Homestyle

HOMEstyle July 2014

Veritas Vineyard’s Starry Nights inspires

outdoor culinary creations

HOMEstyle 路 July 2014

HOMEstyle 路 July 2014

HOMEstyle Letter from the Editor

O An advertising supplement to

Editor Chandler Jones Contributors Theresa Curry Mark Miller Cover photo

by Mark Miller Visit us online at: http://www.dailyprogress.com/ specialty_publications/ ©2014 Daily Progress.

All rights reserved. All property rights for the entire contents of this publication shall be the property of the Daily Progress.

No part thereof may be reproduced without prior written consent.

ISSN 0746-0430 Direct all inquiries to: HOMEstyle P.O. Box 9030 Charlottesville, VA 22906

HOMEstyle · July 2014

n a warm summer night, it is not so uncommon that a grand crowd may stop to celebrate the food and wine Virginia has to offer. Early this June, some did just that at Veritas Vineyards and Winery.

I, who can hardly claim the title of wine connoisseur, have fallen in love with Charlottesville’s wine world. It’s hidden, underneath the bustling streets and soaring mountains, but it’s there, tangible to this burgeoning society. The proximity, the quantity and the prevalence make it that way.

I took a recent drive from down south and, on the way up, I couldn’t miss the vineyards, the sheer number of them had me pondering how they all fit. I realized, as cozy as they fit in this darling town, they fit in this community.

Here, people know good wine, fresh wine, wine from home, wine from down the street.

I have never come across this in any other place I’ve stopped to take a breath.

Furthermore, those who love their wine know just how to celebrate it.

In this July edition of HOMEstyle Theresa Curry takes the reader on a foodie adventure through June 14’s Starry Night at Veritas Vineyards and Winery, where good music met good dancing and united with delicious food. The three combined, as you’ll see in pictures taken by Mike Miller on Pages 8-15, created an atmosphere of friendship and festivity.

Curry’s story, titled “Taking it outside: fresh, simple and safe,” shows just how those in attendance decided to fuel their fun-filled night with treats such as brownies possessing a chili twist and bread with strawberries baked right in, recipes you can find on Page 14.

Sandwiching this story are different reading delights on how to renovate the small space out back and how one woman is fighting her dementia with – you guessed it – good food.

Now grab your glass of wine – come one just a little more, you earned it – sit back, relax and let July’s HOMEstyle entertain, inspire and leave you with a grumbly tummy.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful summer from all of us at the Daily Progress and the New Virginian,

Chandler Jones If you have a renovation, design or garden project you would like to share with us, please email rv@dailyprogress.com. No project is too small.

contents

HOMEstyle

July 2014

features in this issue

6

Tips and tricks to utilize your patio space

The Associated Press

For outdoor flare, designers suggest using mobile carts as bars or buffets when space is tight.

8

Veritas Vineyard’s Starry Nights

Backyard beauty

14

Theresa Curry talks outdoor cooking, the smart way, with the crowd at Veritas Vineyard.

Color your home Finding ways to make lime green and hot pink paints work for your more bland rooms

18

Nutrition versus dementia Paula Wolfert finds a way to join her love of food with her way of life

Mark Miller

Chef Mike Lund presents his Moroccan chickpea salad.

HOMEstyle · July 2014

Backyard beautification To keep gatherings easygoing and enjoyable, designers suggest a casual outdoor table setting in which guests can help themselves and pass dishes and platters around the table family-style.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

F

or years, it was enough to park a barbecue grill next to a picnic table on a patio and call it

an “outdoor kitchen.” But over the past decade, Americans have taken backyard cooking and dining to a new level, add-ing elaborate cooking islands, outdoor sinks and refrigerators, even outdoor TVs. Unless you have a tall fence, this is the one “room” in your house that neighbors will see whether you invite them to or not, notes designer Sarah Fishburne, director of trend and design for The Home De-pot. That inspires many homeowners to pay extra attention to their outdoor entertaining area.

Many of us also love the appeal of cooking and entertaining in a space that’s relatively indestructible, says designer Jeff Blunkosky, owner of Pittsburgh Stone and Waterscapes.

