Have you seen the new Pinata apples at your local market? I did, just the other day, at my local Trader Joe’s (see photo below).

Recently I was contacted by the producer of this apple, the Stemilt Company asking if I’d like to sample them. I said “sure.”  A week later a small package arrived containing two of these tasty apples.

I suppose we could ask – do we really need yet another apple variety to choose from? Well, we can hardly have too many, right? I don’t buy Red Delicious anymore – in fact I don’t know that they ever come to market any longer. So many tasty varieties have been developed (like Braeburn, Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji) that far surpass the flavor and shelf life of Red Delicious. A couple of years ago I did a long write-up here on my blog about apples, if you’re interested.

What I buy are Granny Smiths for cooking, when I want the apples to stay in their shape, and the other varieties I buy for an eating apple – one that’s crispy and sweet.

At right is a photo I snapped with my iPhone at Trader Joe’s last week – the Pinata apples were 59¢ each. They will be available starting next month at most grocery stores.

Pinatas have an interesting heirloom parentage – it’s a cross between Golden Delicious (a truly American apple), Cox’s Orange Pippin (an English variety), and the Duchess of Oldenburg (from Russia). The apple was developed in Germany about a decade ago and was transplanted to the U.S. 6-7 years ago. The trees must now be bearing enough fruit for nationwide distribution. They’re grown in central/eastern Washington State. Good, solid apple country! We liked them. They have the flavor of the golden delicious, but the crisp texture of a pippin. The ones we sampled were just a slight bit on the tart side of sweet – if a scale existed from 1 to 5 of sweetness of this crispy sweet apple, it would be on the lower side. The Honeycrisp would be a 5. I didn’t try cooking with them – they were eaten out of hand. I’ll try more of them, though. See what you think.

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For the last several years I’ve created a list, in January, of all my favorite recipes I’ve posted during the last 12 months. It’s really quite easy to do since I keep a list of my posts and they get highlighted as the year goes by. I wasn’t sure I’d have enough for 2011, but not so – I have more than I’ve had in some years. That was a surprise. I’ve ended up with about 19. That’s about 1 1/2 per month. As I looked back through the list I tried to delete a few from this list, but just couldn’t. They’re all just too good to not include. They’ve all been added to my Carolyn’s Favs list you can access on my home page (just under my main blog photo, a file tab far right). So here goes (kind of in a category order):

Beef Burgers with Bacon, Thyme and Wine Sauce on a Spinach Bed – a recipe I created myself – the sauce from an old Julia Child standby, the bacon inside the burger to add flavor and juiciness, the bed of spinach on the bottom to round out the meal.

Easy Cassoulet – oh my goodness, do I love this dish. Cassoulet is a French peasant dish, but this version is easy, has chicken (instead of duck), pork and sausage in it. Part of the deliciousness comes from the crunchy fresh bread topping. Make lots so you can freeze some.

Have you always wanted to make THE perfect baked chicken? You’ve found it here, with this Cook’s Illustrated recipe for Weeknight Roast Chicken. Requires just a little bit more time, but uses a different method. The juiciest chicken you’ll ever eat. Promise.

Really, I love Ina Garten’s recipes. And this Weeknight Bolognese is a blue-ribbon winner in my book. I’ve made this at least 7-8 times in 2011, and I make it in big quantities so I’ll have some to freeze in 2-person portions (without the pasta, of course). So worth making.

This risotto – oh gosh – is so delicious. I really think I could make this entrée for my own dinner about every two weeks for the rest of my life. A Phillis Carey recipe, called Risotto with Turkey Sausage, Corn, Leeks, Fresh Spinach and Tomatoes. It’s chock full of vegetables too.

There are days when I think I could live as a vegetarian, if I had some of these side dishes (here and below) to eat every day. Like this delicious Haricot Verts with Balsamic Vinaigrette. But then, if I were a vegetarian I’d have to give up turkey sausage. And grilled steak. And roast chicken. Nope, can’t do that!

Regular, ordinary cole slaw just doesn’t hold a candle to the couple of recipes here on my blog. It’s obvious I just don’t like those mayo-based dressings. Period. If that’s you too, then try this Sweet Cabbage Slaw (I made it with Splenda so my diabetic hubby could have all he wanted). And it’s not that sweet.

