I’m not really sure where to start. See, this is my inherent problem. A million things always seem to be whirling in my mind, and I can’t keep up with them, let alone prioritize which ones to focus on. A couple of things suddenly became quite clear in the last 12 hours.

The less serious, and kind of funny one, was the realization that I was actually correct is saying “c’est fin” in my last post. As I made my way up the Metro stairs in search of caramels, a conversation Isabella and I had at dinner one night popped into my head. Saying “je suis fin” is the incorrect way of saying “I’m done”—that actually means you’re dead. “C’est fin” is akin to saying “that’s it”. It can be used interchangeably, depending on the inflection in your voice at the end of the sentence—either saying it with a period at the end, or with a questioning tone, as a waiter will often ask when he sees you’ve finished eating.

I know, this doesn’t seem significant. I mean, who hasn’t stumbled in a foreign language? For me, this was a bit of a revelation. One of those lightbulb moments, where you say “aha!” to yourself. I knew all along the correct phrase to say, and doubted myself the rest of the day, feeling foolish, as if I’d made some colossal mistake. I profess that mistakes are a part of life, both to my children, and to the crowds of people that came out to support me the last six weeks. Like many others, though, I’m good at doling out wisdom, but not always capable of applying it to my own situation. Continue reading »

I’ve spent a lot of time talking lately about the nourishing power of cooking. I’m often on the giving end of that relationship, and it’s a role I cherish. Every now and then, though, it’s nice to step out from my usual position behind the stove, and simply be on the receiving end of a homemade meal. After six weeks of traveling to do publicity for the book, things winded down yesterday as I made my way home from Toronto. What an incredible bookend to what started here in NYC at the beginning of April.

Vittoria made her famous rice balls for my arrival in Canada. Nick contributed homemade dried sausage, as well as red and white wine—both homemade, to our dinner. Mary made the most perfect crostata with a jammy plum filling, and a crust that will haunt me until I have time to get into the kitchen and replicate it myself. Marisa made the main course, and what better way to make me feel welcome than with pizza? I felt so at home being with Marisa and her family, that I sat on the kitchen counter mere minutes after meeting her mom, Vittoria, so I could position myself just right to snap some shots of the incredible spread they had all prepared. Continue reading »

Years ago, when Isabella was a wee little one, we had a neighbor who insisted on counting her son’s age in months up until he was three. Mikey and I laughed so hard at the idea of that. Imagine someone asking how old your kid is, and replying 32 months. It just sounds odd, right? I’m guessing that mom’s rationale was wanting to hold onto her son being a baby as long as possible. I get it. Oh man, do I get it, especially these days. In just two weeks, my babies will turn five and ten. I feel like I blinked and life tapped me on the shoulder, then screamed SURPRISE!

This whole way of counting has been weighing on my mind a lot lately. People often refer to Mikey having died a year and a half ago, or almost two years ago. Me? I refer to it as what it is—20 months ago. Unlike my old neighbor who wanted to cherish her babies early years, I’m trying to stay close to Mikey. The more time that passes since his death signifies the growing distance between my old life and my new one. Continue reading »

From the get-go, I knew promoting a book would be more challenging than writing one. That theory is proving to be true. It’s not to say that publicity is more work, it’s just that it’s a different kind of work, and one with which I’m trying to find a comfort-level. I’m incredibly shy, and don’t like talking about myself, which I realize sounds odd to say for someone who has shared so much of her life in a public manner. Sitting behind a screen, clacking away at a keyboard, it is easy to feel anonymous, when the reality is so far from that. Continue reading »

I spent 12 hours traveling home today. No, I didn’t go to Paris. Nor did I venture to the west coast. I was simply trying to get back to NYC from Chicago. The details of my travel aren’t important, though if you follow me on twitter, you likely saw my heated exchange with American Airlines.

And now here I am at my laptop, clacking away when I should be going to bed. Alas, sleep will have to wait until mid-May when the book publicity settles down. But I had to pop in here and share something. Before coming upstairs to my office to start the night shift, I made a blueberry spritzer. I had some blueberry syrup in the fridge from this event last week, and simply mixed it with some Pellegrino. As I took the last sip and looked down in my glass, six tiny wild blueberries had settled to the bottom of it, all in a row, forming a smile. At that moment, my cup wasn’t half empty or full. It was simply smiling at me, reminding me that happiness is a choice as long as you keep yourself focused on it at all times.

I’m adding a few links for your reading and viewing pleasure below. Hope everyone is having a great week, and be back in a bit. À bientôt.

