Cocktail Corner: Thirsty Birds Flock to the Canary for Wine Tasting

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

View from the Rooftop Fireplace at the Canary (courtesy photo)

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

One of the most exquisite—and exclusive—360-degree views of Santa Barbara is from the rooftop at the Canary, and it’s also a great place to taste local wines this summer.

Quite frankly, the scenery alone is enough to make me leap at any invitation to visit the roof, add in some terrific wines and nibbles and there’s no reason not to start your work week with a smile. You can sip and swirl at the Rooftop Perch at the Canary Hotel every Monday night from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. through mid-October.

Beckmen Vineyards (courtesy photo)

Up this Monday (June 10) is Dragonette Cellars, whose delicious 2012 Rosé, Happy Canyon will most definitely put a bloom in your cheeks; followed by our friends from Beckmen Vineyards (June 17), whose innovative biodynamic practices we wrote about in SEASONS back in spring 2012 (From Biodynamic Vineyard to Brilliance in a Glass).

In addition to wine tasting, guests can also sample yummy bites from new executive chef James Siao of Finch & Fork restaurant downstairs. Tickets for the tastings can be purchased in advance or the evening of at Finch & Fork, and frequent tasters can bring back their reusable glass for a discount.

The rest of the winery lineup includes:

June 24: Semler

July 1: Fess Parker- Epiphany

July 8: Sanford

July 15: Carr

July 22: Kessler-Haak & Flying Goat

July 29: Jaffurs and Presqu’ile

August 5: Stolpman

August 12: Summerland Wine

August 19: Zaca Mesa & Palmina

August 26: Verdad

September 9: Demetria

September 16: Deep Sea-Conway

September 23: Margerum

September 30: Melville

October 7: Andrew Murray

And October 14 is the Grand Finale, featuring some of the favorite wines from throughout the season.

Sounds like Monday’s going to be Fun-day after all. The address is 31 W. Carrillo St., and FYI, now you can finally enter the building at the corner of Carrillo and Chapala Streets. For more information, call 805/879-9100 or click here.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on June 7, 2013.

Cocktail Corner: Viva la Cocktails at Cadiz!

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Cadiz’s “Gingham and Palomino” cocktail. Photo by Taylor Micaela Davis.

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

Santa Barbara’s Spanish heritage is always on display at the beautiful Cadiz restaurant (509 State St.), but this month, there’s an extra injection of that Fiesta spirit with a special cocktail menu celebrating Patricia Houghton Clarke‘s Old Spanish Days photographs which are featured in the summer issue of Santa Barbara SEASONS Magazine.

“Girls Give It A Go”—inspired by Clarke’s kinetic portrayal of a trio of mechanical bull-riding pre-teen queens—combines vodka, peach liqueur, Peychauds Bitters, lemon juice and Cava for a kicky cocktail that packs a nice punch on a warm summer night.

Cadiz’s “Girls Give It A Go” cocktail. Photo by Taylor Micaela Davis.

“Gingham and Palomino”—a salute to Clarke’s contemplative horse parade portrait—features a powerhouse combination of tequila, Aperol (an Italian apertif made with bitter orange, gentian flowers, rhubarb, and cinchona) and grapefruit juice.

Both are enjoyable cocktails with layers of both bitter and sweet complexity, not unlike Clarke’s photographs, many of which are on view at Cadiz. (Including all of the photos featured in our summer issue.)

Don’t worry if those aren’t to your taste, Cadiz has a fabulous menu of hand-crafted cocktails such as the “Capri,” featuring serrano-infused tequila, Luxardo Amaretto, mango puree and lime juice, with a Spanish paprika garnish; or the spicy “Sevilla” cocktail with serrano-infused tequila, muddled mint, ginger liquer, lemon juice and a jalapeño wheel; as well as a nice selection of wine.

“Capri” cocktail at Cadiz. Photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Nibble on Prosciutto di Parma Flatbread with wild argula, fontina and black mission figs (my favorite), delicious house marinated olives, delectable diver scallops or the Mediterranean dip trio, which pairs well with just about anything.