This rice and veggie salad has been a staple in my summer grilling rotation for years. And it’s the Silver Palate Vinaigrette that “makes” it. So really, this 2011 favorite is about both – the salad – Rice and Vegetable Salad – and the vinaigrette dressing – the Silver Palate’s one. They’re both in the same recipe/post.

One of my favorite veggies is yellow crookneck squash. More so in the summer when the squash is at its prime sweetness. This casserole is just full of flavor – Summer Squash Casserole with Jalapeno and Cheese.  You could make it with zucchini too, I’m sure. But it’s really great with the yellow squash.

This brunch dish – Corn, Bacon and Cheddar Strata – will just blow your socks off. At least it does for me. Nothing low calorie about it, but you could try smaller portions and it wouldn’t be quite so decadent! It’s the bacon that adds fat. But there’s also lots of carbs (corn and bread slices). But it’s sensational.

It’s no secret around my house that I’m a nut for soups. I make them year ‘round. This one I made when we were visiting our Northern California kids and grandkids. A great way to use up some leftover pork roast, if you happen to have some. It’s called Pork and Hominy Stew, but it’s really a type of Posole, the Mexican hominy soup. Just add toppings of your choice (I used avocado, cilantro and sliced radishes). Even our teenage grandkids liked this soup.

I’ve been on a mission for some years trying to find a great vegetable soup that satisfies me. That isn’t bland, or too heavy with carbs. I’ve found it, and since trying it just a couple of months ago, I’ve made it three times. It does contain some carbs (and you could add more if you want them) but mostly it’s all kinds of good-for-you veggies. Part of its secret is porcini mushroom powder (you grind up the dried ones in a blender or spice grinder) which adds great flavor to the liquid in the soup. It’s a Cook’s Illustrated recipe (from a recent issue) and it’s called Farmhouse Vegetable Soup.

This is the dressing (turkey stuffing, but not stuffed into the bird) that I made this last Thanksgiving. And I suspect it will be my be-all, end-all dressing for years to come. It’s a very veggie-rich mixture (many more veggies than standard in most dressings). It also contains Italian sausage, but the flavor comes from the multitude of mushrooms and leeks in it too. It’s called Italian Sausage Dressing with Leeks and Mushrooms. It’s a Phillis Carey recipe.

As I’ve been compiling these recipes I’m laughing at myself – I have three desserts with apples. I guess I really do love them, huh? This one, Ginger Apple Cake Torte is worth making. A winner of an online contest at Food52, a food blog written by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. The two women wrote my latest favorite cookbook, The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century.

Do note, those of you who know me well, that there is only ONE chocolate recipe in this list. Amazing, really. Apples must be my dessert of choice this year! Yet, these brownies are so good, so rich, so decadent. You’ll be very glad to have made them. Chocolate Chunk Brownies are a must-make.

If you’ve been a regular reader of my blog, you know that last year I wrote up this post and this other post about how much fun I had reading the The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century. I’m still tremendously impressed with the cooking marathon performed by the authors (Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs) to compile the jillion recipes in the cookbook. They tested every single recipe, some more than once. And one of the most requested recipes is this one, Teddie’s Apple Cake. Oh so very worth making. And not difficult, either.

On the coattails of the apple cake above, this recipe, the Purple Plum Torte, is THE #1 most requested recipe at the New York Times. And it’s SO easy. Trust me. You just need to have plums in season. This also comes from the The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century.

As I’m writing this, I just made this Classic Gingerbread a few days ago. Again. I didn’t make the Pumpkin Spice Gingerbread Trifle with it, that was also delicious, but I made it just for a family gathering and topped it with some vanilla ice cream. And I snuck a little piece of it yesterday with my lunch. The best gingerbread I’ve ever had – tender, flavorful and packed with spices. After having this version of gingerbread, I can just about guarantee you’ll never try another recipe.

And lastly, here’s the last apple dessert of 2011. A Cajun Apple Cake with Brandy Drizzle. It’s the drizzle that makes it. Not for tea-totalers. A tender cake filled with chunks of apple and lots of spices, then topped with nuts and the boozy sauce. Another great Phillis Carey recipe.

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Dear Santa,

I guess I need some more toys this Christmas. My mom says she’s tired of me using all her cooking utensils as toys.

