Asian Brussels Sprouts Girl and the Goat Style
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: an Easy Protein Packed Snack
Tarte Aux Pommes
Homemade Tuna Tartare
Just a Simple Little French Cake: Moelleux au Chocolat
Strawberry Yogurt Cake: Great for Breakfast or Afterschool Snacks
Milk Chocolate Pudding
I was consumed by History of Wolves, Emily Fridlund’s first novel. It’s a coming of age novel, set in the woods and lakes of northern Minnesota, whose pages are filled with a growing ominous tone. The story is told from Linda’s point of view, a lonely teenager living with her parents, the last two members… Continue Reading
Squash soups are the perfect vegetable soup – filled with fiber and a touch of sweetness, the bowl just disappears. Pumpkins and squashes are now very available in France at the winter markets, and these american ingredients are becoming very popular there. This French style butternut squash soup with a touch of curry, enriched with… Continue Reading
The weather in Chicago has been so mild lately that it almost makes me miss winter, just to be able to cook some of my favorite comfort foods, like pot roast. Beef pot roast tastes best when the weather outside is mean enough to force your breath out in tiny puffs of white. That’s when my… Continue Reading
It seems fitting to post my word of the year today, on this dark day, on inauguration day. My 2017 word of the year is COURAGE. I knew this would be my word before the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve. There was no soul searching needed. 2017 has to be the year to… Continue Reading
The holiday season is hard for me. So much time devoted to material things, gift lists, online shopping, it gets me down. Don’t get me wrong: I love seeing the joy on the kids’ faces on Christmas morning, but I just wish I didn’t have to devote as much time to making it happen. Next… Continue Reading
When too much time goes between blog posts, I feel it, as if my voice is the sad curl of gray smoke after a candle is snuffed out. I miss the certainty of hitting publish, of capturing a nice meal or committing a family moment to a special place in memory with a few carefully chosen words. I’ve been… Continue Reading
Oven roasted chicken is on repeat rotation on our weekly menu. I often start the week out with a pair of chickens roasted in the oven and use the leftovers for other dinners and lunches. Having leftover roasted chicken is the key to all these throw together meals: chicken enchiladas, sun dried tomato chicken pasta… Continue Reading
I cried in front of my children this morning. One by one they came to me with questions about Trump’s victory, and as I answered them, I let my tears flow. This is a hard day, a scary day, but it is also a learning day. “Mom,” said Sophie, “I’m mad that we voted for… Continue Reading
What comfort foods did you grow up with? On busy uninspired night, my mom would turn to mashed potatoes and ground beef and that combination still makes me just as happy as it did when I was a little girl with bangs in round blue glasses. But for the longest time, my kids were completely… Continue Reading
As the leaves start falling, slow cooked meats start to sound appealing again. I want flavors that have melded together all day and meat that falls apart in my mouth. Slow cooked pot roast is top on my list, probably because it’s so pretty with its jewel colored carrots, soft chunks of potatoes, and tender… Continue Reading
It seemed like the Instapot, or Instant Pot was everywhere overnight. Out of nowhere, about a year ago, my Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram feeds were filled with raving mentions about this new pressure cooker. When it went on sale for $74 on Prime Day, I took the plunge. The Insta-Pot 7 in 1 is currently about… Continue Reading
I’m a big believer in the energy of new beginnings, but these last few weeks, as back to school neared, I was having serious trouble mustering up enthusiasm for dinner. Blah. Blah. Blah. I just couldn’t muster up the energy to make the same old dinners, all over again. So, I did the unthinkable: I… Continue Reading
Dude ranches are now called guest ranches, but the concept remains the same. Log cabins. Horseback riding. Fishing. Group meals. All in the midst of a mind-blowing beautiful setting. I’m not quite sure what possessed me to throw out the concept of a dude ranch vacation out to my family last fall. I’m even less… Continue Reading
Part of what has made this summer so relaxing and enjoyable has been the books on my nightstand. Most are not new releases, but their pages are dog eared, filled with sand from Michigan beaches and splashes of water from the pool, all signs of great reads. Here’s my summer greatest hits so far, should… Continue Reading
In the middle of a heat wave, canning is the last thing I want to do. The pool beckons, preferably with an iced coffee and a good book. But with so much great fruit around, it would be a crime to not try and save some for those long winter days. So in the dark… Continue Reading
Summer cooking is lazy cooking, as it should be. Delicious and easy. Slice a few tomatoes and a little basil from the garden, drizzle a little balsamic and olive oil, and top it all off with some oozing burrata. Dinner is served! Between colorful salads and some meat or fish on the grill, that’s all… Continue Reading
My daughter got cut from her first team this week. She’s 9 years old. We’d been waiting for weeks for the email to come out with the summer softball travel team information. We knew there was a good chance she wouldn’t make it – the team combines 9 and 10 year olds – but she… Continue Reading
There’s a war going on in our house, a delicious, brown sugar-loaded, cookie jar filling, chocolate chip cookie war. Since Jack and his friends came up with the macho tween boy greatest chocolate chip cookie recipe, Steve has gotten in the game as well, and everyone is declaring themselves the winner. As the only food… Continue Reading
With four kids and an insatiable love of travel, I have never felt the need for a pet. My kids have begged, and begged and begged my deaf ears for a dog ever since they could talk, with zero success. They’ve written essays, put together pinterest boards, written poems, and cried, a few times. My answer… Continue Reading
“Be still,” she tells me, putting her hands upon my cheeks. Her fingers, no longer so pudgy, look like a child’s, and her nails need trimming. Staring deep into my eyes, cherry lips pursed in concentration, she studies me. “What are these lines, mommy, between your eyebrows?” “What is this brown spot on your cheek?” “Why… Continue Reading
When I’m puffing out my chest, after a glass of riesling, I like to call myself an online pioneer, blogging before it became a verb. My blog was my creative space as I navigated the diaper years. It was an elite, exciting world, with great invites, and intelligent discourse. Today, the online world is filled with lists, cute cat videos, and… Continue Reading