I live in the country. To be a bit more specific, I live in the northeast reaches of rural Sullivan County, in a town that for nearly a century was dry, where Betsy Bingo droppings are the hit of the …

Ahh, fall. I'm no fan of winter. I hate scraping ice, shoveling snow and always feeling cold. I enjoy summer because of the warm weather, but the humidity can be draining. Spring's …

Twenty-five years is a long time. But perhaps not long enough as so many of us are still working to recover from the deadliest attack on U.S. soil.

Chef Ann Cooper says school food should be something that is good, healthy, supportive and educational. And our society should be demanding that. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, …

“Where’s the egg?” the confused woman asked me as I stood by a booth that had all the ingredients needed to make a classic egg cream.

When Mark Kutsher took the reins of the legendary Kutsher’s Country Club in the early 1990s, he wasn’t just managing a hotel; he was safeguarding a monument.

I eyed the meats in the case. The ribs and roasts, burgers and brisket, skirt and sirloin, lamb shanks, lamb legs, and lamb chops. You had thighs, legs, and breasts. Further down, ham, bacon, and sweet Italian sausage. I ignored the salmon, shrimp and scallops. All fine. But not today.

“What do you want for Father’s Day?” I heard that a few times this week. There was a time when this holiday was about acquiring a new tie or a “World’s Best Dad” mug and consuming artery-hardening amounts of grilled meat. Today, my desires are far more sophisticated, by which I mean incredibly low-stakes and mostly centered around personal comfort.

A few months back, Isabel Braverman, the editor of this fine community newspaper, penned an editorial on the sturdy, unpretentious, and flawlessly balanced brew that made its way into the hearts and …

It's been a while since I heard so much talk about the Catskills. About Grossinger's, the Concord, the Nevele and Kutsher's. About Brown’s and the Pines, Stevensville, and the Raleigh. The …

There's an old Jewish saying that I find very apropos today: “God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.” Makes you feel warm inside. There's an even older proverb first said …

So, what’s on your bucket list? I’m sorry, did the question catch you off-guard? I don’t mean to suggest that I heard something. No, you look fine. Maybe a little pale, but that’s …

Our bathroom mirror will never have cavities.   But the sink could use a closer shave, and the countertops should certainly cut back on the cologne.   I shared what I thought were …

I walked into my doctor's office. “Doctor,” I say, trying to raise my left arm above my head. “It hurts when I go like this.” My doctor says, “Don't go like that.” “But, …

A few weeks back, Paul Ciliberto, on his Catskill News Talk radio show asked me to contribute to a poll he was taking on “Big Breakfasts.” Some listeners said they filled their bellies with …

There are few things that humble me more than when I'm forced to slowly trudge around and around and around in a foot of snow, the temperature hovering near zero, the wind smacking me in the face, as …

I got a bit teary-eyed the other night watching television. No, it wasn’t the unexpected breakup of Emily and Gabriel on Emily in Paris, although that was pretty emotional. I put on …

I bought a calendar last week. I share this because I can’t remember ever buying a calendar. Somehow, I always accumulated them. Like rubber bands. I never bought a rubber band in my life. Yet …

I’ve got one New Year’s resolution, and it’s out of my wife’s playbook of life:   Don’t sweat the small stuff. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? A lot easier than swearing to lose …

‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the house were gifts for the grandkids, but nothing in the fridge, not a morsel for me or a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with …

I love the holiday season. It’s the annoying traditions of the holiday season that I can do without. Traditions that come back to me like bad fish. I'm not talking about the …

When you talk about Thanksgiving, you talk about eating. And when you talk about eating, you talk about turkey. Thanksgiving eating always starts with the turkey. But wouldn't you really …

That’s not a Pete Seeger song. Just me lamenting at what has now become a yearly occurrence. Or should I say, non-occurrence? I live on a country road in a rural town in a pretty rural …

One of these mornings, I’m going to hit a deer. Or the deer will hit me. At that point, it really won’t matter who hits whom. To be clear, I’m not talking about hitting a …

A while back a guy asked me if I ever run during my races. I reminded him that I always compete as a walker. So, no, I don’t run. I walk. It’s what us walkers do. If I did run, …