Taylor, age 6

Dear Santa,

OK, are you for real?

My little sister believes you are, but she’ll believe just about anything.

Sincerely, Ted, age 8

Hi Santa,

I have a question for you: What do you think of the Tooth Fairy? Are you guys friends? Or is she The Competition?

Belle, age 13

Quotes are from Dear Santa: Kids’ Letters to Ol’ St. Nick, a darling little 2008 Hallmark book of letters to Santa from children. There are even a few postcards in the back to have your own child or grandchildren write a note to Santa. Sorry, but the book isn’t available anywhere that I can find, including Hallmark’s website. I hope all of you have a very blessed Christmas, surrounded by friends and family.

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Sometimes when I fly somewhere, I buy the latest Reader’s Digest. It’s small, will fit in my purse, easily fits in the seat-back pocket once I’m seated, and I can read it on board, during the times that I’m not allowed to use my Kindle. And I always find some interesting stories in it. The most recent issue I bought on our trip a few months ago had one really interesting article in it about germs. Not exactly a fun subject to read about, but I learned a thing or two. So even though you, my readers, follow my postings mostly for food and books, today I bring you grim news about germs.

According to this article, written by Chris Woolston, here are the worst culprits:

(1) Kitchen Sponges and Dishrags: those sponges we use in our kitchen sinks carry more germs than a toilet bowl. [gag] Up to 7% of sponges and dishrags harbored methicillin-resistant staph (the MRSA kind), aka the flesh eating bacteria. What to do? Sanitize your sponge in the dishwasher whenever you run it – or microwave it (wet it first) every single day. I think I read somewhere that it only takes 30-40 seconds on high to clean it well. You want it to get so hot you can’t touch it until it cools off a little. It steams up the inside of my microwave.

(2) Kitchen Sinks, Toothbrush Holders and Countertops: Make sure to clean them regularly as they are bacterial hot spots. Use a diluted bleach mixture (1 T. to a quart of water) for sinks and counters. Run the toothbrush holder through the dishwasher once or twice a WEEK (yikes), or wash it by hand in hot soapy water, then give it a once-over with a disinfecting throwaway wipe.

(3) Bathroom Faucets, TV Remotes, Refrigerator Handles and Doorknobs: Cold viruses linger as long as 24 hours on these surfaces – flu viruses even longer. Clean these frequently used surfaces.

(4) Public “Touch Spots” (think ATM keypads): British researchers discovered that same staph (MRSA) bacteria on 95% of the spots they swabbed in central London.

(5) Shopping Carts: in a recent study E. coli or similar bacteria on no more than 70% of shopping carts in 4 states. The researcher said “Packages of meat tend to leak.” Babies put their bottoms in those front baskets – right where we might put the broccoli. Their rule: if it’s something you might eat raw, don’t put it in the top part of the cart. [I’ve been using those wipes on every grocery cart since I read this, honest, I have, and today I even used it to wipe down the baby-bottom sitting area, though I didn’t put anything raw in that area.]

The bottom line: wash our hands often and well – including lots of soap. Rub and scrub for at least 20 seconds. I scrub my hands and with soap, but gosh, I sure don’t do it for 20 seconds. I’ll be better, I promise!

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Awhile ago a friend told me to read the book The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel by Nicole Mones (who also wrote Lost in Translation).

I promptly visited the bookstore and bought a hard copy. Usually I read books on my Kindle, but this time, since it was about cooking, I assumed I might want the actual book in hand. It’s been on my bedside table for a couple of months and I’d just had too many other books to read first. When I started reading this one, though, a day or two ago, I could hardy put it down.

The book was enchanting. And I know next to nothing about Chinese cooking. I used to eat Chinese with some regularity. BUT. Then I married a diabetic, and we did eat Chinese food occasionally, but once the medical world figured out that counting carbs in a meal was what spelled the secret to diabetic control, well, going to Chinese restaurants became a very risky proposition. When I cook anything Asian at home I have to put the recipe into my MasterCook program and guesstimate how large a serving he will have so I can tell him how many carbs he’s eating. And it’s never precise unless you literally measure out each serving.

We live in an area where there are some well-renowned Chinese restaurants (in the San Gabriel Valley mostly, east of downtown Los Angeles, about 40 miles north of where we live). I’ve never been to any of them. I’d like to. But it would be difficult for my DH as no waiter can ever tell him how many carbs are in  any meal we eat out, Chinese or any other food for that matter. It’s always a guessing game.

