tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2220417231447018942011-11-27T18:31:14.012-05:00don't forget love; it will bring all the madness you need to unfurl yourself across the universe. ~miraGretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-72888859078572398682010-11-21T20:33:00.000-05:002010-11-21T20:33:02.153-05:00

Hello friends.  Big announcement here......I'm moving!  No, I'm not moving my apartment or leaving the city, I'm moving my site.  I'll still be Don't Forget Love and I'll have all my old posts, but I'm now on the WordPress format.  I'm still figuring out that format, but I really like it so far.  So check me out!  DontForgetLove the WordPress way.  So please subscribe on that website and/or

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-47510584915240743602010-11-08T21:11:00.000-05:002010-11-08T21:11:29.708-05:00

Ok, so I know what you're thinking—can cookies really be both “yummy” and “healthy”?  Yes!!  I’ve finally found the intersection of yum and health, a veritable venn diagram of baking if you will. A few weeks ago we had a girls night and I wanted to make something that everyone could eat so I was searching for a gluten free recipe.  Oftentimes gluten free baking requires all sorts of special

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-3056138531892507832010-11-01T20:46:00.000-04:002010-11-01T20:46:17.928-04:00

 “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.” Dorothy Day I may have mentioned in past posts that my friend and roommate Heather has been preparing to leave NYC for the Peace Corps in Latin America (with a stop in her hometown of San Francisco).   A week ago, she left the city, a place where she has lived for the

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-41385984421095343872010-10-18T23:42:00.000-04:002010-10-18T23:42:56.302-04:00

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” Cesare Pavese “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-2099219353215256312010-09-01T19:39:00.000-04:002010-09-01T19:39:36.275-04:00

Although it is 90 degrees at 7:15pm, September is upon us.  I've had a wonderful summer, you won't find any complaints here--ok maybe I'll complain that it was really too hot and that I didn't get enough beach days, but other than that it was spectacular.  From short trips to Maine and Connecticut, to camping by the beach on Long Island, to spending time in my garden and my kitchen, it sure will

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-57459596807946451022010-08-08T14:35:00.000-04:002010-08-08T14:35:18.738-04:00

All at once August is upon us and I for one think it came sneakily.  Though this summer has been filled with long, hot, humid days, it still has passed away so quickly.  This morning I was feeling a little bit melancholy, maybe because the summer is starting to slip through my fingers, so I decided to cook myself out of the funk I was in.  August means zucchini season is here and although I

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-34501287627051829562010-07-19T22:01:00.000-04:002010-07-19T22:01:57.791-04:00

As I said in my last post, I recently traveled to Chicago, but before I was there I spent some time camping on Long Island.  Due to those trips, I was away from my garden for a while.  Luckily, my garden partner Tiffany can usually pick up the slack when I'm away (and vice versa).  On Saturday I made my way over to our garden, knowing Tiffany had been there while I was away.  As it was about 95

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-60249496532336478802010-07-13T22:23:00.000-04:002010-07-13T22:23:33.484-04:00

Hello!!  Summer is in full swing here in the Bronx and boy is it hot hot hot!  I was lucky enough to be traveling for work during the heat wave last week.  I spent some time in Chicago and since I was staying at a hotel, I got to enjoy the luxury of air conditioning!  I'm back in New York and it is slightly cooler than last week, but not by much.  When I was in O'Hare airport catching up with my

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-67084045992367412652010-06-21T22:02:00.000-04:002010-06-21T22:02:48.649-04:00

It's been hot in the city lately--I've been feeling like it's gotten too hot, too quickly.  As I write this, my computer is telling me the temperature in the Bronx is 81 degrees (at 10 pm)!!  Luckily, I have a summer escape only a few hours outside the city available to me at any time.  This past Saturday I was glad to take advantage of that luck and spent some time with my family in Connecticut.

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-83209066459438395772010-06-12T11:52:00.000-04:002010-06-12T11:52:25.803-04:00

Hello!  After a brief haitus, I'm back with good news.  I got a plot at the local community garden for the summer!  I've been busy busy lately on the weekend--first I took a trip to hike Mt. Washington, then I went to Maine for Memorial Day weekend.  But last weekend I spent some quality time in the garden.  I can't explain what a wonderful oasis Fordham Bedford Lotbusters is.  The garden is

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-74923847234369982472010-05-15T19:26:00.000-04:002010-05-15T19:26:05.130-04:00

You know those times when you are waiting for something and you have a few minutes to spare?  The other day, I was sitting around waiting for my yoga video to download (yogatoday.com if you are interested--great site!!)  and I was thinking about some wonderful people in my life who also have blog projects going on.  If you have a free moment--maybe you're waiting for your yoga video, maybe you're

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-69333094710609403782010-05-06T20:55:00.001-04:002010-05-06T20:56:18.055-04:00

