Blog

It finally happened. I couldn’t believe it. I had to shake my head back and forth and blink my eyes a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The dormant taste buds of my hunger-striking preschooler finally awoke from their slumber. He eats! How this child has grown into a thriving 3-year-old is beyond me, but it’s not for a lack of trying. A steady diet of goldfish crackers and birthday party fare mysteriously catapulted him to the top of the height curve and midway up the weight curve. Turning a blind eye to his enduring disinterest, I’d thrust an array of foods before him daily from the time he began solid foods. Everything not resembling a non-nutritive white bread product was pushed away or thrown on the floor. Continue reading ›

By the time our porch is decorated with pumpkins and the neighbors hedges are covered in fake cobwebs, I’ve dug back to the rear of my cupboards where I stashed cans of pure pumpkin puree the fall prior. I typically buy a few cans post-Thanksgiving Day, once they’re on sale for little more than a first class postage stamp. Then they sit in the back of my cupboard and wait to become part of a recipe such as this. My husband knows that when this time of year rolls around, he might find pumpkin in unpredictable places. I was once caught adding a touch of pumpkin puree to a batch of pizza sauce to add a few extra nutrients. It works (if they don’t see you add it, that is).

Continue reading ›

How many nights per week do you cook at home? For me, the answer is four or five. But if you are a typical reader, your answer is more likely two or three. I know this because you’ve generously shared your feedback. You’ve written to me by e-mail or posted your thoughts to Facebook letting me know what you like (the recipes!) and what you want to see more of here (that darned list, wouldn’t you know?). In answer to your most welcome input, I’m pleased to announce a new Friday feature I’m calling “What’s For Dinner?”

Continue reading ›

Even grocery store regulars like myself need a reminder of the basics every once in a while. A few weeks ago, I was at my local grocery at high noon on a Saturday. Having entered the store ravenous, I happily accepted all the samples and threw the corresponding promotional items – which were the best thing I’d ever tasted – in my cart each time. I walked up and down every aisle grabbing at whatever looked good to me. Never mind that my list included exactly 15 items, none of which were located in the center aisles of the store. As the cashier scanned the $8 bag of impulsively acquired kale chips – hey, not so fast! – and began to use the store’s paper bags having run out of the two I’d brought (which easily held the items on my list), I realized I’d become a bit over confident. This is the grocery store. I know what to do in a grocery store, for Pete’s sake. But alas, this little piggy had become…well, a bit piggish. Oink. In the process, I’d broken every rule of wise grocery shopping. These guiding principles seem simple enough, but if I need a reminder chances are you could benefit from a refresher course, too. So here we go… Continue reading ›