The Lost Kitchen

Reflections and Recipes

from an Alzheimer's Caregiver

Stories from the heart, poetry for the soul, and recipes to remember.

Praise for The Lost Kitchen

LINDA STERN ZISQUIT

Ritual Bath

The wisdom of [Miriam's] words and the compassion, understanding and even humor in her responses to her mother’s illness teach us what it means to navigate the struggle and remain buoyed up by one’s own resources.

BERNARD KOPS

The Hamlet of Stepney Green

The joys of desire and the crying of family love woven together in a happy mix. It comes alive and speaks to you directly. You awake and sing and cry all at once.

TAMAR GENGER, MA, RD

Kosher Network International

A moving and inspirational story of memories—past and present, lost and found—set in and around the kitchen table.

About Miriam

Book Tour!

Miriam Green is the author of The Lost Kitchen: Reflections and Recipes from an Alzheimer's Caregiver. She writes a weekly blog about her mother’s Alzheimer’s and related recipes. Her blog has also appeared on the

Alzheimer’s Association website. Her poetry has been published in several journals, including Poet Lore, Ilanot Review, The Barefoot Review, Red Wolf Press, and Poetica Magazine. Her poem, “Mercy of a Full Womb,” won the 2014 Jewish Literary Journal’s 1st anniversary competition. Her poem, “Questions My Mother Asked, Answers My Father Gave Her,” won the 2013 Reuben Rose Poetry prize. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Bar Ilan University, and a BA from Oberlin College.

Miriam is the mother of three sabras and a grandmother of one. A 28-year resident of Beer Sheva, Israel, Miriam lives with her loving husband, Jeff, Zipper the very fat cat, and a snake named Popcorn.

Looking for a dynamic speaker for your group or next event? Miriam speaks about her family's journey with Alzheimer's, and on the subject of writing and publishing. She can also lead a cooking demonstration or talk about aliyah.

Miriam will be touring the US with her book in the near future. She'll be stopping in Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, and California. Contact us if you'd like us to add a stop in your home town.

If you'd like to arrange for Miriam to speak in Israel, contact us here.

Two Toothbrushes

by Miriam Green

She sang that crazy song

when I was five:

two toothbrushes fall in love,

marry in haste, share the same toothpaste.

How I’d brush and brush

just to keep her singing.

I am the blue toothbrush and she, the pink.

She is such a sweet toothbrush.

We’ve met somewhere before,

by the bathroom door

of my memory,

my elbow jutting gently into her side

with each brushing motion,

and once I was the pink toothbrush

glowing from her attentions,

my nylons bristling and whistling.

I tell myself this song keeps her healthy.

Or maybe I’m singing to relive that moment

when I was still her child.

Practical Tips

from The Lost Kitchen

Live in the now. The power of the present allows Mom to laugh and sing and enjoy life fully without the pressure of having to remember the past or plan for the future.

When in doubt, sing. We have a song for brushing teeth and washing hair, a song for putting on Mom’s medicinal patch, walking songs, eating songs, sleeping songs, songs for good moods, silly songs, and old favorites. Tap into their early memories and sing away. It doesn’t matter if you can’t carry a tune. Definitely learn the words to “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts.”

Change the way you speak. Alzheimer’s patients don’t remember things. It is pointless to ask, “Do you remember…” It places needless stress on Mom.