I just spent a long weekend in Boston where I lived for a year.  It was really a fantastic little get away from New York.  I love this city, but sometimes it gets to you and even going to visit another city can be a relief.  I sort of decided that you can have a somewhat better quality of life in Boston, but New York is a more interesting city to live in.  So for now I guess I'm choosing the

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-52322079708442021122010-04-12T20:19:00.001-04:002010-04-12T20:21:00.896-04:00

Here I am!  It's been far too long since I've posted but I blame that on the absurdly warm weather New York has been having and my recent birthday festivities.  I've still been here, cooking and reading and crafting.  The temperatures here have finally fallen back within the normal springtime range and it seems like a perfect time for a carrot soup.  Ok, I sort of made that up--I don't really

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-57421402323280435772010-03-22T20:49:00.000-04:002010-03-22T20:49:37.109-04:00

Saturday was the first official day of Spring!  Here in New York we've already had a healthy dose of sunshine and blue skies over the past week, but it is nice to make it official.  Alas, my daffodils have died, but I did notice some beautiful purple and yellow crocus popping up in the neighborhood. Since I starting writing in the Fall, I've mostly been writing about cold weather recipes--hot

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-44919264808491867212010-03-09T22:01:00.001-05:002010-03-09T22:01:45.986-05:00

Daffodils I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,  When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;  Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.  Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay:  Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-18773636022320748222010-02-28T16:46:00.001-05:002010-02-28T16:47:02.642-05:00

Technically this recipe is not called Snow Day cookies--but that is how I will always think of them.  I had a snow day Friday.  Yes, that's right, a snow day!  I slept in a little bit, made these cookies, some soup and then watched a great movie, it was lovely.  I'd definitely been itching to make these cookies for a while now and I'm glad I did.  Not only are they very good, but they are also

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-65919419771020082952010-02-21T19:12:00.000-05:002010-03-19T17:24:10.190-04:00

"Life is partly what we make it and partly it is made by the friends we choose." I had a fabulous time in Cincinnati.  Although the last leg consisted of canceled flights, plane de-icing, and taking a train instead of a plane at one point, I refuse to let the craziness of the journey home color the wonderful extended weekend I had.  What a joy to spend time with Carin, Chris, her parents, and

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-34021916448310265272010-02-08T20:23:00.001-05:002010-02-08T20:26:16.315-05:00

Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again.  ~Dorthy Day Almost two years ago, back in February of 2008, I took a trip to visit a friend living in St. Louis.  It was wonderful to visit Carin because I got to explore a wonderful mid western city I might never have seen otherwise, but I also enjoyed it because

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-74133109242035671412010-02-01T20:59:00.002-05:002010-02-08T19:11:27.283-05:00

(*Not my ideal boy.  My mother's ideal boy. ) Well, not even really my mother but rather the teenage version of my mother.  You see, the copy of The Catcher in the Rye that I have was actually my mom's copy when she was in high school.  That alone would make it special; however, it is practically invaluable to me because her personal notes and thoughts are penciled in it.  Yes, my mother

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-53812264635529664282010-01-23T14:19:00.001-05:002010-01-23T14:20:05.225-05:00

I love crafts!  I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about them.  Making bags is a relatively new endeavor of mine.  I was lucky enough to receive a lovely corduroy and suede handmade bag from my aunt for Christmas.  Right now I am in possession of 1.5 bags I made myself.  One of those I made by felting and the half-bag is an ongoing labor of love, but more on that later...... What

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-13764866974697006642010-01-07T21:46:00.000-05:002010-01-07T21:46:07.547-05:00

[Just wanted to say a hello to anyone new reading.  I'm excited to have new followers and appreciate you stopping by.  Feel free to comment and to forward posts along to friends!] I can actually remember the moment I stopped reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice when I had the first go around.  In middle school, upon learning that this novel was revered by so many readers I knew, I decided

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-43451741542146483642009-12-29T20:24:00.005-05:002009-12-30T16:21:16.226-05:00

As this year draws to a close, I can't help but pause to reflect on the ups and downs it has contained for me.  Echoing my first post here on this blog, it was the exploration of my hobbies/pastimes/loves that served to sweeten the pleasures of this year and temper the tough times for me.  Everything posted here (and much more!) has kept me sane and joy-filled.  I would never have survived the

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-63888006209964218992009-12-19T15:00:00.002-05:002009-12-19T15:22:28.245-05:00

I've been thinking about butter lately.  Well it IS the holidays after all!  Ok so maybe not everyone immediately thinks holidays=butter.  But then again, not everyone loves to bake.  Oh and some people bake with butter substitutes.  Not me, I absolutely love butter.  And I'm not talking land o' lakes butter--I mean good, yummy butter.  I love to use Kate's Homemade Butter because it's made with

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-48718100676335122392009-12-08T20:50:00.000-05:002009-12-08T20:50:21.213-05:00

