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Toby Bloomberg, Author at All The Single Girlfriends - Page 2 of 3

Creative Cooking

Sep 2, 2011 by

Creative Cooking

Before personal branding, and what Tom Peter’s termed A Brand Called You, became the thing to do, a resume focused primarily on professional achievements. Oh perhaps you might include honors or professional association memberships, maybe even a hobby .. sports were always good. Me? My first curriculum vitae included creative cooking under the extra stuff.  I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to  do that. Most people I interviewed with ignored it .. except for Mr. Maitland, the advertising manager of Pan Am Cargo. While I never worked for Pan Am (by way can’t wait to see the new Pan Am TV show), that small point opened the door to  a wonderful mentor relationship. So what is creative cooking? Glad you asked! It’s creating from whatever is around sort of like the popular Food Network...

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The French Toast Throw Down

Aug 26, 2011 by

The French Toast Throw Down

Or as we called it .. Duel of the Spatulas!  Kaye insisted her French toast souffle recipe, with caramelized pecans, was the best. But Sandy was sure that chocolate chips that melted into her oven baked French toast had the “omg factor!” Note: In the photo .. Sandy on left & Kaye on right. This summer my cousin Kaye  and her husband David hosted a family party for about fifty of our cousins and close friends. Their home, in Hull, MA, a block from the beach, was a perfect location to reconnect with people who I hold dear in my life. Of course there was lots of wonderful food and drink including jello shots (are jello shots food or drink?). My niece Jessica spent weeks making 8 dozen different kinds of jello shots .....

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Summer Farmers’ Markets: A Family Affair...

Aug 5, 2011 by

Summer Farmers’ Markets: A Family Affair

Behind the card table sits Miss Betty. Standing proudly next to her are two young boys with their buzz cuts summer short.  “No dear,” she patiently and proudly  explains  to me when I asked if the boys were her grandsons. “They are my great grandsons.” Jars upon jars of fresh jams and preserves, from her own fruit trees and bushes, stand before her. They are preciously lined up like little toy soldiers.  Next to the rows of figs, peaches, blueberries and pears are more mason jars. These are  filled with a variety of interesting pickles made from veggies fresh from  Miss Betty’s garden .. tomatoes infused with cinnamon, spicy cucumbers and of course, southern choux choux (mixed veggies). Which to choose is my dilemma. A few weeks ago I was driving by a church, not far from...

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Interview with Bella DePaulo, PhD...

Jul 11, 2011 by

Interview with Bella DePaulo, PhD

Recently, I was playing following the link. You know how that goes .. you click on one link it takes you to another site and so on. If you’re lucky you land on some pretty cool sites. It must have been my lucky day because I came across a series of articles by Dr. Bella DePaulo on Psychology Today. The good doc is focusing on Living and Being Single. In addition to her posts she has written several books including Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After. As Anne of Green Gables might put it, DePaulo is indeed a kindred spirit. Dr. DePaulo’s work validates the focus of All The Single Girlfriends down to our concept of “single in spirit.”  We thought she’d make a great guest...

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A Dad For Daughters

Jun 18, 2011 by

A Dad For Daughters

There are dads who were meant to be fathers to boys and dads who were made for girls. My dad, Lou Bloomberg, was a dad for daughters. Perhaps that’s why I love dads & daughters. He was the oldest child in a family with 4 sisters, so I suppose he grew up with an added dose of sensitivity. With my mom, my sister Susan and me he continued to be surrounded by girls. When people asked if he regretted not having sons in his life he’d look at them as though he felt sorry they were missing something extra special. As with the story of my mom, my dad took joy in being a father, however, his first love was being Anne’s husband and soul mate. (But that’s a post for another day.) I...

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In Atlanta: The Great Food Truck Race Review: The Lime Truck & Roxy’s Grilled Cheese...

Jun 3, 2011 by

In Atlanta: The Great Food Truck Race Review: The Lime Truck & Roxy’s Grilled Cheese

When was the last time you had an urban picnic?  I spent last weekend chasing Food Trucks!  Really I did. Food Network was filming the reality challenge series The Great Food Truck Race in Atlanta. Tyler Florence is the host. I happen to love eating-on-the-street/food so it seemed like a fun weekend adventure. Street food is not new but Food Trucks take what I call “Urban Picnics” to a gourmet level. Who remembers the ice cream truck? On hot summer days my friends and I would immediately stop playing when we heard Leo’s bell. Popsicles were for “big kid” sharing and Hoodsies were for babies. Boston winters brought the chestnut vendors out in the Back Bay. Men huddled over little carts, with real fire, scooping roasted fruit (they’re not technically a nut) into paper cones....

