A star hangs above the entrance to the church. Sam, in festive Christmas attire. Our […]
Greg was smitten with a recipe accompanying Kim Severson’s New York Times story about the cheese ball. A midwest — and Southern — staple, it makes us recall the Christmases of our youth. So we made it, to recall the Christmases […]
My little angel is growing up! This year in the Christmas Pageant, she was a “lead angel,” and led the procession down the aisle to “Glooooooria,” twirling as she went. No room in the inn. Ready to go, Sam? […]
The annual tradition of reading Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” continues. We hosted this year, and at the table were Kris and Tom, Suzie and Joe, Irene, and two new friends, Jennifer and Amy. Even if you’re serving with fancy […]
An obscene amount of cookies at our work exchange this day! Plenty enough for everyone, and their entire families, too. Merry Christmas! Related posts: Mary Christmas from the Sister Outpost Christmas Cookies with Samantha Merry Christmas from Sour Cherry Farm […]
A very Christmas-y Sunday. Church, cookies, stockings! First, at church, we got to ring the handbells during the service! After church, Sam and I made some gingerbread men. (Recipe here: Gingerbread Cookies.) And in the evening, I finished […]
I made dough for both Sugar Cookies and Gingerbread Men, but this year, we only got around to making the gingerbread. It’s a winner of a recipe, super easy and just enough spices to make it interesting, not dense. Roll […]
The annual Messiah Sing at Grace Church is a don’t-miss on our holiday calendar. And this year, we finally came bearing our own scores! Hallelujah! Related posts: Messiah Sing and Advent Party! Messiah Sing Blessing of the Animals The Annual […]
After a month-long sojourn to Texas and Mexico, Sondra and Leigh are back in town. We welcomed them home with (what else?) leftovers. That they made. For Christmas. Because who doesn’t love Boeuf Bourguignon, on repeat? They took it in […]
I’ve been covering the food beat in the Lower Hudson Valley for longer than I care to admit, and yet, I’d never been to one of the great late-night spots: Pat’s Hubba Hubba. Pat’s is known for its chili — […]
One of Sam’s (many) Christmas presents was a chess-checkers game. Greg has been enjoying teaching her some strategy: Related posts: Merry Christmas! Sam’s First Swim Playing in the Sandbox Merry Christmas!
A magical Christmas night at Peggy and Jim’s this year. Ham! Sweet potatoes with pecans! Green beans! And so much delicious dessert. Sam and Maggie playing as Amanda looks surprised! Greg, David, Leigh: Conversation in the great room: Setting the […]
The last thing you want to do when you wake up on Christmas morning is cook. So make your breakfast the night before. How does egg, spinach, sausage and cheese sound? I’ve made this Christmas breakfast strata recipe a few times, […]
There’s something very Christmas-y about baking a loaf of pumpkin bread. It fills the house with the aroma of those winter-warm spices while it’s cooking, and afterwards, becomes the oh-I’ll-just-sneak-a-taste snack cake you just need to have lying around over […]
As you might expect, Samantha made out like a bandit. From Santa: A teepee, a toy rocketship and some drawing pads. From Grammy and LeighLo: a toy piano, a microscope and doll clothes. From mom and dad: a game of […]
My husband, Greg, and I are co-founders of SCF, which chronicles what we eat, drink and grow as we raise our daughter on a tiny plot of land in the Lower Hudson Valley.