“If kids spill cake or Kool-Aid on your patio,” he says, “you just pull out your hose and hose it off.”

Here are some thoughts from Flynn, Blunkosky and Los Angeles-based designer Brian Patrick Flynn, creator of the design blog FlynnsideOut.com, about the elements that make a useful, beautiful outdoor kitchen without huge expense:

HOMEstyle · July 2014

Designers also use pergolas to add privacy to outdoor living areas and provide more surfaces to house-container plants.

The Associated Press

Build an island

plus more storage drawers. That

Fishburne says the new generaAbout a decade ago, Blunkosky involves running a water line and tion of outdoor cooks wants more than steaks, hamburgers and hot says, many homeowners began power line out to the structure, feeling that “a stand-alone grill so costs rise. So does the time the dogs. “They’re thinking about Korean barbecue,” she says, or just kind of standing there” didn’t project takes, says Blunkosky: look that great in their backyards. Designing and installing an elabo- asking, “How can I make breakfast outside?”

Plus, it provided little workspace rate cooking island sur-rounded The new “Spirit Grill” from for prepping food. The answer by paving stones can take as long Weber has “seven interchangeable was to build around it, incorpoas putting an addition on your grates,” she says, including a pizza rating the grill into a stone base house. stone, pancake maker and poulwith a countertop and drawers try rotisserie attachment. Some underneath — pretty and practiBring the heat buyers use it to make three meals cal. a day outside, she says. Prices Costs vary around the country, As people spend more on their begin between $299 and $399, but but these designers say an invest- outdoor kitchens, they want to many of the attachments are sold ment of $3,000 to $5,000 will cover use them for as much of the year a simple, 6-feet-long cooking as possi-ble, no matter where they separately.

Grill quality is important, island with a basic grill embedded live.

Blunkosky says, especially in areas in it and a 2-feet-deep countertop Fireplaces, fire pits and heatwith harsh weather. But if you’re area. The countertop serves as ers, either freestanding or wallcooking prep space and usually mounted, are good ways to extend trying to be strategic with money, Flynn points out that even a nice extends out so that bar stools can the season for your outdoor be pulled up under-neath to crekitchen. Outdoor pizza ovens also grill and other outdoor appliances might need to be replaced within ate a bar area for guests. have become popular.

To turn a cooking island into a And grills have come a long way five years. He recommends investing more in the permanent things full-service kitchen, add a resince the days when we poured (a higher-end cooking island frigerator, sink and ice maker, lighter fluid on a pile of coals.

or paving stones) rather than a hugely expensive grill.

Frame the space Outdoor draperies can add privacy, inject color and pattern, and set off your dining area as a distinct space, Flynn says. They also can make a small patio feel larger, he says: If you hang curtains that are 7 or 8 feet tall, “you will emphasize the height of the space rather than emphasizing how small the footprint is.”

Pergolas achieve the same effect, and used together, the two elements can create a dining area that feels luxurious, at minimal expense. A pergola also gives you more options for built-in lighting.

A chandelier or hanging pendant light over the dining table can make your outdoor space feel like a true dining room, and there are many designed for outdoor use.

Outdoor sconces can be hung on the pergola’s posts.

HOMEstyle · July 2014

By Theresa Curry Photos by Mark Miller

Taking it outside: fresh, simple and safe W

hen it comes to sum-

parties, weddings and rehearsal

room temperature.”

mer entertaining,

dinners.

Planning ahead

keep it fresh, keep it

“At this time of year we let

simple, keep it safe. That’s advice

superior ingredients speak for

from Chef Mike Lund, owner of

themselves,” Lund says. “Less is

Staunton’s Mike Lund Food. Lund more, we cook food lightly, and spends many summer days and

we intentionally look for recipes

nights preparing food for outdoor that can be served chilled or at

HOMEstyle · July 2014

To cut down on last-minute chores and avoid too much expoure to high temperatures Lund recommends thinking about what can be done hours See OUTSIDE, Page 10

Veritas Vineyard’s Starry Nights

LEFT: A picnic dinner that suits children of all ages includes bread, fruit, chicken and Mediterranean orzo salad.

RIGHT: Friends relax around a gorgeous table designed by Frank Ludzik including a homemade candleholder using a wine bottle.