All that said, what it means is that I don’t know much about Chinese cuisine, other than a few very lame Chinese-American dishes that I make now and then. What makes it hard is the use of unusual sauces and additions. If it’s just meat and veggies – no problem. But usually there’s a sauce involved, as with most other Asian cuisines.. Many of the contain sugar – like oyster sauce, or kung pao sauce, etc. Very unpredictable, is what it is!  Sometimes I go out for Thai when my DH is away for an evening. I relish the opportunity.

THE BOOK: So, when I started to read this book, I was mesmerized right away by it. It IS a novel; but you get engrossed in the story almost immediately. A middle-aged woman finds out a year after her husband’s sudden death (from an accident) that a woman in China claims her daughter is her husband’s, conceived from a one-night-stand some years before. A claim is made against the husband’s estate (because he worked on occasional for a few weeks at a time in China). The couple was childless, supposedly a mutual decision between husband-wife. The news is devastating to the widow, who begins to question everything she ever thought she had in her marriage. She goes to China to find out the truth, and also goes there with a purpose (she’s a writer) to follow a Chinese-American chef who is competing in a nationwide culinary competition.

Part of the book is about her determining the truth (through DNA), and part of the book is about this Chinese-American chef in the competition. He speaks English, since he grew up in America, yet he has a strong Chinese culinary heritage (supposedly the grandson of a very famous Imperial Dynasty chef – before the Cultural Revolution). An attraction develops between these two people, yet the story is studded with interesting facts and quotations from the (fictitious) book written by the grandfather, this dynastic chef. Visits to Chinese family ensue, frantic cooking takes place prior to the competition, and in between encounters with the chef and his family, the widow makes her way around discovering facts about her husband’s affair.

What I learned by reading this book was all about the symbolism in Chinese cooking. About how every dish allows the soul to shine through. Quotes (supposedly from the cookbook/book written by the grandfather) scatter throughout, and some famous (real) Chinese poetry too. The quote I liked the best is this from the fictitious book:

The major cuisines of China were brought into being for different purposes, and for different kinds of diners. Beijing food was the cuisine of officials and rulers, up to the Emperor. Shanghai food was created for the wealthy traders and merchants. From Sichuan came the food of the common people, for as we all know, some of the best-known Sichuan dishes originated in street stalls. Then there is Hangzhou, whence came the cuisine of the literati. This is food that takes poetry as its principal inspiration. From commemorating great poems of the past to dining on candlelit barges afloat upon the West Lake where wine is drunk and new poems are created. Hangzhou cuisine strives always to delight men of letters. The aesthetic symmetry between food and literature is a pattern without end. . . . . Liang Wei, The Last Chinese Chef

But remember, this is a work of fiction. As I read the quotes/anchors at the beginning of each chapter (all from this fictitious book written by the grandfather) I was quite charmed by the writer’s (Nicole Mones) creativity. I was so prepared to believe what this Imperial chef had written. His mantras. His lessons regarding his country’s cuisine. In the end, it’s a bit of a love story too. Beautifully written and crafted. Even if you don’t have a lot of interest in Chinese cooking, I think you’ll find this book very enlightening. Very educational without feeling like it is, and immensely entertaining.

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Sometimes in years past I’ve just cut and pasted a long, long post I did some years ago with a listing of lots of different Thanksgiving choices  you could make from recipes on my blog. Since many of you have looked at that more than once, I thought I shouldn’t do it again this year. If you want ideas, though, go to THIS POST to read about it. Last Thanksgiving my DH had just gotten out of the hospital following heart bypass surgery. We didn’t celebrate very much, although we had family who brought us food. We’re thankful my DH is doing just fine one year later!

This year we’re reverting to our usual Thanksgiving – we’re going to our house in Palm Desert – and some of our family will be there – two of our children and their families – for the full 4 days. We’ll have good friends of ours come for the day, too, Joan & Tom. And we signed up to include two Marines from a local military base in Twenty-Nine Palms, to have dinner with us as well. We don’t know them – they’ll be bussed to our residential development in the late morning on Thanksgiving Day and we return them to the bus at 5:30 with a couple of turkey sandwiches in hand for them to eat for their dinner.

