Always Take the Matches

 The other night I reached for some matches in the kitchen, and realized that our match bowl was in serious need of an edit. What if all of our beloved Gino's matches got used up? (It closed last year.) I spent a couple of minutes sorting through them, and putting the most special ones at the bottom (it's not like we use matches except to re-light our stove, honestly), and had a little transporting moment with each one.

  think this was from a strip joint Matt went to when he had a 12 hour layover in Anchorage. I just like the name.

 Spent many a Conde Nast dollar here. and came here the night that they folded Cookie.

 I feel the most grown up whenever I walk into this place. but also imagine the fraud squad is going to whisk me away at any moment.

Always walked by it in my early 20s, finally got to go there in my late 20s. Still my special occasion restaurant.

(p.s.  if you're wondering why the pictures changed in this post, it's because my husband is a secret art director.)

Travel Inspiration

I haven't been on a plane since we went to Paris over Thanksgiving, and I'm starting to get a little antsy. However, I also have to stay glued to my computer as I am working on a website launch, which should happen any week now. So for the next couple of posts, I'm going to post about the things that give me a little feeling of being away.

I found these little books in a flea market.

Vintage Travel Book Find

Whenever I'm in upstate New York, I always hit the Salvation Army, used bookstores, and garage sales, and I usually have really good luck finding all sorts of treasures. Recently I found this series called the Let's Travel Books , and picked up books on India, France, and England (each for $1). Even if they're dated (published in the 60's) they are still great introductions to the countries, and easy to look at with your kids--either just checking out the pictures, or reading all the way through. 

The Good Old Days

How cool is this book?  Matt found this for me a while back, and it makes me so happy whenever I look at it.  I love the drawings and the concept. Somebody please re-print this (it's from 1962)...

Cookbooks That Inspire Travel

(above, some of our collection)

I've bought books on amazon.co.uk in the past, so I get emails when new cookbooks come out. Usually I can't stand getting emails from anyone trying to sell me anything, but I like getting these, because they are always books or chefs I haven't necessarily heard of, and I'm always so pleased with whatever I order.  I just saw that Jamie Oliver is coming out with a book on April 15, inspired by his travels in Europe. I really love Jamie Oliver (who doesn't?) and I like the way he approaches travel (his magazine showcases alot of it), so I bet it will be good.  

Here are some of my favorites that I learned about from the UK site, but are now on Amazon in the States, so you don't have to worry about expensive shipping charges...

Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros (Greece, Finland)

Kitchen of Light by Andreas Viestad (Scandinavia)(this has inspired a trip to Norway, hopefully this summer!)

Beaneaters and Bread Soup by Lori di Mori (Tuscany) (this showcases all these different farmers, restauranteurs, and artisans, and we used it as a guide when we were there)

French Feasts by Stephane Reynaud (Actually, I like every book by him!) 

Armchair Traveler: Families of the World DVDs

We all love this series in our house.  Each dvd takes two kids and their families, one from the countryside, and one from a city, and follows them for a day, from the moment they wake up until they go to bed.  We've watched the one from Russia, and learned that city kids there drink milky coffee for breakfast, and that kids in Japan have fantastic school lunches.  There are over 20 of these dvds (from Ghana to Sweden), and really, they are a perfect way to expose your kids to other cultures, in a way you'd never  be able to, even if you travelled there.