She shuts the water off and reaches, fingers dripping, for the what isn't there. She thinks it will be wherever hers is -- above, to the right, on the wall, vertical, horizontal.  She glances around, takes a step back, and begins to form the question: "Where are the . . . ?"   I smile and hand her the tea towel that hangs on the drawer pull just by the door. A fleeting look of surprise until it registers that this is okay, too. It usually doesn't even start a conversation, even though it happens almost every time a guest washes her hands in my kitchen. This is fine by me: I didn't eliminate …

Like most Americans, I'd be ashamed to admit how many meals per week I eat in my car.  It's just too tempting when I'm rushing out the door hungry, late to a meeting, or simply in need of some peace and quiet. Luckily for me, there's been a recent resurgence in food trucks locally.  It's a great way for small businesses to promote their cuisine: a mobile retail space is cheaper and easier to maintain and can travel with the flow of customers -- to a business park during lunchtime, or near residential areas in the evening.  So you don't have to eat in your car -- you could take your meal to a …

My friend Rod, blogger extraordinaire, remembers opening a gift from his wife a few Christmases ago and "tearing up at the thoughtfulness of that present." Was it an engraved pocketwatch?  A book of poetry?  A family heirloom? Nope.  It was kitchen knives.  And to tell the truth, I was a bit misty myself as I read his wish that "she could take these knives back and give them to me all over again." There is no tool more delightful and useful to wield than a high-quality knife.  On the other hand, there is no experience more frustrating than, say, trying to mince an onion on a glass chopping …

For the average, mainstream Marylander, starting a home compost pile may sound ridiculously West Coast (or -- dare I utter the words today -- New England!) But once you get started, you'll be surprised at how amazingly easy it is, and by how many benefits it has to offer -- for the environment, your community and your own household. Step One: Get the Facts Basic: Composting is what nature does on its own, very efficiently and well. Take a walk in the forest and sift through the layers on the ground.  On top will be freshly-fallen leaves; below, leaves and twigs in various stages of decay; …

For the average, mainstream Marylander, starting a home compost pile may sound ridiculously West Coast (or -- dare I utter the words today -- New England!) But once you get started, you'll be surprised at how amazingly easy it is, and by how many benefits it has to offer -- for the environment, your community and your own household. Step One: Get the Facts Basic: Composting is what nature does on its own, very efficiently and well. Take a walk in the forest and sift through the layers on the ground.  On top will be freshly-fallen leaves; below, leaves and twigs in various stages of decay; …