What am I making this year?

My usual cranberry relish. That I make every year. Every single year.

A new turkey recipe this time – posted today also – a Pancetta, Sage and Rosemary (basted) Turkey. I’ll also prepare a spatchcocked turkey (a second turkey – cut in half to flatten out so it will cook in a reasonable time) to do on our barbecue grill. Our two turkeys are about 13 pounds each. One definitely isn’t enough to feed 13 people with leftovers.

The new Italian Sausage Dressing with Leeks and Mushrooms I posted a few days ago. Along with the delicious pancetta Turkey Gravy to go with it.

I’ll prepare one of my make-ahead mashed potato dishes in the crockpot (you can make it ahead that morning, as long as you use something like cream cheese or mascarpone mixed into it – then just put it in the crockpot on the lowest setting).

We’ll have pumpkin pie from Costco (just way too good and so easy) and two additional pies I ordered from our granddaughter for a school fundraising thing – an apple crumb and a sugar-free peach for my DH. Although he may well eat the pumpkin anyway. With plenty of whipped real cream to go on top. Maybe some vanilla ice cream for the apple crumb pie.

My friend Joan is bringing a salad of some kind. We may not have any rolls or bread – who needs it when you’ve got a bread dressing and mashed potatoes! Some years I don’t make an appetizer either – it’s just overkill. Maybe we’ll set out some nuts. And we’ll have several bottles of white and red wine. Probably some champagne too. And coffee. Maybe a little swig of Port or Madeira. Or not since we may all be too full. And turkey sandwiches later on in the evening and more pumpkin pie. We have several pumpkin-pie-lovers in our family (me included), so two 12-inch Costco pumpkin pies will barely make it through the day and evening. For the sandwiches – mostly I buy the wheat grain bread from Corner Bakery these days – it’s just so tasty. I think that will make great turkey sandwiches for everyone – with a bit of the cranberry relish to slather on the sandwich as well. With Best Foods Mayo, full fat. And leaf lettuce or even head lettuce.

From that groaning Thanksgiving menu, my plate will contain turkey dark meat, lots of dressing and gravy (those two almost my favorite part), the cranberry relish, a small scoop of mashed potatoes and some salad. And pumpkin pie. And in the evening probably a half a turkey sandwich and another slice of pie. And coffee. I shudder to think how many calories that is. I don’t want to know.

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Most likely half of you already get Costco’s little magazine. If you haven’t noticed, they’ve really upped the ante with the magazine – it’s very informative these days, and I do look through it from cover to cover.

The most current issue shows a photo of Chris Kimball (from Cook’s Illustrated in Boston). They interviewed him, and he talked about how the magazine (meaning the test kitchen) buys lots of things from Costco, and he’s a frequent shopper there too. Also contained in the issue was a one-page article about pumpkin pie. Their pumpkin pie.

So, here are the Costco pumpkin pie facts – per year:

• They make 4.7 MILLION pumpkin pies
• They use 6.3 MILLION pounds of canned pumpkin (in #10 cans – each can holds about a quart of pumpkin puree)
• About 4.8 MILLION pounds of sugar and spices are used
• About 2 MILLION pounds of fresh whole eggs go into them

All of the pumpkins are grown and harvested in a 700-acre area near Peoria, Illinois. About 174 truck loads of pumpkins are locally processed into the 1 million #10 cans. Those cans are shipped to all the Costco bakeries across the country. Costco made their first pumpkin pie in 1987 and sold it for $5.99. In 1993 (that’s 18 years ago!) they increased the size of the pie to 12”, but left the price the same. Yea for Costco! And did you know or ever notice that each pie weighs about 3 1/2 POUNDS! Costco pumpkin pies are just as good as I can make them, I think. You’ve read it here before, that I buy their pies every year now and I measure it up against the standard Libby’s, and I think it is right up there. Maybe not the pie crust, but the pie filling for sure.

Below is a picture of the ingredient label on Costco’s pumpkin pie. It says it contains: pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, ferrous sulfate, niacin, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), canola and/or soybean oil, nonfat milk, corn syrup, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, spices, corn sugar, mono & diglycerides, modified food starch. And down below it says that yes, the pies are produced in a kitchen that also processes peanuts and tree nuts. So not safe for people with nut allergies. Picture of the label – taken November, 2017.

