Hi. I’m Isabel, I cook and scribble. I make a lot of food and do a lot of writing, and Bread & Courage is what I have to show for it. It started as a simple food blog called TASTE but evolved into something more—a place where I express my love of food, community and the environment. Thanks for spending some time here—and be in touch!
Cake is a favorite food, though sadly it can come with some baggage. Having cake for breakfast, day after day, is a loaded decision, for example…unless you’re someone who really has no qualms about those kinds of social conventions. I’ll have some cake or pastry from time to time, but reaching for it for a [...]
If you ask me, gingersnaps get short shrift. Until recently, they were the one variety I didn’t reach for and I notice this phenomenon all the time at parties. They don’t ooze chocolate or sparkle with powdered sugar. Sometimes they come in the form of little men, but I think this makes them even stranger [...]
On Friday, I sat at my desk and watched fat puffs of snow fall from an all-white sky. Ordinarily it would not be such an occurrence for me to be distracted by drifting snow on December 4th. But last Friday, I was really, really mesmerized. At times, completely lost in a faraway fantasy, which may [...]
Recently, I had a chill. Last Sunday, I believe it was. I may have behaved a bit badly on Saturday and warranted it. But whether it was the inklings of an illness, or just a bit of a post-champagne grog, I’ll never know: the soup I made that day cleared all of my troubles [...]
I recently visited an acupuncturist who told me that, according to the principals of Chinese medicine, I have a seriously deficient Qi . To ameliorate the problem he instructed me to eat more cooked, hot and spicy foods including meat and grains. I' ve been following his advice and feel much haler already. You' ll [...]
I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease… observing a thread of grated ginger in my bread.
Every bite I take of this loaf makes my taste buds jump for joy. This gingerbread is dense, spicy and has chunks of crystallized ginger that feel like angels dancing on my tongue. The apple [...]