Music Pairing: The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) by Simon & Garfunkel

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My cooking segment on Good Day Chicago.

A peek into the NYC launch event for Homemade with Love.

Some reviews of Homemade with Love from Edible Brooklyn and The Washington Post. Plus a few of my friends hosted a virtual potluck this week to celebrate the book’s publication. Go see what Gina, Ilina, Jodi, Amy, and Kim cooked from the book.  I’ve also started a Pinterest board to gather all the reviews of the book in one place.

p.s. if you ever find yourself traveling with the kids to Chicago, or just want the ability to cook a meal in your hotel room, I highly recommend the Residence Inn on East Walton Place. The suite didn’t break the bank, and the staff was incredible.

The moment I walked out of my therapist’s office and felt the sun glistening on my face, I knew I was in trouble. My needs are simple, yet they often feel complicated. A day spent meandering, somewhat aimlessly, with the sun’s glow warming me, is my idea of a perfect one. It’s also akin to mental quicksand, distracting me from the planned goals at hand. Such is the quandary I found myself in this morning. I wandered into Washington Square Park, intending to just cut through on my way to Soho. The stillness of the park, combined with a clear, blue day were too potent. I found myself gravitating to a park bench, and settled into a phone call with a friend. Continue reading »

In the midst of running errands yesterday, I swung by my local Barnes & Noble, and there before my very eyes was Homemade with Love displayed in the window. Even though it shouldn’t have taken me by surprise, I still had to blink a few times to believe what I saw. It sounds silly to say, considering it’s been in other people’s homes for two weeks now, but this was my first time seeing it displayed in person.

So many of my hopes and dreams are laced throughout the pages of Homemade with Love. It’s funny how life seems to operate in both slow motion and warp speed simultaneously. It feels like just yesterday that I was a 24-year-old, reading an article Mikey gave me about becoming a personal chef in Newsweek—and yet, it was 15 years ago.

Next week begins the busyness of publicity for the book. I mentioned some book signing information in my last post, and have two more updates—Chicago and Canada, here I come! I’m working on Boston and New Jersey, just bear with me, as it’s a lot trying to manage childcare these days, especially the overnights. Thankfully, my auntie is coming up from Florida to lend a hand, and we seem to have finally found a wonderful new babysitter too. Continue reading »

Well folks, it really is official. Homemade with Love has made landfall, and the messages, tweets, and photos on instagram have nourished me more than you can possibly understand. Even though I often feel lonely these days, and gearing up for the book tour is filled with some anxiety as I take a few more steps on my own in the world, the truth is I’m never as alone as I sometimes feel. Thank you for welcoming me into your hearts and homes.

Here’s a peek at signings that have been confirmed so you can mark your calendars. I’ll be in Chicago and Canada too, and will be sure to share information on signings there once dates have been finalized. In the meantime, if you’re in NYC, North Carolina or San Francisco, gather a group of friends, and come support these local bookstores that are so graciously supporting me.

NYC

Saturday, April 13th 7:00pm—BookCourt 163 Court Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY.

North Carolina

Friday, April 19th 7:30pm—Quail Ridge Books & Music 3522 Wade Avenue in Raleigh, NC.

San Francisco

Tuesday, April 30th 6:00pm—Omnivore Books 3885a Cesar Chavez Street in San Francisco, CA.

Another fun bit of news I’d like to share is the launch of a fun, new sweepstakes for Glad Food Storage. Starting today though April 25^th, you can share photos of your homemade packed lunches, or pictures of ones that inspire you to pack your own, on your Pinterest page for a chance to win all sorts of great prizes every week over the next five weeks. The photo you see above is a standard airplane meal for me. I’ve signed on as a spokesperson for Glad, so be sure to check my Pinterest page too, to get more ideas for Inspired Lunches as part of Glad’s campaign. My relationship with Glad goes back a few years. Ever since I found out they’re a corporate sponsor for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, I’ve been a loyal customer. You can find out the full contest details here.

Okay, that’s it for now. There’s lots more to share but my head is in the clouds right now—literally, I’m on my long journey home from Agadir, Morocco. Hope everyone’s week is off to a good start.

xo—Jennie

All I seem to be doing today is counting the hours until I can retire to my jammies, and curl up on the couch for pizza and a movie with the kids. I had hoped to share some details about a project I’m working on with Kidzvuz. Rebecca, one of the founders, is a long-lost sister of sorts, and I’m really excited to collaborate with her and Nancy finally. I will be back with the goods on it all next week. Continue reading »