Chocolate Cake

The Base We started with a triple chocolate brownie mix and followed the recipe on the box, with a few minor adjustments (per YouTube cooking gods): Replaced the oil with butter. Added two extra eggs. Once cooled, the brownie was sliced horizontally into two layers. The operation proved challenging because the brownie had achieved approximately…… Continue reading Chocolate Cake

Breakfast Strata

The original recipe is here. INGREDIENTS I adapted and changed it and based of what I had in my kitchen: 4 tablespoons neutral oil (?), divided 5 thin Costco cabanos-like smoked beef sausages 1 big, whole sweet yellow onion 2-4 garlic cloves 4-5 ounces baby spinach 6 large eggs 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 4…… Continue reading Breakfast Strata

15 iulie: Între dor și haos

15 iulie 2017. La patru și jumătate dimineața, tata a plecat dintre noi. Cumva, prin vocea sângelui, am știut. M-am trezit, deși mă aflam la celălalt capăt al lumii. 15 iulie 2026. Nouă ani mai târziu, m-am trezit tot la patru și jumătate dimineața, cu gânduri și apăsări. Presimțeam o zi specială. La cinci și…… Continue reading 15 iulie: Între dor și haos

July 4th – America 250

Cacti Edition This Celebration, in my view, is a wonderful occasion filled with joy and gratitude. And yet, the following quote perfectly summarizes my feelings and, it seems, not only mime: “If you’re feeling sadness, grief, or ambivalence about celebrating the 4th of July this year, that’s actually a sign of how deeply you love…… Continue reading July 4th – America 250

Ardei Umpluți

Fiind sâmbătă, îmi încep turneul plecând după pătrunjel. Ajung la Aprozar, iau una-alta, 8 ardei grași frumoși, 2 kg de capia colorați (să mai coc ceva), umplu portbagajul cu fructe și legume, aflu ca de fapt e Vineri, și o iau din loc. Pe drum mă hotărăsc să fac ardei umpluți. Mă duc la SuperPrăvălia…… Continue reading Ardei Umpluți

The Cooking Lesson

Before we get to the recipe, the customary blah-blah-blah. Being a nice guy, I won’t make you scroll through a million ads before getting to the actual recipe. A few things need to be said first. How did we end up cooking at Rita’s? Nobody remembers exactly how it started, but once the seed was…… Continue reading The Cooking Lesson

Zeama cu dovlecei

Rețetă de la Irina Începi într-o oală (de fontă) cu 2 linguri de ulei și apoi adaugi pe rând din 2 minute în 2 minute: 1 ceapă măricică tăiată bucățele 2 morcovi frumoși tăiați rondele mici 2 bețe de țelină tăiate mici 6 căței de usturoi tăiați mici Apoi pui 1 cârnat [afumat] tăiat cubulețe.…… Continue reading Zeama cu dovlecei

My Father’s Son

Twenty-something years ago, I wrote this about my dad: Ever since he found a ten-dollar bill on the street, he walks around staring at the ground and no longer takes the bus. The result has been a growing pile of interesting things appearing around the house: screws, nuts, a spike, a pair of eyeglass frames…… Continue reading My Father’s Son

Băiatul lui Tata Meu / My Father’s Son

The English version is Below Acum douăzeci și ceva de ani scriam despre tata: De când a găsit 10 dolari pe stradă, merge numai cu ochii în pământ și nu mai ia autobuzul, ceea ce se traduce într-o nouă grămăjoară de chestii interesante care au apărut în casă: șuruburi, piulițe, un piron, o ramă de…… Continue reading Băiatul lui Tata Meu / My Father’s Son

Gone In 20 Seconds

Varianta în Românește este aici After a hectic, almost-all-day Sunday, things finally started to feel more relaxed. It started as a quiet evening walking the dogs around the neighborhood, great weather, not a worry in the world. To seize the already full and manic day, I rewarded them with a walk in the park behind…… Continue reading Gone In 20 Seconds

Mama Baloo – English Version

I was out this morning with the boys on the backstreets through the old part of the neighborhood, the part with big, beautiful houses, spacious yards, and all kinds of farm animals. One neighbor has goats, another has chickens, another has cows, but everyone has horses and dogs. Oh yes. And cats! My boys know…… Continue reading Mama Baloo – English Version

Mama Baloo

Sunt așa de trist și de frustrat când scriu, încât nici nu pot să leg cuvintele ca lumea. Eram de dimineață cu băieții pe uliță, prin mahala, partea veche, cu case mari, frumoase, curți pe măsură și animăluțe ca la fermă. Unul are capre, altul găini, altul vaci, dar toți au cai și câini. O,…… Continue reading Mama Baloo

Murături

Trecut-au vremurile în care stăteam cu prietenii și vorbeam despre boli, despre dureri de oase, despre colesterol, zahăr, tensiune. Acum vorbim despre război. Despre foamete. Despre minciuni, ură, prostie, și manipulare. Îmbătrânim într-o lume care, în loc să se facă mai bună, a început să o ia înapoi. Pentru cei din generația mea, parcă sintem…… Continue reading Murături

Ana – Funeral

I was entrusted with putting together a visual tribute using photos and videos from Ana’s funeral. The final video turned out to be quite large, so to make it easier for everyone to access, I uploaded it to my blog. Since the video includes copyrighted music, I chose to host it on my website to…… Continue reading Ana – Funeral

Barely Existing

Day after day, I realize that I’m not really living. I barely exist. When I lost my job, people rushed in with comforting phrases: “It’s a blessing in disguise.” “Something better will come.”“Everything happens for a reason.” (I heard that one before three years ago – the words are still hollow). And none of them…… Continue reading Barely Existing

A Day That Refused to Be Boring

Dear Diary, Today was one of those days. Good and bad. Mostly both. At the same time. It started at 3 a.m., when I woke up to go to the bathroom. Which is a good thing: better to wake up than the alternative. But, stupid me, I checked my email because that bloody phone is…… Continue reading A Day That Refused to Be Boring

Water Fit Class

Alma was rippling with enthusiasm: “Oh my Gooood, water aerobics feels amazing.”Tanti Cici, buried in snow somewhere in Canada: “I’m going, so why aren’t you going?”Irina, at me, with her verdict-delivery tone: “You need it. You’re going!”And me, defeated by the Anvil Chorus of demand: “Fine, fine, I’ll go. Just leave me alone.” It took…… Continue reading Water Fit Class