Psst … if you’re looking to rest your weary flip flops after the Tuesday farmers’ market, look no further: Tuesday nights at Cadiz feature Happy Hour prices all night long. Perhaps we’ll see you there.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Originally appeared in Santa Barbara SEASONS on June 14, 2013.

Cocktail Corner: Summer Sips, Santa Barbara Style

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Intermezzo’s Thai High (courtesy photo). Also available at the Wine Cask.

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

It’s finally official: summer is here! While just about any cocktail is suitable for summer, when the sun’s beating down, there’s sand in your toes or you’re barbecuing, some sips are just a bit more summery than others. Here are a few of my favorites.

When Life Gives You Lemons …

… by all means, spike the lemonade! I finally got myself over to the hip new Seven Bar & Kitchen this week (224 Helena Ave., 805/845-0377) where my tastebuds were tickled by their yummy strawberry infused vodka lemonade. It’s great on its own, but even better when paired with one of their 7 deadly sins sandwiches.

Luke’s Lemonade at the Hungry Cat (1134 Chapala St., 805/884-4701), spiked with vodka and mint, is also a delicious and refreshing summer treat.

The Wonders of Watermelon

Watermelon is one of my favorite summer flavors, and as if to further prove my theory that it goes with everything, the guys at Arlington Tavern have created Watermelon Beer out of Firestone 805 Blonde Summer Ale and watermelon puree. Seriously good stuff!

Alcazar’s Heat of Passion cocktail. Courtesy Photo.

Of course, there are lots of other fun things you can do with watermelon cocktails, it goes well with tequila, vodka and even wine. Click here for a great Rachel Ray recipe for Watermelon-Plum Sangria.

Enjoy the Heat

It may seem counterintuitive, but hot days call for spicy drinks. One of my favorites is the Thai High at Intermezzo (819 Anacapa St.). Made with chili-infused vodka, mango, lime and lemongrass syrup, it’s the perfect mix of sweet and heat. Try it with the tuna tartare on cucumber “boats” and sail away into summertime bliss.

And of course I can’t leave out The Heat of Passion, a habanero chile-infused tequila concoction with fresh passion fruit puree, lime, sweet & sour and pure deliciousness found not only at Mesa favorite Alcazar (1812 Cliff Dr., 805/962-0337) and downtown hot spot Milk & Honey (30 W. Anapamu St., 805/275-4232), but also at my new Noleta hangout The Bourbon Room (444 Hollister Ave., 805/265-3788).

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

Originally appeared in Santa Barbara SEASONS on June 21, 2013.

Cocktail Corner: Wine Tasting Comes to Goleta

Posted on July 1, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

Bacara tasting room, courtesy of Bacara

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

The Goodland of Goleta got even better recently with the addition of a new wine tasting room at Bacara Resort & Spa.

Dubbed The Foley Food and Wine Society Experience (Yes, it’s a mouthful, but they’ve also got a LOT of great wines to back it up!), my husband and I were treated to the full Foley experience this week, and I have to say, it was a wonderful way to spend a summer evening.

Thanks to the gracious hospitality and good humor of assistant manager Lila Brown, we were able to taste some delectable wines, as well as learn about several of Foley Family Wines’ properties at the same time.

First up was a Chalk Hill 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, which had a refreshing citrus taste that I really liked. Not only was the wine good, but when Lila gave us a photographic tour of Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery (on the eastern edge of the Russian River Valley, south of downtown Healdsburg in Sonoma County) including the onsite chef’s culinary garden, stables and Olympic-sized equestrian pavilion, a plan to visit immediately went on my bucket list. What a gorgeous place! Continue reading →

Cocktail Corner: Wine and Cheese Please!

Posted on June 29, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

It’s not wine … but C’est Cheese is giving away a free cup of tomato soup with each grilled cheese sandwich on National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (April 12)

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

I just returned from a lovely trip to Paris, where the wine is wonderful as well as less expensive than the coffee, and the cheese is nothing short of ambrosia.
I am a firm believer, as M.F.K. Fisher said, that, “Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good people and noble ventures.” Though my husband forbid me from filling our suitcases with Camembert, Reblochon and Tomme de Savoie (so I filled my belly instead), my appetite for cheese was not completely sated.