HOMEstyle · July 2014

Outside

Lund notes that smoking sturdy cuts From Page 8 of meat is the perfect before it’s time to do-ahead strategy, eat. It can be somesince the long time thing as simple as required means that blanching spring time on the front onions and asparaend translates into gus, to be marked perfectly done food later on the grill. hours later. He has Pizzas and flatbreads noticed that private can be grilled ahead smoked-meat fans for that great smoky slip on thick work flavor, then topped gloves to separate and finished in the the meat into servoven. ing sizes, a strategy Meat can be prenot used by a profescooked, too, even sional chef on duty for a barbecue. Sam because of health Morris, Charlotconcerns, but availtesville musician able and useful to and operations the amateur. He has manager for Michie also recognized the Tavern, likes to cook growing popularhis chicken before ity of kebabs, which grilling for a tender can be prepared in product, bathing it advance, marinated with an herb-andand chilled, and spice-infused sauce finished on the hot as it gets its final grill. heating. Or a whole Joel Gillespie has salmon or brisket found that some can be grilled and meats stand up well chilled, then served for several hours afcold. Lund cooks his ter cooking. For outsalmon in a musdoor tailgates and tard-seed crust and picnics, he prepares garnishes it with dill, bacon-wrapped a presentation that chicken nuggets, does away with any flavorful fingerfood last-minute fussing. that’s gobbled up as

10

HOMEstyle · July 2014

soon as he can plop them on the plate.

Gillespie wraps the chicken pieces with the appropriately-sized strips of bacon, secures with a toothpick, then seasons with salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili, finally giving the whole tray a dusting of brown sugar before popping it in the oven to bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees. The bacon keeps the chicken from drying out on the platter; the spices balance the fat to keep the flavors bright.

Linda Hershey, president and CEO of the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce, chooses recipes that can be made in large batches and stored in the freezer, like her chickenspinach bruschetta (recipe on page 19) which does well when sealed tightly in zip-close bags and frozen. Crusty See OUTSIDE, Page 11

Saturday, June 14, 20

014

LEFT: Sam Morris grills chicken.

MIDDLE: Crowds dance, eat and enjoy themselves at Starry Nights at Veritas Vineyards.

RIGHT: Chef Mike Lund prepares some fresh vegetables.

Outside

in season nor likely to stand up well to swelFrom Page 10 tering heat. Lund likes bread is the perfect base composed salads when for the tender chickenthe temperature rises. spinach mixture and the He suggests a Moroccan sharp note of Parmesan garbanzo bean salad with and cheddar cheeses. raw red onion, cucumEvelyn DeGolyer-Croft, bers, peppers and golden accustomed to cooking raisins with a yogurtfor all ages, finds that her based dressing seasoned family’s favorite comfort with fresh dull, garlic, foods travel well from the parsley and mint, a white home kitchen to the pic- bean salad with a fresh nic table. A picnic meal parsley dressing, or a of cold roast chicken gar- Mediterranean orzo salad nished with grapes, broc- with olives and grape coli salad and macaroni tomatoes. and cheese, attractively “All of these actually presented, makes an taste better when made elegant as well as family- in advance and allowed friendly outdoor dinner. to sit,” he said.

Other ideas are salads Rethinking salads based on grilled beets, The height of summer quinoa, new potatoes, is not the time for tossed wild rice, kale or fava lettuce, which is neither beans, all tossed with a

vinegar or citrus-based dressing, a lighter choice than mayonnaise. He also likes “day pickles,” lightly pickled young vegetables, sunk in a brine for a day or two and served alongside salads or cheeses for intense, summery flavor.

Bill Arehart of Louisa makes a wonderful “Texas Caviar,” which can be served as a salad or as a salsa scooped up with chips. Arehart mixes diced avocado, the white part of spring onions and Roma tomatoes with chopped cilantro, adding these ingredients to a bag of frozen white baby corn, defrosted and drained, and two cans of drained black beans. A small can of El Paso tomato sauce and a quarter cup of red wine vinegar

dresses these vegetables for a refreshing and tangy hot-weather appetizer.

