My Sunday Morning, an interview in The New York Times
BREAKFAST FIXATION My husband and I tend to start thinking about Sunday breakfast on Friday, because whatever it is we decide on, it’s going to be fabulous. I’m the popover queen; I learned to make them in seventh grade, so I’ve gotten really good at it. Also, we’ve been into waffles. I wandered into the 14th Street Whole Foods one day while they were making waffles in the store, took some home, and they were phenomenal. We loved having their waffles, but then they stopped making them.
WAFFLE SOLUTION We ended up buying a waffle maker with credit card points and found out something about waffle making: it’s a pain. So I came up with the idea of using buttermilk pancake batter. Much easier, and it makes a perfect waffle. Or maybe I should call it a pan-fle, or a waf-cake. We eat them the standard way: with butter and really good maple syrup. You can also do blueberry jam and sour cream on top. I spend most of the morning making and eating breakfast. I can get away with this on Sundays because the rest of the week I’m pretty careful about what I eat.
FAMILY CONSTITUTIONAL Around noon, we’ll go out for a long walk with the dog. Sunday is the only day when the dog gets to walk with both of us, and we have the impression it makes her happy. At least that’s what we tell ourselves. We have a regular route: first we go over to Bleecker Street and stop in at Faicco’s, the Italian grocery and butcher. They have great Italian sausage. Then we make a stop at Murray’s Cheese. After that we always try not to stop at Amy’s Bread because the layer cakes are too dangerous.
PLAYING CARDS ... OR NOT Sometimes I play bridge with my sister Nora and Diane Sokolow and Jackie Leo. We start at 2 p.m.; so far there’s no betting involved. If there’s a new cast coming into the show, I may go over to meet them; Sunday matinee is a good time for that. Or else I’ll work. I work all the time. I’m never not working, especially if I’m trying to finish something.
E-MAIL HABIT I’m also trying to break myself of my e-mail dependence. When I first started writing, I forced myself to write every day from 10 to 12 and 2 to 4; I got into the habit of being really strict about it. But I don’t think I ever would have become a writer if there’d been e-mail back then. It’s so distracting.
EVENING IN I liked watching television on Sunday nights, but there’s nothing really good now that “The Wire” isn’t on. Maybe we’ll order in from Chinatown Brasserie, or if we’re having people over, I’ll make a bouillabaisse, something simple but good. For a while, I was having these Sunday dinners, “Project Runway” dinners. I’ve been addicted to the show for four years, and so have a bunch of people we know. I don’t like to go out on Sunday night because Monday is coming and it’s the beginning of who knows what. The dog gets a quick walk, and it’s bed by 11:30.
By ROBIN FINN
Published: April 2, 2010