So I was thrilled to discover that today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. What better way to fight the post-vacation blues than to celebrate this traditional American treat and pair it with some of our favorite local wines?

Here are a few options: Continue reading →

Animal House Hits My House

Posted on May 14, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

As you approach the doorway, a headless Pokemon (Pika Pika! Pi-Ka-Chu!) flies out of a window and lands at your feet. Adrian takes a break from his potty break to greet you. Oops, sorry about your shoes… and your leg. Jake whirls by you on a Razor scooter, through the front door and onto the back porch, where he sings a surprisingly good rendition of “Burning Down the House.” Alex tries to accompany him with what’s left of smashed ukulele.

“Sorry,” he says, as he hands me the pieces and runs off. We have … had a ukulele?

Dressed in makeshift togas, Lauren and Caitlin run by with their Rapid Shoot Super Soaker Water Guns cocked, ready to take down Koss and Jared.

“No water in the house,” I shout, without the slightest delusion that anyone is listening to me. Welcome to my son’s 8th birthday party.

When I let Koss pick the theme for his party, I expected him to choose Pokemon, Sponge Bob, or Harry Potter. You know, a commercially exploitable theme that would be easy to incorporate into invitations, piñata, decorations, games, craft projects, band-aids, snacks, cake, favors, little gift bags, ribbons, tags, stickers and candy for the little gift bags.

I got Animal House instead.

Luckily, I lived in a frat house one summer a million years ago. Otherwise I would have been completely unprepared for what happens in a home invasion by seven kids with enough adrenaline to power Bolivia, Kamchatka, and Yakutsk (and that’s before the ice cream sundaes).

Many moms believe that planning a child’s birthday party requires as much tactical planning as invading a small country, more if you have to hire a magician. Since my son’s birthday is right in the middle of the summer, I tend to be a little more laid back.

OK, a lot more laid back. I let my son plan his own party. He had grand plans from the get go. A wild game of Cranium, a water gun fight, and a dance contest. It sounds pretty harmless, right?

I figured it couldn’t be any worse than letting my husband plan the party, which would have involved a few bags of chips, a couple of pizzas and a lot of beer. All serve yourself, of course.

After all, there has to be some advantage to living in the Shack besides a good school district. I finally figured it out. This is a great house for a frat party. There’s almost nothing here that I really care if they thrash. The furniture is old and falling apart, the carpet is disgusting, the yard is full of weeds, and the walls have seen better days.

So this year we decided to bite the bullet and let our son have his dream party. Did I mention he wanted a slumber party?

Not only did we let them thrash our house, and play with fire, we let them stay here and sleep it off afterward.

I use that word, “sleep” in a very loose way. I think at about 3 a.m. a few of them were sitting down. That counts, right?

It’s been almost a week, and our birthday hangovers are still hanging on. My kitchen’s recovered from the food fight, and my headache has almost gone away, but I’m still scrubbing the walls from the home invasion.

I mean this literally.

One of the more ingenious games they played was “Burglar,” which involved repeatedly climbing through the window from the front porch into the living room, throwing throw pillows, stereo equipment and knickknacks into a bag and running through the neighborhood shouting, “Have you seen Delta House?”

It’s listed under my name in the phone book.

Regale us with your birthday party tales by sending an email to Leslie@LeslieDinaberg.com. For more of Leslie’s columns visit www.LeslieDinaberg.com.

Originally appeared in the Santa Barbara Daily Sound on August 3, 2007.

Cocktail Corner

Posted on May 10, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg
(Here is my newest column which I write every Friday for Santa Barbara SEASONS Magazine.)

© Pac | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Popping the Cork for Mother’s Day

One of my favorite things about Mother’s Day is that it’s a terrific excuse reason to have Champagne for breakfast. Of course, you can do this anytime you want—and pretty, pretty please invite me over!—but on Mother’s Day, unless you’re visibly pregnant, no one looks at you strangely when you order a bottle of Champagne with your Eggs Benedict (which is a fabulous pairing, by the way). But here’s an even better reason to toast mom with some bubbly this weekend: new research has just come out that three glasses of Champagne a week can help to improve your memory!