Mabel Cash of Waynesboro has a new take on a popular sandwich. She scoops out the inside of some small, sturdy tomatoes, salts them and drains them on paper towels. Meanwhile, she mixes a pound of bacon, fried, drained and crumbled, with half-a-head or so of chopped iceberg lettuce, some mayonnaise and diced onions.

She stuffs the filling back into the drained tomatoes for a BLT without the bread, a refreshing finger food for hot nights.

Vanessa Schroeder of Charlottesville skips the salad course and loves the look of fresh, whole See OUTSIDE, Page 12

HOMEstyle · July 2014

11

Outside From Page 11

fruit for the outdoor table. Shroeder, a nurse and part-time caterer, found a colorful mixture of apricots, plumquats and grapes, beautiful summer colors of gold, purple and green for a lush summery display.

Time for dessert July is not the time for frosted cakes or creamy puddings.

Smart picnickers choose cookies or sturdy bars, like Van-

essa Schroeder’s ancho chili brownies or Cookie Tom’s strawberry bread (both recipes below). And when peach, blackberry, cherry and early apple season is in full swing, cobblers will taste like summer whether served warm in the kitchen or at room temperature in the park. Lund says he’s found that he can transport locallymade ice cream and gelato in the midst of summer, so long as the merchant freezes it in the blast freezer

Incredible home in Newtown Historic District overlooking one of Staunton’s

Allen Persinger

Frozen grapes and strawberries keep the wine cool for Janet Ewing and seasonal fruits add summer flavor with watering it down.

12

HOMEstyle · July 2014

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and it’s packed in ice.

About six hours later, it’s at a perfect temperature to add to a brownie or cobbler or star in a sundae buffet with berries, nuts and fresh fruit syrups.

Candice Randolph of Waynesboro has found a way to incorporate a sweet treat with a cold glass of wine. She washes and stems grapes of different colors and pops them in the freezer on trays. Three or four frozen grapes in a glass of Viognier will keep the wine from

wilting and add wonderful flavor to the fruit.

As always, holding food in warm weather requires some precautions. Lund talks about a “danger zone” between 41 and 135 degrees, when cold foods are not cold enough and hot foods are not hot enough to prevent the growth of pathogens.

“And between 70 and 125 degrees pathogens double every 20 minutes,” he cautions.

Most foods that start out chilled below the danger zone can be held for four hours as long as they don’t reach 70 degrees.

“A lot of the trouble actually comes from leftovers,” he explained.

If a food has been held for four hours in the danger zone, a lot depends on what happens next. Food that won’t be reheated ¬ like salads - are questionable. As always, food should - be discarded if there’s any doubt.

or at an outdoor music venue like “Starry Nights,” held every summer month at Veritas Winery in Nelson County.

That’s where we found the spectacular table treatment designed by Frank Ludzik, a salesman and project manager for Georgia Pacific. Ludzik said his design has evolved over time. For the outdoor A dazzling display seating at Veritas, he chose It’s not only the food that to convert wine bottles adds interest and color to into candelabras via the outdoor dining. Lamps, inserts made for that purcandles, glass, color, spar- pose to provide lighting kle and pattern play a part for his group meal. Cheryl in the fun of picnicking, O’Connor helped by comwhether in your own yard ing up with a way to dress

up a paperboard wine box with flowers and lights.

Battery powered lights of all kinds and colors - some that look like a bouquet of flowers and some winding along the table - complete the festive look. More lights are added after dark for a whimsical but elegant look.

Patrice Batcheller, the director of sales for Caspari in Charlottesville, advises those wanting to entertain informally outside to remember to enjoy the process.

“Have fun with entertaining,” she said. “Keep it simple, don’t overthink it,

just do it and enjoy it.”

Batcheller offered some useful tools for table design to her audience in a recent presentation at Farmington, advising them to use simple potted plants for decorations, layer paper products with linens and mix colors and styles. Pull an old shawl from your closet, use your best china with jelly jars, put lemons and limes in a glass bowl, put small pots of herbs on the table to snip as you go, she said, always remembering that its okay to break out of the mold for an exuberant, joyful evening.

