• Thanksgiving’s Forgotten Meal

    Most families will be having a very different kind of Thanksgiving this year. Traditionally, this is our biggest family holiday, with most of my side of the family coming to town for the weekend. Sadly, this year it will just be our local family, a whopping 8 of us altogether. In years past, we are usually buzzing with activity early in the day, with family popping in and out of my front and back door, prepping food for the early afternoon main-event meal. Our family likes to eat THE meal around 2 p.m., and then a light dinner in the evening, consisting of turkey sammies in all of their glory.…

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  • Strawberry Season

    One of my most favorite part of Spring in North Carolina is strawberry season. We live very close to some pick-your-own strawberry fields and I must admit we indulge quite frequently. There is nothing like a ripe strawberry, straight from the field. They are nothing like the ones sold in stores, which can be overly firm and pale and lacking in flavor. Fresh from the plant, their hearts are a deep pink, they are tender and juicy. We love them by the handful, or sliced on top of granola with yogurt. We love them on our waffles and pancakes and of course, on top of vanilla ice cream. We do…

  • Love Muffins

    Valentine’s Day is upon us and with that comes many mixed feelings. Some love it, many others loathe it. What started as a simple card-giving holiday has morphed into an expectation of grand gestures and declarations. Every elementary student is now expected to provide a card for every person in their class, preferably with a non-offensive, non-allergy-causing treat attached. Oi, the pressure! Honestly, I am delighted that practice died out once my girls hit middle school. We generally keep it pretty low-key in our house. No fancy dinners out (who wants those crowds?) and no giant floral bouquets are required. My poor husband doesn’t buy me many flowers these days,…

  • Banoffee Muffins

    My youngest daughter started the week with a 2 hour visit to the orthodontist. She had an appliance removed and braces put on the bottom teeth. She was very patient with the process, and we made a bee-line for Chick Fil A for lunch before the soreness set in. But it did indeed catch up to her and she has been eating softer food all week. That kind of week calls for soft, sweet comforting foods like muffins. I have already shared a recipe with you for healthier muffins in my Bursting Berry Muffins. The muffins I am sharing today are not healthy, but they are delicious and EASY! So,…

  • Muffin Munchers

    When I was very young, our family lived in Washington State.  My older sister bought me a series of books written and illustrated by Seattle based writer Stephen Cosgrove and illustrator Robin James. My favorite book is called, “The Muffin Muncher.” It’s an endearing tale about a dragon who moves under the drawbridge of a castle and begins to exploit the muffin-baking king out of all his baked goods.  The king and his villagers run out of supplies as the dragon eats up all of their hard work.  In the end, the dragon decides to help the villagers and king by bringing the fire power to the ovens in exchange…