Kentucky Derby Day Drinks

Early Times makes the official Mint Julep of the 2013 Kentucky Derby. (courtesy photo)

It’s Kentucky Derby time this weekend, and although all I know about the leaderboard is thatOrb is favored to win, I know enough about Kentucky Derby Day traditions to know whichever horse your money’s on, y’all should be cheering ‘em on with a Mint Julep.

Citrus & Spice Cocktail at The Pan (photo by Leslie Dinaberg)

Cheers to The Pan

I’m a big believer that variety is the spice of life. If I could tipple “cocktail flights” for every happy hour and nibble appetizers for every meal, I would be doing a happy dance for the rest of my life. I still haven’t found a place that has “cocktail flights” on the menu (sharing sips with friends is the next best thing), but I have found a great small bites place just a hop, skip and jump from the office: The Pan.

Cheers to Prosecco

OGIO prosecco (courtesy photo)

I had my first taste of Prosecco just a few years ago, when a friend brought a bottle of Mionetto IL Prosecco to accompany our sushi at one of the summer concerts at El Capitan Canyon. It was delicious, bubbly and tasted good with potato chips too.

Wine and Cheese Please!

I was thrilled to discover that today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. What better way to fight the post-vacation blues than to celebrate this traditional American treat and pair it with some of our favorite local wines?

KAPPA Krush (courtesy of KAPPA Pisco)

Potions With Pisco Popping Up

I wasn’t too familiar with Pisco last fall, when someone gave me a bottle of KAPPA Pisco, a new Chilean Pisco from the House of Marnier-Lapostolle, producers of Grand Marnier. But since then, this exotic beverage has been showing up more and more. Especially in Montecito, where it’s behind the bar at Cava Restaurant and Bar and the Biltmore’s Ty Lounge and on the shelves at The Bottle Shop, among others.

Cheers to Spring at the Ty Lounge

Four Seasons Biltmore’s barrel-aged Negroni (courtesy photo)

A great spot for cocktails just got even better. The Ty Lounge (at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara) has always been a beautiful place to drink in the priceless view of the Pacific, but now mixology pro and manager Chris Nordella has introduced a lively selection of spring cocktails.

Dargans (courtesy photo)

A Bit of the Blarney About Dargan’s

Irish eyes are always smiling at Dargan’s, one of my favorite downtown pubs (18 E. Ortega St., 805/568-0702). Of course the place will be rocking this weekend in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s a great place to tipple any time of the year.

A Bouquet of Orchid Cocktails

Black Orchid (courtesy photo)

With the 68th Santa Barbara International Orchid Show coming up this weekend, a bouquet of orchid cocktails is certainly in order to celebrate this event.

Chuck’s Famous Mai Tai (courtesy photo)

Chuck’s Famous Mai Tai

A lot of places slap the label “famous” onto a cocktail, but Chuck’s Famous Mai Tai is one “famous” libation that’s ready for a “legendary” label. It’s not quite as good as a trip to Maui, but it’s pretty darn close.

Red Carpet Cocktails

For those of us who won’t be at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre this weekend, the competition for Oscar-inspired libations is every bit as fierce as the race for Best Picture. Here are some red carpet cocktails to make your home viewing party a hit!

How to Make a Sidecar with Rachel Maddow and Dita Von Teese

I love pretending I’m Rosalind Russell and ordering old-fashioned cocktails. Must be the journalist’s fascination with His Girl Friday. Phrases like, “How ’bout a Sidecar, doll face?” and “Gimme an Old Fashioned, the old-fashioned way,” just trill off the tongue, don’t they? Anyway, when I stumbled across this video of one of my favorite journalists—MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow—demonstrating how to make a Sidecar, I just had to share it.

Cajun Martini at the Palace Grill in Santa Barbara

Cajun Martini at The Palace Grill

It’s always Mardi Gras at the Palace Grill (8 E. Cota St., 805/963-5000), the closest you can get to New Orleans while staying in Santa Barbara.

