Thanks so much for the lovely shoutout, Ruth. It's a joy to be included in such great company. And cheers to 5 years here on Substack! I love reading about your travels and am glad that Substack workshop brought us together.
Thanks, Emily! Isn’t it interesting that almost all the members of that original group have kept going and have continued to be fans of each other’s work? I also enjoy reading about your life, travels, cooking, reading and outside-the-box thinking. I hope we’ll all be writing 10-year anniversary posts in another 5 years!🤗
This is a lovely look back at all you’ve accomplished—and WOW, what a lot, Ruth—and a glimmer into the future. I am so glad we met in this unexpected food community! Keep baking, keep writing, keep traveling and being you. 💜
Amie, getting to know you, along with the community of other fine writers and good-hearted folks I’ve met here, has been the best thing about this adventure. Thanks so very much for your kind words, friendship and support over the years. 😘
Congratulations on five years Ruth. There are many ways to get to know someone. Food is certainly one. Another is when people take the time to capture their thoughts, refine them, and finally share them with others. Your sense of humor, your humanity, your appreciation of the importance of the stories of our paths and your commitment to sharing how we can transform simple ingredients into memories shines through in your writing. I am glad I get the chance to partake of your writing. It is a nice gift. This has been a wonderful way to get to know you.
I’m so touched by your kind comment, Mark, it has been satisfying to get you know you and others here through shared writing. That’s undoubtedly my favorite thing about this platform—the way it’s helped shatter the isolation that’s kind of a hazard of the craft of writing. You sit in your little cubbyhole and type away wondering if any of what you say will matter to anyone else. Then, lo and behold, wonderful folks like yourself write back. It’s magical! So thanks again, Mark. I always love hearing from you. 🤗
Five years! Congratulations, Ruth - that is SO very impressive. I hope you continue to write about whatever you feel like, and whatever you're taken with at the moment. Those of us who enjoy your blog enjoy it because of you!
Oh, thank you, Jodi! That’s how I feel about your blog too—and now I see you have a new name! I can’t wait to see where you go next. I’ll be enjoying vicariously!🤗
Matzah balls! My memory of "our" side of my family is of fluffy light floaters that melted in one's mouth. My father's side of the family was a distinct contrast, especially my late aunt Phyllis' heavy, dense, chewy matzah balls. Very different, but I loved them equally. I find that most homemade matzah balls I encounter (and devour) these days are of the lighter and softer variety. For a more robust matzah ball, I think of the ones one gets at a deli - the large one-per-bowl variety that dominates the bowl's appearance before the diner - with soup that barely climbs to the ball's equator. Those are often light on the outside, revealing a satisfyingly dense inner core. Really the best of both worlds and filling enough that I can't imagine having a bowl of soup AND a corned beef sandwich together!
Congrats on your blogging anniversary. I enjoy everything about your blog - the food, the travels, and all of the personal takes about a wide range of subjects. May you go from strength to strength as you share your passions with us.
Oh Joe, thanks so much for this! I'm so glad you enjoy the blog, and I appreciate your take on the deli-style cannonball-sized matzo balls that are light on the outside but dense and satisfying within. I think that's the type I like also, though for Passover I would probably make smaller ones. My family didn't add either seltzer water or baking powder, nor do I think they separated the eggs or employ any of the tricks that might lighten the balls, and yet I remember loving them. I'm thinking I might make two batches, a lighter version and a denser one and compare. But I really appreciate your weighing in (pun unintended!) on the subject! It definitely gives me something to think about as two pots of chicken broth are bubbling away on the stove and I'm contemplating that box of matzo meal on the counter! A Chag Pesach Sameach to you and yours!💕
keep doing you, Ruth ... i wouldn't give it a second thought. you clearly know how to connect with readers on so many levels and i for one (of many) look forward to each and every post ! hopefully, one day, as neighbors, we'll meet IRL ... maybe at the next protest ; )* congrats on your success !
Yes, please, Beth—I’d love to meet sometime at a protest or anywhere! I’m happy my blog resonates with you and appreciate the supportive comments. They’re the fuel that keeps me going—so thanks!🤗
Thanks to you both! I really enjoy all that you share from your travels--great writing, photography, historic perspective and recipes. It's a great package.
Congratulation and what a wonderful lookback at your body of work thus far! I have a lot of catching up to do- and look forward to all that is ahead - thabks!
Thanks also for the sweet and unexpected shoutout.
You're welcome, Lori! I'm glad to discover you (or I guess you discovered me first!). I love the stories you tell on your site, and I have a lot of catching up to do too--it will be enjoyable. Thanks for being a subscriber!
Congratulations on five years of lovely articles, Ruth! I love the full range of topics you cover, so please keep writing about whatever interests you at the time. (And thank you for the shout-out, too.)