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After nearly three weeks on the road, we’re just so happy to be back home.

My frustration with blogging from my iPad is significant. I have no clue why I could not upload photos (except a couple at the beginning of our trip). Only thing I can conclude is that the hotel/b&b/inn wi-fi’s I used just didn’t have enough bandwidth to up the photos to my website. But it’s extremely frustrating. I never had trouble with that when I was using my mini-laptop (Windows based). I know, you readers probably don’t care a whit about my upload difficulties, so sorry to bore you with this part. I was so hoping that on future travels I’d be able to do everything I want to do with my iPad which will fit in my purse. It requires very little equipment to go along with, too.

My DH and I had numerous frustrations with some of the places we stayed on this trip. (Sorry, you’re going to have to listen to a couple of rants). I’ve always preferred inns or B&B’s when we travel. I like the ambiance of them. The quaint rooms, the nice, wholesome breakfasts. The conversation and advice from innkeepers. And I try to book B&Bs where the room is on the ground floor. Alas, I couldn’t get ground floor rooms in nearly all the places we stayed on this trip. It’s no fun lugging suitcases up a flight or two of stairs. With my DH’s prosthetic legs, it’s sometimes a real trial for him. He rarely complains about it, though. My suitcase is always heavier than his – I usually take more clothes than he does, although we travel quite light by standards of some people. I take care of my own bag – ever since he lost his legs I’ve taken charge of my own bags. But I have to bring my good DSLR camera (heavy, awkward sometimes), the battery charger for the camera, numerous charging cables/cords for our variety of electronic devices as well. Then there’s my hair dryer and curling iron and cosmetic stuff. My Kindle. My iPod too. So I take a suitcase and a rollaboard (small, very small, in the shape of a large, deep briefcase) that will sit on top of the suitcase to flit around airports or into and out of the inns, etc.

But once we’ve checked into a place to stay, I’m peeved too often when I can’t find a plug to charge these darned things. My iPhone requires a couple of hours to charge. So does my DH’s. My Kindle only needed charging a few times on the trip. But my iPad required charging at least every night or two since I used it for reading Kindle books. In numerous places we stayed, the only plug available was in the bathroom, and sometimes one of the two receptacles were permanently wired for – say, a coffeepot, or a refrigerator. So that meant we really had just one plug to charge things. Many times I was down on my hands and knees trying to FIND another plug somewhere. Forget about it if it’s behind the bed, or a dresser. I’m not moving furniture to find a plug. I was also concerned about leaving my electronics in some rooms while we went out to dinner. I did do it several times, and always returned to the room and immediately checked to make sure my iPad was still there. Or my  camera. Mostly I left the camera in the car, hidden as best I could under the driver’s seat. Not altogether smart, but necessary. We also had a brand new Garmin Nuvi 2350 GPS we took along (it was a lifesaver, I must admit, on numerous occasions), which required slipping it into a hidey-hole in the car throughout the trip. Fortunately, it charged in the car through the cigarette lighter. But that meant I couldn’t charge my iPhone there, even though I brought along the adapter for it.

I’m sure the economy has had some bearing on this next subject: uncomfortable hotel beds. I must be more particular than a lot of people because my back just isn’t very happy after a night on some innkeeper’s beds. At the posh hotel where we stayed in New Hampshire, they’d put some kind of 4-inch thick pad on top of the mattress, but once I rolled into it (it was a high bed to begin with, but with the pad it was high enough I had to kind of hop up to get on it), the center of this pad just sunk in. About the shape of a body, obviously. The edge of the bed was up several inches higher than I was, and when I tried it get up, it required a bit of maneuvering to get my legs over the edge to slide my feet to the floor. Maybe taller people have no difficulty with this, but I sure did. I’m 5’3” tall. The second night I didn’t even sleep on the bed, but chose the comfortable long sofa in the room. When you’re paying nearly $300 a night for a hotel, you sort of expect a good bed. A couple of places we stayed had no amenities except a bar of soap. Now that’s really Spartan. Most had more than that, but one inexpensive (yet highly rated Trip Advisor location) truly didn’t have shampoo, lotion or even a shower cap, if I’d wanted one.

