Minute for Mom: February/March

A Minute for Mom

If you ever get a minute for yourself, this is what we think you should do with it!

 

Eats – Copper Pot Caramels

Right now I’m slowly (OK, not so slowly) working my way through box after box of Copper Pot Caramels. I’m so crazy over these caramels that my friends are starting to tune out my constant blathering about them. But friends are also bringing the little sugary gems to my house for hostess gifts, too (mission accomplished!).

 

The caramels are made by two local gals, Colleda and Adrienne, and they’re available at Johnson Orchards, Inklings Bookshop, Tasting Room Yakima, Deep Sea Deli, Gilbert Cellars and Pet Pantry. So far I’ve tried three flavors: sea salt, chai and a new concoction that shall remain nameless (but they say it will be announced soon). They’re chewy, rich and sweet. And if you’re a packaging freak like me, you’ll love the brown boxes with their decorative bands. Check them out on Facebook or at copperpotcaramelsllc.com.

 

Reads – “The Forgotten Garden”

This is one of those rare books that pulls you inside its pages and doesn’t let you out until the last page is turned — sadly at that. Written by Kate Morton, “The Forgotten Garden” is a grown-up fairy tale, complete with mysterious, endearing characters that teeter on the edge of realistic and a setting that includes foggy mazes, creaky mansions and walled gardens. Yet it isn’t a fairy tale at all, but the story of a woman trying to trace her grandmother’s origins — a grandmother whom was abandoned on a wharf in a foreign country at the age of 4. The story is a lovely – and often mesmerizing – escape.

 

Watches – “Downton Abbey”

I’m completely wrapped up in Masterpiece Theatre’s “Downton Abbey” miniseries on PBS. Before you roll your eyes, this isn’t your grandma’s Masterpiece Theatre. Gone is Alistair Cooke, the show’s iconic host for 21 years, who’s been replaced by the relatively fresh-faced Laura Linney. “Downton Abbey” is not your grandma’s stuffy miniseries either. Set in 1912, the show, which revolves around the Crawley family and its dynasty, grapples with the issue of primogeniture, the English law that only allowed an estate to be passed on to a male heir. The only problem with is that the Crawley’s closest male heir – and the fiance of their stubborn eldest daughter Mary — died on the Titanic. The story of how the Crawleys will maintain their residence, and their family, is told both from their point of view and that of the household servants. This, and the critical changes happening at that time in history — make it a gripping and sometimes hilarious tale to watch. Although the second season is in progress now, you can get DVDs on Amazon or on PBS.org. It’s also available on Netflix.

 

 

~Robin Beckett

 

Filed under From the Mag