Your article reminded me about how difficult it was to buy yeast during covid--I had already forgotten that. Thankfully, Ireland does not seem to have been affected yet by bird flu, so the price of eggs is still normal here and holding steady. As is the price for the lovely unsalted Kerrygold butter that is currently in my refrigerator!
I love matzo ball soup--whether the matzos rise or fall--and am really looking forward to your recipe.
Thanks, Clarice! It was interesting to look back and compare that time to this, which here in the U.S. is pretty fraught right now, what with the anticipated rise in prices of imported goods--which is really everything we buy, from butter to booze! My freezer is full of things I'm hoarding, like that Kerrygold butter--and I still feel I need to buy more. Maybe I'll just have to move to Ireland!😆
I'm making the soup as I write this, with chicken broth bubbling on the stove and several recipes with conflicting suggestions on matzo balls (light, heavy and in-between) competing for my attention. So hopefully it will all lead to a helpful recipe. Stay tuned!
Hi Ruth and congratulations on reaching your five year anniversary. What an achievement!
I’m a big admirer of your work and agree with the other commenters that you should continue to write about what interests you and what moves you. My view is that if people don’t like it they can always unsubscribe 😀
Congrats on five years, too, Marg! Sticking it out is an achievement.
It’s not a numbers game; it’s a quality game—at least that’s what I tell myself. You’re not doing anything wrong. If 300 people want to read what you have to say, that’s a win. If 10 people want to read what you write, that’s an achievement too. If you’re enjoying what you’re doing and others keep turning up to read it, that’s also important. If what you write isn’t for everyone, well you didn’t set out to write for everyone, right?
If I’ve learned anything in 5 years, it’s the importance of being true to myself despite all the chatter about what I “ought” to do to improve my numbers, be a “real” food writer or get more “hits.” I’m not interested—and furthermore, as I don’t have a boss anymore, I don’t have to be. Anyway, that’s my take, Marg, and I’m sticking to it!
I think you should be proud of your achievement too. I’ve been particularly impressed with your series of recollections about your life, both reading and personal. It’s wonderful—and not something I could do because I have a poor memory for the details of many of those years and didn’t write anything down, but it’s all so relatable—like a good novel. And I can’t wait for the next chapter! 😀
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Marg! I believe you’ve been blogging here for almost as long as I have, so congrats to you too!
I feel the same about focusing on what interests me rather than striving to please others. I find that when I do that, I can’t write at all. I try not to obsess about numbers. Though I’m always pleased to have new subscribers, I don’t get notifications when they unsubscribe. It’s a bit of a self-imposed cocoon, but what the heck—it works for me!🤗
Yes, I posted my first edition on Book Chat on April 14 in 2020. Like you, I was stressing about the Covid situation and wanted something to occupy my mind. I'd just retired and was feeling disconnected and alone and wanted a way to build a community of like-minded people. I think we have similar motivations.
I also wanted to comment on the number of subscribers issue - when I read that you have over 1,200 I was impressed and wondered what I was doing wrong (I have a quarter of that amount) but then I remembered that if all my subscribers came to hear me speak, I would be completely overwhelmed. I am grateful that people read my words, and I'm sure you are too. We may not have tens of thousands, but we have excellent people!
Congratulations on five years and counting! 🙌 That is an achievement in any industry but especially in food writing. I like your idea of not niching down super narrow on one topic because when it comes down to it, that’s life. So many things interest us, not just food! It might all point back to food, lol, but as humans we are multi-faceted. 💗
That’s so true, Betty! There’s so much to capture our attention and it’s fun to follow our curiosity down whichever rabbit hole we chance to find just to see where it leads. If we’re lucky, we might find ourselves in a Wonderland like Alice, possibly having tea with a Mad Hatter. But then, again, for me it would be all about the food. I’d want to have a recipe for that unbirthday cake!
Congratulations, Ruth! Five years and counting... what a great milestone! Love reading about your life, your family, foods, stories - they're always personal and heart-warming and often inspire to try something new or old in the kitchen. Keep them coming!
Thanks, Rena! I love hearing from you and remember many wonderful meals and conversations we've shared with you and Billy over many years. I hope there will be many more--maybe soon! Wishing all of you a delicioius Passover.❤️
Thanks so much for the lovely shoutout, Ruth. It's a joy to be included in such great company. And cheers to 5 years here on Substack! I love reading about your travels and am glad that Substack workshop brought us together.
Thanks, Emily! Isn’t it interesting that almost all the members of that original group have kept going and have continued to be fans of each other’s work? I also enjoy reading about your life, travels, cooking, reading and outside-the-box thinking. I hope we’ll all be writing 10-year anniversary posts in another 5 years!🤗
I loved reading about your journey here Ruth! Thank you for sharing. And I’m so glad you’re still here!