The Antagonist at The Marquee

I’ve been really into sweet, hot and spicy cocktails recently and had a fabulously tasty one the other night at The Marquee. The Antagonist is made of chili-infused Absolut Vodka, white peach puree, mixed berry puree and pineapple juice.

Toasting the Film Festival

Even movie stars shine a little brighter when you give them a perfect cocktail. Since the stars will out in full force this week, here’s where I would take some of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival VIPs out for drinks.

Paradise Cafe Margaritas

My childhood smelled like Coppertone, my teenage years like Love’s Baby Soft, and my 20’s smelled like the Margaritas at the Paradise Cafe .

National Hot Toddy Day

It’s National Hot Toddy Day. A “hot toddy” is a warmth-inducing yummy drink made with honey, lemon, hot water, and the spirit of your choice (usually whiskey, brandy, or rum).

Alcazar’s Heat of Passion cocktail. Courtesy Photo.

The Heat of Passion at Alcazar

The sultry Heat of Passion is sweet, hot and spicy and certainly my favorite cocktail at the moment.

Simmering Sangria

Sangria is one of my favorite warm weather libations, but until our recent uber cold front (quite unusual for Santa Barbara) I had never thought about serving it warm.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 8, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

© Paha_l | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Given that I wrote a weekly newspaper column for almost a decade, I guess it’s no surprise that I’ve got a Mother Lode of columns about Mother’s Day. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Mother Lode, sometimes hearing just a little bit about someone else’s mother is all it takes to really appreciate your own.

My Secret Mother’s Day Wish for a remote control to stop time whenever I want to.

That Other Mother reflects on the reality that I was a much better mother before I actually had a child.

Mom’s the Word, Happy Mother’s Day, mom. This one’s for you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The Mother Lode

Posted on May 8, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

© Alexkhrom | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

While she snipped away at my curls, the hairdresser’s caffeinated swirl of invectives about what a terrible mother she had filled me with sympathy. I know there are horrible mothers out there–Mommy Dearest is one of my favorite horror movies–and clearly this girl had been deeply, deeply screwed up somewhere. I just hoped she wouldn’t take it out on me with her scissors.

Still, I smiled as I tried to picture my face with a mullet, knowing my own mom would tell me how beautiful I looked, no matter how much of a “don’t” my “do” turned out to be.

Good mothers are like that. They say just the right thing to make you feel better. My mom is great at that.

When it comes to mothers, I was lucky: I hit the mother lode. Every time someone complains about their awful mother, I say a silent prayer for mine. I don’t always say it out loud, but I know I’m really lucky to have her.

I may be grown up and perfectly capable of using the microwave, but I still whine for her homemade soup when I’m sick–and usually get it within minutes. Whenever I’m feeling down she seems to magically know when to call or stop by, usually bearing a brand new pair of shoes that “hurt her feet.”

Before I become a mom she used to always tell me, “You’ll never know how much I love you until you have children of your own.” Now I know just what she means.

It didn’t matter whether she was proud of me –for getting good grades or being a good sport when I lost a hard fought tennis match–or let down–cringing while I honed my sarcastic wit at the dinner table or rolled my eyes at my annoying little sister–I always knew how much my mother loved me because she never stopped telling me.

She still tells me, almost every single day, and sometimes more often than that. And she shows me too, by always being there for me in a million different ways.

So here I am, once again, writing a column about her and trying to be funny without making her mad. It’s harder than it seems. My mom can be unintentionally hilarious, but doesn’t like to be teased about it. Not one single bit.

Plus, the last thing I want to do is publicly embarrass the one person who knows more about me than I know about myself. I can’t hide anything from her. I swear, the harder I try the better her memory gets. It must be all of that Ginkgo biloba and green tea.

“Why don’t you write that?” says my husband.

“That’ll make her mad,” says my son, who’s smart enough to know that moms–and especially grandmas–are people you really don’t want to tick off.

