

Jamaican Callaloo
I've been coming to Jamaica since 2001, when my friend Brenda Isaac invited me for the first time to her villa, Highland House. And this quiet retreat in the hills of Montego Bay has since drawn me back dozens of times. I was here when Florida held the country captive during the 2000 presidential election "hanging chads" recount debacle. I had my divorce papers faxed here back when I was married the first time. I've celebrated so many milestones here, licked my wounds after b


Eli's Pesto
The weird dreams come on like clockwork. But I don't always make the connection. I blame it on the spicy food I had for dinner the night before. Or hormones - because every woman my age blames everything on hormones. Then I start planning the meals. Charlie, the eldest, is the vegetarian so no meat. Cate loves pork chops and applesauce, so I go by the butcher to get the really good meat and start peeling apples. Eli -- the devilishly handsome middle child -- loves Caprese sa


Roasted Carrots
My mantra used to be "live-hard-play-hard." These days my mind space is "work-smart-live-well," marked by exercise, healthy foods and spending time with the ones I love. This weekend Jeff went out of town, and I found myself home alone spending time with the one I love the most: me. I didn't do much - and it was awesome. I watched my friend Anne Hubbell's Holocaust humor documentary "The Last Laugh," which I had missed both when it premiered here at the Atlanta Jewish Film Fe


Butter Braised Farmers Market Vegetables
Traffic in Atlanta was bad enough before the president came to town to speak at the NRA convention. And it got me thinking as I navigate traffic. What if we cut one thing out of our day every day to avoid time spent in the car? I've long subscribed to Coco Chanel's less-is-more take on accessories, where you remove one thing before you walk out the door. So what if you take one thing off the calendar before you get in the car? Imagine how much more you could get done and how