Wow, thanks, Rebecca! That means a lot. 🤗
What an amazing milestone, Ruth! 5 years —WOOHOO! Thank you for sharing your back and forth and honest thoughts. It resonates. Keep going. :)
Thanks for the comment, Julie. It means a lot, especially the suggestion to “keep going.” I think I will—and hope you do too!🤗
Thank you Ruth! Yes happy to encourage each other.
Hearty congratulations on five years (so far!) of sharing your eloquent writing with us. You inspire me so.
Thank you, Jean!💕
This is a lovely look back at all you’ve accomplished—and WOW, what a lot, Ruth—and a glimmer into the future. I am so glad we met in this unexpected food community! Keep baking, keep writing, keep traveling and being you. 💜
Amie, getting to know you, along with the community of other fine writers and good-hearted folks I’ve met here, has been the best thing about this adventure. Thanks so very much for your kind words, friendship and support over the years. 😘
Congratulations on five years Ruth. There are many ways to get to know someone. Food is certainly one. Another is when people take the time to capture their thoughts, refine them, and finally share them with others. Your sense of humor, your humanity, your appreciation of the importance of the stories of our paths and your commitment to sharing how we can transform simple ingredients into memories shines through in your writing. I am glad I get the chance to partake of your writing. It is a nice gift. This has been a wonderful way to get to know you.
I’m so touched by your kind comment, Mark, it has been satisfying to get you know you and others here through shared writing. That’s undoubtedly my favorite thing about this platform—the way it’s helped shatter the isolation that’s kind of a hazard of the craft of writing. You sit in your little cubbyhole and type away wondering if any of what you say will matter to anyone else. Then, lo and behold, wonderful folks like yourself write back. It’s magical! So thanks again, Mark. I always love hearing from you. 🤗
Five years! Congratulations, Ruth - that is SO very impressive. I hope you continue to write about whatever you feel like, and whatever you're taken with at the moment. Those of us who enjoy your blog enjoy it because of you!
Oh, thank you, Jodi! That’s how I feel about your blog too—and now I see you have a new name! I can’t wait to see where you go next. I’ll be enjoying vicariously!🤗
Matzah balls! My memory of "our" side of my family is of fluffy light floaters that melted in one's mouth. My father's side of the family was a distinct contrast, especially my late aunt Phyllis' heavy, dense, chewy matzah balls. Very different, but I loved them equally. I find that most homemade matzah balls I encounter (and devour) these days are of the lighter and softer variety. For a more robust matzah ball, I think of the ones one gets at a deli - the large one-per-bowl variety that dominates the bowl's appearance before the diner - with soup that barely climbs to the ball's equator. Those are often light on the outside, revealing a satisfyingly dense inner core. Really the best of both worlds and filling enough that I can't imagine having a bowl of soup AND a corned beef sandwich together!
Congrats on your blogging anniversary. I enjoy everything about your blog - the food, the travels, and all of the personal takes about a wide range of subjects. May you go from strength to strength as you share your passions with us.
Oh Joe, thanks so much for this! I'm so glad you enjoy the blog, and I appreciate your take on the deli-style cannonball-sized matzo balls that are light on the outside but dense and satisfying within. I think that's the type I like also, though for Passover I would probably make smaller ones. My family didn't add either seltzer water or baking powder, nor do I think they separated the eggs or employ any of the tricks that might lighten the balls, and yet I remember loving them. I'm thinking I might make two batches, a lighter version and a denser one and compare. But I really appreciate your weighing in (pun unintended!) on the subject! It definitely gives me something to think about as two pots of chicken broth are bubbling away on the stove and I'm contemplating that box of matzo meal on the counter! A Chag Pesach Sameach to you and yours!💕
keep doing you, Ruth ... i wouldn't give it a second thought. you clearly know how to connect with readers on so many levels and i for one (of many) look forward to each and every post ! hopefully, one day, as neighbors, we'll meet IRL ... maybe at the next protest ; )* congrats on your success !
Yes, please, Beth—I’d love to meet sometime at a protest or anywhere! I’m happy my blog resonates with you and appreciate the supportive comments. They’re the fuel that keeps me going—so thanks!🤗
it's my pleasure and i very much look forward to meeting you ! thank you, Ruth !
Congratulations! And thanks so much for the mention xx
You're welcome, Rachel. I've gotten so many ideas from you, especially for using ingredients in creative ways. Thanks for all you do.
Hearty congratulations from us both, Ruth and thank you for including us in your list. The feeling is mutual!
Thanks to you both! I really enjoy all that you share from your travels--great writing, photography, historic perspective and recipes. It's a great package.
That's so kind, Ruth!