After nearly three weeks of inns and B&Bs (and a week at a house in Maine – bedrooms upstairs, but we only had to schlep the bags up once, and down once), we stayed in a Howard Johnson’s in one city. That’s because staying in any of the nicer, view-type hotels in Newport, Rhode Island, were upwards or more than $400 a night. We’d already splurged enough on accommodations on this trip, so I chose a Howard Johnson’s there. The room was all right. Nothing to write home about. But clean, and the bed was better than most other places we stayed, actually. And we paid about $180 a night for that.

Our last night was at the Boston airport. You know when you’re going to stay at an airport hotel, you’re going to pay-pay-pay; the bigger the city, the larger the tariff for a hotel. And yes, indeed we did. The Hilton offered the best price, I thought, when I booked online a couple of months ago, and we paid $290 for the one night. But, it was a very large room. A really comfortable room with a big flat-screen TV, a large bathroom, and plenty of room to spread out as we re-packed our bags for returning home. And a fantastic king-sized bed. We didn’t regret one dime of the expense for that room.

My conclusion after planning out this trip is that in order to have a better room, you have to pay over $200 a night most places, and more and more the closer you get to or in cities. Sure, you can find some for less, but you get what you pay for. Lots of the inns have standard prices most of the year, then during leaf-peeping season they raise their rates about 25%. They do it because they can. For most of the trip we had a widow friend with us, and twice we stayed in a room that offered two bedrooms and one bath. She was fine with it, and we were able to share the bathroom with no difficulty. It saved money in both places and both offered a small living room area, which was nice to have.

So, does that adequately explain why we’re happy to be home? Home to our comfy bed. My lovely kitchen. Our patio area, where it’s still warm enough we ate outside last night. I reached into the freezer and grabbed the first thing I saw, a package of spicy bratwursts. There’s no date. I didn’t buy them, I’m certain. Where did they come from? No recollection! We had someone staying in our home while we were gone – maybe he bought them and forgot to take them when he left. Well, they were simple and tasty.

I uploaded 191 trip photos from my camera to my home (PC) computer last night, so I’ll be going through those and giving you stories and photos in coming days.

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We will see whether I can upload a photo today. (nope) The above picture was in Manchester, Vermont, in front of a darling independent book shop called Northshore Bookstore. If I lived there I’d have to have an ‘account,’ I think, as some locals ahead of me just said “put it on my account, please!” I bought 4 small books there. Once I’m home I’ll give you the names and links. No time to do links right now!

As I write this I’m in our hotel room in Newport, Rhode Island. My iPad SAYS I have full connectivity on their wi-fi, but we shall see once I try to upload. If there’s no photo you’ll know why.

Today was a day full of nostalgia for me. My DH, Dave, has been very patient as I drove hither and thither around this town since I haven’t been here in about 50 years. I lived here for 2 1/2 years when I was a teenager. I have photos from our wanderings today, but I’m not going to try to upload more than the one above right now. I will have to write up a single post about Newport. We drove by both of the homes I lived in here. Not remembering the street names of one, I just drove with some bit of innate reckoning and found it. It’s a bit rundown so I didn’t take a photo. I thought the people who live there might have been suspicious of some woman out on the street taking a picture of their ramshackle house. I did take one of the other house, though. More on that later.

It’s a beautiful day here, in the 60s and blustery. Big time! Tonight might be our last chance to have lobster – lobstah, as they say it around these parts. I’ve had it just once on the trip. And it was fantastic.

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We are at the tail end of our trip now. We will see if I’m able to upload any photos. We are staying at a beautiful B&B in York, Maine that has a wi-fi. Answer: no. No photos. Sorry everyone. This must be an iPad problem or user dumbness!

The last week we have been staying in East Boothbay, a tiny hamlet of a village near Boothbay in Central Maine. The fall leaves are in full color here.  A friend of ours owns an old Colonial home she visits a few times a year and she graciously allowed us to use it! We made dinner there several nights and went out the other nights. Oh, the Maine lobster!!! So fantastic. We had several beautiful days of warm weather, thank goodness. Rain started again today and I drove 5 hours in pouring rain. Not fun.

I had some recipe posts waiting in the wings, so tomorrow I’ll put up one of them since I’ve had so few photos to give you. I’ve missed writing, telling these long-winded stories of mine. 

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