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3 Bs: Berries, Basil & Balsamic...

May 13, 2011 by

3 Bs: Berries, Basil & Balsamic

When I lived in Boston Saturday meant a trip to Haymarket Square for fresh veggies, fruit, cheese and a visit to my favorite fishmonger.  Don’t you love that word: “fishmonger?” Haymarket Square was farmer’s markets before farmer’s markets were cool. I tried to time my shopping to just before the close of business when the vendors would compete with each other on the lowest prices. “Best tomatoes here!” “You don’t want his .. mine is fresher and cheaper!” It was like being in the middle of a food circus complete with characters and clowns. And let me tell you Gf, some of the best people watching wasn’t the vendors but the shoppers! While there are farmer’s markets where I call home now, Atlanta, including Sweet Auburn Curb Market, one of my favorite things to...

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Mummy I Remember …

May 7, 2011 by

Mummy I Remember …

Memories of my mom sometimes feel like faded rose petals. Rose petals at the stage when they are velvety but the color has changed from vibrant to softer shades. The stage when they drop to the earth but the fragrance is still sweet and strong. At other times those memories seem to be as elusive as when you were a little girl and blew on a dandelion and the winds took the seeds and carried then away.  Sometimes, it feels as though the memories are so overwhelming that I have to close my eyes to get to the next moment in time. What can I tell you who might read this about a women who is dancing in the stars with her soul mate, my dad, and my sister? How can I pay tribute...

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Feel Better Food

Apr 8, 2011 by

Feel Better Food

Yesterday I was watching the Food Network’s a Best Of .. Comfort Food. Comfort foods are usually food from our childhood that help get us over a little bump in the road.  For me it’s chocolate. For others it’s mac and cheese or grilled cheese or .. or .. or .. There’s a side step to comfort food that seems to be neglected. Let’s call it Sick Food. No Gf, not food that makes you sick! Hmm .. perhaps Feel Better Food is a better name. Food that wraps you in a big warm blanket when you’re not feeling physically well. For me this type of food is different than what we think of as “traditional” comfort food. Oh sure, home made chicken soup might have been for lunch; but in the morning, it was tea...

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Wine Cork or Screw Cap?

Apr 1, 2011 by

Wine Cork or Screw Cap?

Girlfriends, I don’t know about you, but for me, one of the mystiques of enjoying wine is the ceremonial aspects of uncorking the bottle. Of course there are times when I want just-a-drink but there are moments when the tradition of uncorking a bottle of wine adds to the anticipation of the first sip. Anticipation! Ah… Slowly but with finesses and elegance the cork is removed. It is presented for inspection. And then and only then is the first taste poured. What does a screw-off wine cap say to you? College days? Street people? Airline wine? Does it change your perception about the product? Does something as simple as how you open a bottle of wine impact your perception of the value of the vino? Now think…same product. Would you expect to pay the...

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“You” As A Digital Brand...

Mar 23, 2011 by

“You” As A Digital Brand

Recently I was re organizing my home office. Er .. ok, I was moving piles of papers to make my desk seem less cluttered. I came across an article that someone had sent me in 1997.. don’t even ask Girlfriend! I don’t remember who sent it to but I saved it because at the time the concept intrigued me. It was Tom Peter’s The Brand Called You which you can find at Fast Company online. As the fates, would have it soon after reading it I was “right-sized” or “down-sized” or whatever the politically correct term was at the time. I was fired from my  job with the Georgia Lottery Company. Peter’s idea that a company would want to hire “more than a resume” was radical 14 years ago. He talked about managing our...

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The Singing Soup Bowl

Mar 18, 2011 by

The Singing Soup Bowl

Friday nights were for Grandma. The world agreed that Ida Marder was The Best, if not one of the best, cooks in the neighborhood .. which, as a little girl, was my world. Walking into Grandma’s house on Shabbat we were first greeted with the yeasty smell of freshly baked challah.  Is there nothing as wonderful as out of the oven homemade bread in any culture? Although the traditional, braided bread was the star of the pre show (yes, looking back it certainly was at least a three act play!) , sitting beside it was a small loaf baked just for my sister Susan and me. The first act .. er course .. always began with the sweetest chicken soup. Pieces of orange carrots and luchen/noodles floated in our  bowls. A perfect way to...

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