Congratulation and what a wonderful lookback at your body of work thus far! I have a lot of catching up to do- and look forward to all that is ahead - thabks!
Thanks also for the sweet and unexpected shoutout.
You're welcome, Lori! I'm glad to discover you (or I guess you discovered me first!). I love the stories you tell on your site, and I have a lot of catching up to do too--it will be enjoyable. Thanks for being a subscriber!
Congratulations on five years of lovely articles, Ruth! I love the full range of topics you cover, so please keep writing about whatever interests you at the time. (And thank you for the shout-out, too.)
Your article reminded me about how difficult it was to buy yeast during covid--I had already forgotten that. Thankfully, Ireland does not seem to have been affected yet by bird flu, so the price of eggs is still normal here and holding steady. As is the price for the lovely unsalted Kerrygold butter that is currently in my refrigerator!
I love matzo ball soup--whether the matzos rise or fall--and am really looking forward to your recipe.
Thanks, Clarice! It was interesting to look back and compare that time to this, which here in the U.S. is pretty fraught right now, what with the anticipated rise in prices of imported goods--which is really everything we buy, from butter to booze! My freezer is full of things I'm hoarding, like that Kerrygold butter--and I still feel I need to buy more. Maybe I'll just have to move to Ireland!😆
I'm making the soup as I write this, with chicken broth bubbling on the stove and several recipes with conflicting suggestions on matzo balls (light, heavy and in-between) competing for my attention. So hopefully it will all lead to a helpful recipe. Stay tuned!
Hi Ruth and congratulations on reaching your five year anniversary. What an achievement!
I’m a big admirer of your work and agree with the other commenters that you should continue to write about what interests you and what moves you. My view is that if people don’t like it they can always unsubscribe 😀
Congrats on five years, too, Marg! Sticking it out is an achievement.
It’s not a numbers game; it’s a quality game—at least that’s what I tell myself. You’re not doing anything wrong. If 300 people want to read what you have to say, that’s a win. If 10 people want to read what you write, that’s an achievement too. If you’re enjoying what you’re doing and others keep turning up to read it, that’s also important. If what you write isn’t for everyone, well you didn’t set out to write for everyone, right?
If I’ve learned anything in 5 years, it’s the importance of being true to myself despite all the chatter about what I “ought” to do to improve my numbers, be a “real” food writer or get more “hits.” I’m not interested—and furthermore, as I don’t have a boss anymore, I don’t have to be. Anyway, that’s my take, Marg, and I’m sticking to it!
I think you should be proud of your achievement too. I’ve been particularly impressed with your series of recollections about your life, both reading and personal. It’s wonderful—and not something I could do because I have a poor memory for the details of many of those years and didn’t write anything down, but it’s all so relatable—like a good novel. And I can’t wait for the next chapter! 😀
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Marg! I believe you’ve been blogging here for almost as long as I have, so congrats to you too!
I feel the same about focusing on what interests me rather than striving to please others. I find that when I do that, I can’t write at all. I try not to obsess about numbers. Though I’m always pleased to have new subscribers, I don’t get notifications when they unsubscribe. It’s a bit of a self-imposed cocoon, but what the heck—it works for me!🤗
Yes, I posted my first edition on Book Chat on April 14 in 2020. Like you, I was stressing about the Covid situation and wanted something to occupy my mind. I'd just retired and was feeling disconnected and alone and wanted a way to build a community of like-minded people. I think we have similar motivations.
I also wanted to comment on the number of subscribers issue - when I read that you have over 1,200 I was impressed and wondered what I was doing wrong (I have a quarter of that amount) but then I remembered that if all my subscribers came to hear me speak, I would be completely overwhelmed. I am grateful that people read my words, and I'm sure you are too. We may not have tens of thousands, but we have excellent people!
Congratulations on five years and counting! 🙌 That is an achievement in any industry but especially in food writing. I like your idea of not niching down super narrow on one topic because when it comes down to it, that’s life. So many things interest us, not just food! It might all point back to food, lol, but as humans we are multi-faceted. 💗
That’s so true, Betty! There’s so much to capture our attention and it’s fun to follow our curiosity down whichever rabbit hole we chance to find just to see where it leads. If we’re lucky, we might find ourselves in a Wonderland like Alice, possibly having tea with a Mad Hatter. But then, again, for me it would be all about the food. I’d want to have a recipe for that unbirthday cake!
Congratulations, Ruth! Five years and counting... what a great milestone! Love reading about your life, your family, foods, stories - they're always personal and heart-warming and often inspire to try something new or old in the kitchen. Keep them coming!
Thanks, Rena! I love hearing from you and remember many wonderful meals and conversations we've shared with you and Billy over many years. I hope there will be many more--maybe soon! Wishing all of you a delicioius Passover.❤️