It's that time again.  We are in the midst of Advent and Christmas is right around the corner.  I know there are many people who do not celebrate Christmas and many partake in a non-religious way and I am definitely respectful of that.  But I think everyone can agree that the essential, beautiful messages of Christmas are needed more now than they ever have been.  As our nation continues to

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-1584280681351660832009-12-02T20:29:00.000-05:002009-12-04T13:20:15.879-05:00

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving everyone!!  I hope yours was as relaxing as mine.  I enjoyed some time in Connecticut.  It was nice to be out of the city.  I never thought the suburbs were quiet until I lived in big cities.  Now every time I am getting ready for bed in the room I grew up in, the quiet is so pervasive it is almost difficult to sleep.  Over the holiday, I had the pleasure of

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-72370605327276933992009-11-13T14:14:00.001-05:002009-12-04T13:19:55.475-05:00

Sometimes, I time travel.  It’s no secret and it doesn’t involve any special ability.  I guarantee you do it too.  After all, how often do you find yourself—at work, on the train, out walking—and instead of being fully present where your feet are, your mind is moments, months, years behind or ahead of where you are in time. Last week, I finished The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-25226075092861193442009-11-06T14:14:00.002-05:002009-11-06T14:25:51.636-05:00

I don't know about you, but I had a fantastic Halloween.  We had lots of friends here with great costumes (my sister even made the trek from CT to join in on the fun).  We also had so much fantastic food!!  My roommates and I were planning and prepping for the day for so long, it is hard for me to believe it is over.  In the lead up to the big day, I got quite nostalgic for the Halloweens of my

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-26692781163573958852009-10-31T12:57:00.000-04:002009-11-06T14:19:38.791-05:00

Happy Halloween!  Today I am getting ready for my Halloween party.  I just finished up my costume and am about to embark on an afternoon of treat-making, but I wanted to write about something non-Halloween related.  It will be more fun to write about all my Halloween festivities once they have happened, so today is all about applesauce. I just love the abundance of apples during this time of the

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-55462450283268481432009-10-21T21:41:00.000-04:002009-11-06T14:19:27.175-05:00

One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if it goes awry; one of lessons is to grin and bear it if it cannot be fixed. --Julia Child Last night I finished Julia Child's book, My Life in France.  Whenever I mention the book, people first think of the movie Julie & Julia, but perhaps that is a shame.  While it is true that I did not know about Child's book before the movie,

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-42540458142464002862009-10-16T11:07:00.000-04:002009-10-16T11:07:21.319-04:00

On Sunday, the NY Times Magazine released its annual Food Issue.  I finally got around to reading some of the articles in the online version and I'm very glad that I did.  I wanted to post and comment on one of the articles that resonated with me.  It is not my intent to use this blog as a political platform or a clearinghouse of news articles, but since I love food and all that it's preparation

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-77209490444363296372009-10-13T11:31:00.000-04:002009-10-16T11:09:40.049-04:00

At the end of May when I found myself school-free, I started reading again.  What I mean is that instead of reading scholarly journal articles I began again to delve into books that I picked out personally.  In fact, I began consuming books at an increasingly rapid rate.  Recently, I started wondering if the reading style I picked up during grad school (skim skim skim in order to retain only the

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-66720593903479267002009-10-09T20:32:00.000-04:002009-10-09T20:34:50.772-04:00

The other day I was volunteering for my CSA (community supported agriculture) during pick-up time.  Being jobless these couple of months has afforded me the delightful opportunity to help almost every week in some way.  I have really enjoyed meeting new people and chatting about the beautiful produce.  I love being part of the CSA, not only because it supports the work of Norwich Meadows Farm and

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-57003709612465748552009-10-01T16:03:00.000-04:002009-10-07T00:13:00.365-04:00

Monday was Yom Kippur.  I don't know much about Judaism, but from friends who are Jewish I do know that the holiday is the holiest day of the year for Jews.  It means fasting from sundown of the night before to sundown the day of the holiday.  But it is more than just fasting--it is a day of atonement, of prayer and meditation about your sins against God.  I take that to mean you think about

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-82924463879904637082009-09-25T16:31:00.000-04:002009-10-07T00:09:02.445-04:00

 Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all. -Harriet Van Horne I do not have 101 cookbooks (yet).  But I love cookbooks, for so many reasons.  I love the enormous weight of possibility they carry.  I remember the Christmas my parents bought me Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook very vividly.  I spent the entire car ride to my Grandparent's house thumbing through

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222041723144701894.post-28359516450610182022009-09-23T12:12:00.000-04:002009-10-07T00:12:39.705-04:00

I came across the poet Mira in a book that I received as a gift from Liz, my boss at my second JVC placement (St. Stephen's).  The book is called Love Poems from God: Tweleve Sacred Voices from the East and West.  I thought the title was kind of funny at first.  Then I started reading the book and I immediately understood.  As the editor of the book (Daniel Ladinsky) writes, to dismiss the

Gretchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785336915059480942noreply@blogger.com0