2011 - Page 24 of 28 - Better.Cheaper.Slower.

Slower Sunday: Up there

March 6, 2011

I was looking for camellias in all the wrong places. Peering through gates. Around walls. Then I looked up. Not an appeal to the heavens. I just looked up. There they were. Sometimes you just have to turn your head. Almost Spring. Press Play and take a look.

Spring Watch, Part 3: It’s time

March 5, 2011

The first signs of Spring. Green and above ground. Chilly but not frozen. I think they're hyacinths and crocuses. Maybe daffodils. It's great to have justifiable hope. They're so cheap and easy. They give back so much. C'mon, plant something.

The Walk That Ate Lisbon

March 4, 2011

Great hills. Great food. Five hours. Ten miles. 1,500 calories burned. Medieval castles and convents. Peacocks, parrots and swans. And hand-painted ceramic tiles everywhere. Covering entire building facades. This is a beautiful city.

Cider Braised Cabbage

March 3, 2011

A two-ingredient, ten-minute vegetable preparation that's mysteriously great. In a blind-tasting you probably wouldn't guess what it is. It's such a perfect flavor combination you'd think it was just one thing.

Mock Turtle Soup: Wonder of the Week

March 1, 2011

A beef broth with root vegetables like turnips and carrots. A rich beef stock spiked with sherry vinegar and allspice. Very light and very satisfying. Less than 50 cents per bowlful. Two days worth of Vitamin A and a day's worth of Vitamin C.

Short Circuit: Exercise Time & Space

February 28, 2011

Aerobic exercise in your own time and space. Find thirty minutes and twenty square feet. Elevate your heart rate and breathe hard for twenty or thirty minutes. No single exercise is strenuous. But do them all quickly and you'll sweat.

Slower Sunday Puzzle

February 27, 2011

A garden maze like they have in the gardens of those 17th century mansions in Charleston. If you don't have a maze, take a walk in the woods. Someplace you can actually get lost. Really focuses you. But relaxes you at the same time. Take a minute. Press Play. For a clue.

Bacon Cornbread

February 26, 2011

A persuasive case for eating less meat and enjoying it more. A little meat as the flavor kick for a mainly meatless dish. Whole-grain cornbread with a thin, crackling bacon-flavored crust around a soft, light, crumbly interior. Full of tiny, crunchy flecks of bacon.

The Walk That Ate Charleston

February 25, 2011

The town where you can eat bacon three meals a day if you're not careful. Fortunately, they have really great bacon. Even Better, they have one beautiful walking street after another. 10 miles, 4 hours, 1,250 calories burned.

Shrimp & Grits

February 24, 2011

Do your mouth a favor and make this. Or part of it. Sweet, creamy corn. Deeply, darkly rich sauce. Succulent, barely crisped shrimp. About four bucks per person for a thoroughly satisfying and spectacularly tasty meal.