When apple season is upon us, make yourself a delicious treat: a creamy, apple bread pudding. I use a variety of apples, raisin and spices. The delicious aroma escaping from your oven will make your entire family gather in the kitchen to share a bite of this scrumptious dessert. Serves eight. ...

The room I entered was spartan and dingy. It was a typical meeting room for individuals who suffered from shame, remorse, addiction and guilt. I was one of them. I had no choice. I was compelled to join these other unfortunates so that I could finally break the curse that had been plaguing me ...

Purple passionflower vine (Passiflora incarnata) is a perennial flowering vine native to Florida. It is one of the most complex and intricate flowers among the flowering vines. The vine is very easy to grow, can tolerate dry conditions and loves full sun. Its bloom time is during the warmest ...

Here we are again … Another significant hurricane causing flooding and destruction here, and additionally as well as more tragically, loss of life in other parts of Florida. All that after Hurricane Helene did the same from northern Florida to North Carolina just a few days earlier. No ...

Every year I offer several gastronomic tours of Italy during which we enjoy delicious meals at some of the best restaurants all over the Italian peninsula. We explore wineries and partake in local cooking classes. We learned this recipe while visiting the region of Piedmont shared by a local ...

Talk about pangs of withdrawal symptoms. For almost two years we’ve been caught up in one national debate after another. The presidential primary debates pitted just about anyone who wanted to run for president against one another. During the early debates there appeared to be more debaters ...

Agave attenuata, from the Agavaceae family, is commonly referred to as spineless century plant. The agave is a much smaller version of the traditional agave and the leaves do not end in sharp spines, making it a much more friendly agave to have in the landscape. The leaves of the plant are ...

In the beautiful town of Sorrento, south of the city of Napoli on the Amalfi coast, the local cuisine is so flavorful that it will leave you singing after your first bite. I want to share with you one of my favorite pasta sauces that I enjoyed at the restaurant Stuzzichino. The friendly owner, ...

(From “Sanibel Joe’s Songbook”) It was not in another country Nor in another time. There was no music playing And we did not dance or dine. There was no suite I rented To which we did retire, And no romantic breakfast Relit our evening fire. No moonlit beach for ...

When you think of vacation destinations, Sanibel in Florida might not immediately pop into your head. After all, it’s not exactly a metropolis of glitz and glamour. But there's one undeniable fact that sets this sunny retreat apart: the seashells. Sanibel’s shells aren’t just shells; ...