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13

Taking it outside: accompanying recipes Chicken and Spinach Bruschetta

Ancho Chili Brownies

Makes 20-25 pieces

Espresso, chili powder, vanilla and ginger add intense flavor to these rich brownies

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 3 cups torn baby spinach ½ cup Italian dressing 2 small loaves crusty Italian bread cut into ½ inch slices 1 clove of garlic, chopped Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons butter ¼ cup milk Mixture of ¼ cup of grated Romano and Parmesan cheese mixed with ½ cup of crumbled white sharp cheddar cheese

Brush each slice on both sides with virgin olive oil. Toast the bread slices on a grill pan until lightly toasted. Brush top side with Italian dressing.

Drizzle about a tablespoon of virgin olive oil in a large skillet; heat over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and put in a hot skillet. Cook the chicken for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

It should take 10-12 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken breasts are.

Allow to cool and cut into small pieces.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and milk; stir in skillet.

Add the spinach; toss until wilted. In a large bowl mix cooked chicken, spinach, and cheeses. Reserve some of the cheese mixture to sprinkle over the chicken mixture once arranged. Toss with remaining Italian dressing until well coated. Top the toasted bruschetta slices with the chicken mixture; sprinkle on the remaining cheeses.

Recipe courtesy Linda Hershey

14

HOMEstyle · July 2014

½ cup unsalted butter 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder 2 tablespoons ground ginger (or ¼ tsp fresh grated ginger) ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. sea salt Optional - 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Strawberry Bread Cookie Toms, of Staunton’s Frontier Culture Museum, dusted this moist bread with powdered sugar before serving.

3 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cinnamon 2 cups sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup vegetable oil 2 - 10oz. packages of frozen strawberries, thawed with ¾ cup sugar added

Combine first five ingredients; mix well.

Combine eggs, oil and strawberries. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour evenly into two greased and floured pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.

Recipe courtesy Cookie Toms, created by Marsha Ponton, and from the GFWC Amherst Woman’s Club 2007 Cookbook “All Around the Circle”

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking pan and set aside.

In a large heat-proof bowl, combine butter and chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth.

Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, espresso powder, vanilla and eggs, then whisk into cooled chocolate mixture; mix well.

In another small bowl, whisk together flour, chili powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt, then whisk into chocolate mixture just until mixed. Do not over-mix. Fold in chocolate chips if using.

Pour into prepared baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes. When done, a cake tester inserted into center of brownies will come out slightly wet and edges will be slightly pulled away from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe courtesy Vanessa Schroeder

LEFT: This ancho chili brownie is a specialty of Vanessa Schroeder.

ABOVE: Chicken and bacon are part of this delicious treat by Joel Gillespie.

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Coloring your home color, then you already have your star.”

Burnham agrees: “Orange t might be practical, of course, to decorate your next to screaming lime green home with neutral colors next to fuchsia,” she says, “doesn’t belong in a grownand muted earth tones. No up space.” But fuchsia paired need to worry about colors clashing if most everything is with olive green can look white, beige and light brown. chic.

The same approach works But what if you’re a fan of vivid orange, lime green or a for paler colors. Pastel pink used with pastel yellow and luscious shade of lavender? pastel blue creates an over“It’s a game of balance,” load of sweetness. But Flynn says interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn, creator of the has found that a light pastel pink can be gorgeous paired Flynnside Out design blog. with a dark, calming navy “Once you get that right, blue. just about any color can be spectacular.”

Here, Flynn and two other Adjust your shade designers — Kyle SchunWhen clients are consideman of Live Well Designs ering a bright color, Flynn and Betsy Burnham of Burnadvises them to choose ham Design — share advice one “two shades lighter or on decorating successfully less saturated than the one with even the most complithey’re iffy about.” cated colors.

No matter what the color, all three designers recomPick one wild shade mend picking a shade that’s For a client who loved lime got some gray mixed in. For a living room done in shades green, Schuneman covered of purple and lavender, one dining room wall with Burnham chose a sofa fabric wallpaper that combined that was a mix of gray and bright lime green with a muted sage green. He paint- purple, and used a white paint infused with a bit of ed the other three walls in gray on the walls. the neutral sage. The room “Gray has a way of calming didn’t feel overwhelming. a color down,” Schuneman “There can only be one star in a room,” Schuneman says, making it “feel velvety and more soothing.” says. “If you want a bold The Associated Press

I

16

HOMEstyle · July 2014

Accents instead of walls “There are lots of ways to incorporate color without having to commit to a wall color,” Schuneman says.