“But the thing about your mom is that it’s okay to make her mad because you always know she loves you,” I explain.

My son’s face lights up. Uh oh…

“But that doesn’t mean you should try to make me mad,” I warn him.

Then I ruffle his hair and tell him that I love him. He says, “I know that mom. You only tell me that like, a million times a day.”

I just smile, and look into his eyes that are so much like my mother’s.

You’ll appreciate it someday, kid.

And by the way, mom, I do.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Originally appeared in the Santa Barbara Daily Sound on May 9, 2008.

That Other Mother

Posted on May 8, 2013 by lesliedinaberg

I was a much better mother before I actually had a child. I did so many things right back in the old days, when I was that other mother.

That other mother lost her pregnancy weight in two weeks, breast fed for three years, and had a child who immediately slept through the night, allowing her beautifully romantic relationship with her husband to be completely unaffected by parenthood.

That other mother was naturally slender, polite and patient. She cooked healthy, yet tasty food and kept an immaculately clean house. She was tolerant and fair and she didn’t make snap judgments when her kids appeared to be guilty of something. She wasn’t a pushover. Once she laid down the law, she stood her ground.

She spoke fluent Spanish, Chinese, German and French, and could play piano by ear and sing with perfect pitch. She taught her children sign language, and they did simple little experiments on her home particle accelerator.

Teachers and coaches were always telling her how wonderful her kids were. Her children were the ones that other mothers used as examples of perfect behavior when their own kids misbehaved. I can’t tell you how many times I heard, “I bet Leslie’s son would never talk back to his mother like that. I bet her son goes to bed immediately when told and does his homework without complaining a bit. He even likes to do the extra credit pages.”

This woman, this other mother, never once lost her temper with her child or her husband or even that lady with 14 items in the “10 items or less” line at Vons who always counts her $19.99 in change out r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y and then finds a coupon in her wallet and has to re-count the whole thing again. This other woman had a street named after her.

Plus, she never had a bad hair day in her life, and looked perfectly groomed without a stitch of makeup. She was quite amazing, this other mother, the one I was going to be before I had kids. She was really kind of perfect, but in such a down-to-earth, good-humored way that nobody even hated her for it.

And then there’s me.

I’m the mom who asked her son what he had eaten on Saturday, and when he answered “pancakes and Pringles,” pretended to be horrified, but was actually relieved he had eaten anything at all, since I couldn’t remember feeding him.

I’m the mom who told her son that the swear words he learned at camp weren’t really the worst swear words in the world, and then, more interested in expanding his vocabulary than avoiding detention, went on to give a few examples.

I’m the mom who forgot to tell the Tooth Fairy to come to our house the other night, and then tried to blame her son for not putting his tooth in the right place. “Silly boy. Tooth Fairies never look under the left side of the pillow.”

I’m the mom who teaches her son logic by giving “because I said so” as the reason for making him do something whenever I can’t think of a better one.

I’m the mom whose son once told me I reminded him of the bossy girls at school. Then he shook his butt at me and, rather than punish him, I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I do that a lot–laugh inappropriately at butt shaking, arm farts, belches, and other behaviors that I absolutely know I should not encourage.

For example, when my son was three, he used to eat his boogers. When I’d scold him, like that other mother would, he’d always say, “tastes like chicken.” It cracked me up every time.

That other mother–not that her child would ever in a million years exhibit such imperfect behavior, but let’s just say for example’s sake that he did, maybe because some other mother let him eat too much cake, ice cream and cotton candy at a birthday party–would have scolded him gently and explained why that was disrespectful in kid-friendly language.

That other mother’s family probably sends her to the spa on Mother’s Day, just so they can take a break from her perfection and eat take-out burritos on paper plates and not worry about cleaning the kitchen.

Guess what I’ll be doing on Sunday?

Not being that perfect other mother, and maybe, just maybe, being OK with that.

LeslieDinaberg.com

Leslie Dinaberg Editor & Writer

Category Archives: Columns

Cocktail Corner: Thirsty Birds Flock to the Canary for Wine Tasting

Cocktail Corner: Viva la Cocktails at Cadiz!