Nutmeg Nuggets 2025

  As Sunny’s friend Karen was coming to visit her in CT, I decided to spend a few days in Hyde Park, NY, visiting several venues associated with FDR. The first was Springwood, his birthplace and home, which played an important role in his life, especially after becoming president.  He began his  presidency in March, 1933, when the US was deep in the throes of the depression (unemployment rate was 25%) and died in April, 1945, just a month  before the Germans surrendered. There was never a peaceful moment  and he felt more relaxed in this beautiful setting on the banks of  the Hudson River. He would invite world leaders  there as a way to get to know  them better in a less formal setting - Churchill was a frequent visitor. He would often drive his guests around the area ( he had a specialty modified car) at a brisk speed, much to the chagrin of his secret service detail.  He also enjoyed having picnic lunches  on the hill top of his estat...

I recently had lunch with my good friend Bruce at the Sugo Gastrobar in Newton, CT. Bruce used to be my neighbor in FL and he  also has a house in CT, so during the summer we get together, sometimes  just the two of us and other times with the  wives. While Sugo’s is not close to where either of us live in CT, we picked it  because it had great reviews and some interesting items on its menus.  We started off with arancini (Italian rice balls) which were made with prosciutto infused risotto and served in a parmigiano cream sauce. Different from the arancini we had when Bruce and I visited Sicily a few years ago  with some other friends, but absolutely delicious and we used the crunchy Italian bread that came with  our meal to sop up the sauce. Bruce decided to go with the prix fix lunch ( a great deal at $18) and had  soup, chicken parmigiana, and raspberry gelato. I went with the prosciutto de parma pizza as I usually have  pizza when a resta...

  When we bought the condo three years ago, the patio was small, tired, and lacked privacy. After finding a contractor and getting HOA approval, we completely redid the patio last year and not only is it a great place to grill and sit outside, it is where I plant my herbs, vegetables and a few flowers. In spite of the patio being on the north side of the condo, it gets quite a bit of sun as we are an end unit on the east side. In addition to planting the usual herbs - basil, chives, oregano  just to name a few, I also planted tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, and peppers. It was the first year I planted cucumbers in Litchfield as I was afraid they would take  over the patio. However, by putting the container next to  a fence and using poles and string, I got them to grow up, not out. The peppers are banana peppers named so due to their shape and color. They are sweet and tangy, not hot (0-500 Scoville Heat Units) and great for salads, pizza topping or sandwiches. The...

  Perhaps the most popular place in Litchfield is the White Memorial Conservation Center. There are over 40 miles of trails and areas for kayaking, fishing and camping  in this 4000 acre preserve of forest, fields, and wetlands. In 1908, Alain White, whose family was from France,  decided to preserve the land around the  family estate in Litchfield  as a conservation area. Five years later, he and his sister formed the White Memorial Foundation and  amassed over 5700 acres, stretching all the way to the New York border. Eventually, they donated all of the land to towns and the state with the requirement that it be used for parks and conservation areas.  Today, the Conservation Center is operated as  a non- profit  and maintains the area and facilities.  In addition, the original family homestead is used as an education center and each week there are interesting lectures, nature hikes, and programs all centered around nature. If you are l...

When we moved to Litchfield three years ago, we convinced Jocelyn to go for a pony ride at Lee’s Riding Stables, here in Litchfield. The quick 20 minute ride  was on Capucinno, a very mild mannered pony and  while Jocelyn enjoyed it, she was nervous around horses. Since then,  we would visit once or twice a year for a quick ride, but Jocelyn hesitated when asked if she wanted to take a riding lesson.  Recently, we asked Jocelyn if she wanted a lesson, and surprisingly she said yes. So we signed her up with the instructor, Heather, who is the owner Lee’s daughter. When it came time for the lesson, which horse did Heather bring out for Jocelyn to ride, none other than Capuccino! At first Jocelyn was nervous, but Heather was great at getting Jocelyn comfortable and taught her how to sit in the saddle, hold the reins, steer the pony, etc. When  the lesson was over Jocelyn said she was ready for another, so yesterday was lesson #2, and before you knew it, Jocelyn was...

Recently, several Mexican restaurants have opened up in the area and  friends   recommended La Catrina in nearby Bantam. It  is owned and operated by  husband and wife, Enrique and Consuelo Estrada, who worked in the restaurant industry for decades before deciding to open their own place. Enrique learned cooking by watching his mother in the kitchen, and this is one of the reasons the food  is  much more than your typical Tex-Mex.  He has also incorporated his love of Asian - infused cuisine into the menu, so you can get  dishes such as Asian duck tacos, Mexican inspired rice bowls,  and  miso glazed salmon.  For lunch, we started  with the spicy guacamole, then Sunny had the shredded chicken rice bowl which came with  shredded roasted chicken, black beans, sofrito rice, pico de gallo and avocado. The dish was delicious as well as very filling and Sunny ended up taking half of it home. I started with the Asian duck tacos w...