-
Rolling in the Dough
We picked up a funny date night habit since Covid. Once we felt safe enough to venture from our homes, we started going out with some friends for dinner every now and then. When dinner was cleared away, it felt like the evening was too young to go back home, so we looked for something else to do. Well, most coffee shops and ice cream joints closed early, so we took up the habit of hitting the grocery stores – Trader Joe’s being our favorite date night splurge. I do love Trader Joe’s but it is not my normal grocery store, so it still feels like a treat to shop…
-
Comfort in the Form of Carbs
I hate to admit it, but carbs are my love language. There is nothing more comforting to me than noodles. I guess I am the human version of the Kung Fu Panda. I have noodle dreams way too much. Well, it’s Finals week for our high schoolers, so extra comfort is in order. Whenever I make spaghetti or Bolognese like I made last week, my oldest just wants plain noodles with butter and Parmesan. She is 17 – I can’t explain it. Anyway, I decided to make the grown up version of that as our recipe review this week. I found a recipe for One Pan Garlic Parmesan Pasta from…
-
Elevated Weeknight Sandwiches
I have a problem. Just like Oprah, I LOVE bread. I love freshly baked loaves of sourdough, French baguettes, nutty 12-grain loaves and even crumpets. I cannot resist sweet breakfast bread loaves like cinnamon swirl or cranberry nut. If I enter a grocery store and that freshly-baked-bread smell hits my nose, I am a goner. I set myself up for a failure of self-control last week. I had to give blood for a routine doctor visit, and it was a fasting blood draw. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I would swing by Trader Joe’s. Having not had proper breakfast, I fell hard for the bread isle. It…
-
Healthy Halloween Fare
2020 has been a doozy of a year, no matter who you are or where you live. Being that Halloween this year is on a Saturday, will have a full moon AND it is the night we gain an hour for Daylight Saving time, I am anticipating it could be a strange night. Most neighborhoods around here plan on carrying on with trick-or-treating, with a few adjustments. We will be putting candy in individual bags, and handing them out at the end of our driveways, rather than approaching each threshold. So, all the little (and not so little) ghosts and goblins with still get plenty of sugar this year. Knowing…
-
German Genes
If you are like me and have any German genes, you may have grown up occasionally eating sausage and sauerkraut. As a kid, it was definitely not my favorite dish – mostly because I thought sauerkraut was gross. German DNA may kick in more as you age, because now I like cabbage and sauerkraut as well as the beer that makes it taste even better. Since German heritage is celebrated more around Oktoberfest, I thought this was the perfect time to share an elevated version of this classic German dish. In case you wondered, Oktoberfest was originally a celebration of the wedding of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later…
-
Fresh & Fast Frittatas
Last week, I found myself at 4 p.m. with no plans for dinner and a pop-in dinner guest. The guest was my oldest daughter’s boyfriend and not a complicated person to feed, but still, I had no dinner ideas. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Coincidentally, this same evening, my mother found herself with an abundance of produce, due to an online grocery order mishap. She knocked on my door with a head of broccoli and a package of zucchini. I had been to the farmers market earlier in the week, and had purchased some lovely new potatoes that also needed to be used. Now my brain started to kick in and I…
-
Irish Memories
Many years ago, when I was a sophomore in college, I was lucky enough to go on a mission trip to Northern Ireland. With the onset of St. Patrick’s Day, my mind often wanders back to that trip. From the moment I arrived in Ireland, I was in love. Though I had never been before, I felt as though I had come home. I loved the people I met immediately and was sad to leave after our 2-week visit. I would love to share photos with you of my life-changing trip, but sadly that photo album is MIA. And yes, it was so long ago, they were actual photos that…
-
Mexican Pizza
Spring is almost here, though it is being a bit of a tease here in North Carolina. For a lot of families, Spring brings busier schedules with sports and other activities, along with the need for quick and easy dinner options. I shared Huevos Rancheros with you a few weeks ago as one of these quick and easy meals. Corn tostadas were the base of this meal and after using only a few, there are still a lot left in the package. Trying to think of something else to make that would use up more tostadas, I decided to make a version of Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza. They are incredibly…
-
Easy Weeknight Dinners
I love to cook, as you have learned from following this blog. I love trying new things and building our repertoire of favorite recipes. But I am also a busy mom and sometimes we just need a speedy delicious dinner on those nights we are running here and there. Huevos Rancheros suits the bill quite nicely. Huevos Rancheros means Rancher’s eggs, and this dish originated on Mexican farms, served as a hearty breakfast or a substantial mid-morning meal. It is packed with protein and flavor and comes together quickly. I have had Huevos Rancheros in restaurants and discovered that they can take many forms. But the basic recipe is a…
-
Raising Little Women
This past week, I took my mom and daughters to see the latest movie version of “Little Women.” It was a wonderful movie based on the classic book. If you have not read “Little Women”, or have lost your copy as I have, you can get a complete and unabridged 1896 illustrated edition on Amazon. I have always loved the story of the March girls, 4 very different sisters and their love for one another as they grow into young women. But I particularly love this movie version over others done in the past. Each character was crafted lovingly, somehow with more depth than past interpretations. I used to closely…
