Florida experienced a “gold rush” almost as soon as the first Spanish soldier spit out an orange seed and kept marching through the palmetto and myrtle oak in 1513. It’s no mystery as to why California and Florida became dominant citrus-growing regions. Moors (Arabs) ruled Spain for over 800 years, and citrus – particularly oranges … More The Second Gold Rush: Citrus Crate Labels
No, here I’m not celebrating Julian Fellowes’s TV series, “The Gilded Age.” I’ll confess something right off the bat: I watched only a few episodes. Why? The story of that tumultuous time is actually more interesting than fiction. First of all, Mark Twain coined the phrase, “The Gilded Age,” in a satirical novel meant to … More The Gilded Age in Florida: A Few Words about the Flaglers and their Food
I am thrilled to announce that two of my books won awards this past weekend in Orlando, Florida. The Florida Authors and Publishers Association awarded a silver medal to Stoves & Suitcases: Searching for Home in the World’s Kitchens in the General Nonfiction category. Meatballs & Lefse: Recipes and Memories from a Scandinavian-American Farming Life … More And it’s a Win (Times Two): Seeing Silver
I’ll be there with all my books and a smile, at booth #55 in the Oaks Mall.
Take a girl with an iffy start in life. Mix in wanderlust and cooking. And lots of books. Add a dollop of yearning for home and belonging. Knead in a pinch of self-discovery. Let rise and ripen. The result is Cynthia D. Bertelsen’s Stoves & Suitcases: Searching for Home in the World’s Kitchens, a reflective … More “Stoves & Suitcases” Book Trailer!
The other day, a glossy yellow leaf swirled to the ground as I trudged through my neighborhood in hot, steaming north Florida. I sighed as I stepped over hard magnolia seed pods littering the road. And, for a split second, I thought of the change of seasons, of how they used to mark my years, … More Changing Seasons in the Kitchen: Dealing with Summer Heat
I’ve been cooking for a long time. And it’s just not fun any more. I used to spend hours cooking, trying new recipes, thrilled to see the joy on people’s faces as they dug into one of my lemon meringue pies or my spin on curried chicken. And I remember when it all started. … More When Cooking is No Longer Fun: The Mental Load of Daily Cooking
Unofficially, it’s Day 44 for me. I wish it weren’t. I wish I could frolic on the beach, fly away in an airplane, eat at the Inn at Little Washington, walk the streets of Paris and Oslo and London. But I can’t. And I wouldn’t, even I could. It’s still early days in this pandemic. … More Yes, I’m Still Here: Hanging on, Day 44 of COVID-19 Isolation
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