Welcome!

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    I'm Susie Bright, I live in Santa Cruz, California— I like to cook and sew and throw parties and wear costumes and pretend I'm running my own couture maison.

    It's a dreamy escape from my other world, which is writing, publishing, & politics.

    If you'd like to stay abreast of my new stories, add my blog to your newsfeed, or sign up for my email updates— use the little widget on the bottom left of this page.

    The subtitle of my blog, Good Cooking, Fine Sewing, & the Leisure Hours, is inspired from a quote by Kitty Emeneau, the devoted wife of famous linguist Murray Emeneau.

    Murray was influential in his field, and Kitty was an exceptional hostess. At one of their parties, a student asked Kitty if she was a behind-the-scenes collaborator on Murray's linguistic epics, in the manner of many "faculty wives" who worked without credit on their husbands' endeavors.

    "Oh no, dear," Kitty said, with a trill that rivalled any drag queen's. "I'm strictly for his leisure hours!"

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Betty Jo's Valentines

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    These are valentines from my mother's childhood scrapbook, "Betty Jo" Halloran. They were sent and received, from her siblings, grandparents, cousins, and friends, from 1929 to 1938, in Fargo, North Dakota, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Please enjoy them with my love. xoxo, Susie

Chocolates & Candy

October 29, 2007

Taffy Pull!

ChittyI'm going to pull taffy this Halloween. I've invited some crazy cooks over to help me... apparently you have to pull, pull, and pull— until you collapse— that's when you know it's ready.

The taffy link I've posted is from the wonderful Exploratorium in San Francisco, a "kids" science museum that adults go crazy over. It's actually called "a museum of art, science, and human perception." Yes!

We're throwing a candy-making cabal. It all started last year when I had the grand idea that we should make chocolate razor blades, as a spoof on trick-or-treat hysteria. But I could not figure out how to make the "blades" thin enough!

This year, I'm just going to get down to the basics. I want to use some old-school candy recipes that I used to make with my mom when I was a kid— see below. My fondest memories of my mom are from when we made candy together, and then ate it all in one sitting watching "Get Smart" on our black-and-white Zenith.

The first is the Fudge recipe that we found on the back page of Ian Fleming's book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Yes, it's James Bond fudge!  I've translated all the British measurements for you:


Continue reading "Taffy Pull!" »

April 01, 2007

Eat Me Now Ask Me How

Chocolatekamasutra I've rarely felt so aroused and hungry at the same time.

You can see all the positions of yumminess at a site created by ardent, philosphical, drug-geek hedonists. What lovely people.

However, they give no clue who the artist is.

Apparently, you can buy the eight-bar set at a snooty chocolate web boutique, although they warn you:

Although tastefully done, the illustrations on these bars are quite graphic and adventurous in nature, including nudity, and are not for everybody.

Well, I wouldn't want anything less!


thanks to monsieur brown for the tip.

Susie's Q