“Paint an old media cabinet in a bold purple to make it a hot conversation piece.”

Taxicab yellow walls would be awful, says Burnham, but one bright yellow throw or ceramic lamp could satisfy your desire for that shade without overpowering a room.

If your heart is set on a tough color and you’re not content with adding just a single accessory, Burnham suggests consulting an expert. Many interior designers will do a color consultation, walking through your home to discuss how favorite colors might work there.

Embrace the blues “I actually think of blue as a neutral,” he says. “I love it and always have it in my house, and have used shades from sky to royal to navy.”

Even vivid blues can have a calming effect. “Everyone gravitates to oceans and lakes, and it makes peo-ple feel good,” Schuneman says.

Flynn says the payoff can be fabulous.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LEFT: Bold red wallpaper and upholstery are combined with neutral colors to create a lively but cohesive design for this home office.

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17

Cookbook author fighting Alzheimer’s with food The Associated Press

A

diagnosis of an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease hasn’t stopped cookbook author Paula Wolfert’s decades-long career with food. But it has changed the direction.

The 76-year-old Wolfert , renowned for classics like “Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco,” has been diagnosed with a variant of Benson’s syndrome, a rare condition related to Alzheimer’s.

That was the end of following the kind of complex, meticulous recipes for which she’s known.

But it was the beginning of looking at food in terms of healing, rather than hedonistic properties, as well as speaking frankly about the disease in hopes of encouraging others who think they might have a problem to get tested, and treated, sooner rather than later.

“What I tell everybody is that denial is not an option,” she says.

Talking to Wolfert on the phone from her home in Northern California, you’re prepared to feel sad, or at least wistful. But though she occasionally 18

HOMEstyle · July 2014

“

I loved being in food. I spent 50 years as a career. I did all the things I wanted to do, and now I’ve taken that same energy — I wouldn’t say I was taking my knowledge of food — but I’m taking that same energy, and putting it into being proactive and trying to help myself stay stable.“

— Paula Wolfert

Cookbook author

searches for a word, what you come away with is an impression of robust enthusiasm for her new mission.

“I loved being in food. I spent 50 years as a career. I did all the things I wanted to do, and now I’ve taken that same energy — I wouldn’t say I was taking my knowledge of food — but I’m taking that same energy, and putting it into being proactive and trying to help myself stay stable,” she says.

Along with researching foods that may help her stay mentally sharp, Wolfert has made some informational videos for the Alzheimer’s Association.

And she’s got some allies in the chefs who have followed her work over the years. On June 26, seven California chefs are putting on a dinner and silent

auction benefit in Oakland to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

The dinner, at which Wolfert will be a guest, is inspired by her achievements in food and her work encouraging people to get tested if they notice early signs of memory loss, says Russell Moore, who is hosting the event at his Camino restaurant.

“The fact that she is speaking out about Alzheimer’s is just really wonderful,” says Moore, whose own mother died of Alzheimer’s. Moore, who got to know Wolfert first through her books and then in person, isn’t surprised to see Wolfert taking on Alzheimer’s full-tilt .

“It’s her approach; she’s all or nothing,” he says.

For Wolfert, the first signs of trouble were “so many little things,” like

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cookbook author Paula Wolfert makes a smoothie using avocados, cacao powder mixed with cinnamon, lemons, kale, blueberries and supplements at her home. reading a book or watching a TV show and then immediately forgetting it.

Then it got to the point that she’d read a paragraph in a newspaper and couldn’t remember what she’d just read.

She got tested and diagnosed. Then she began researching what kinds of foods might help or hurt mental acuity, using the same type of determina-

tion she once used to hunt down the best and most specific way of making the foods of the Mediterranean and Southwest France.

Some studies have suggested that a heart-healthy diet may lower risks for Alzheimer’s disease or slow the rate of age-related mental decline, but evidence is mixed and inconclusive.

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HOMEstyle 路 July 2014