Today is publication day! I know it is has been a long time coming and I am SO excited it is finally here. As of today you can officially find The Family Calendar Cookbook: From Birthday to Bake Sales, Good Food To Carry You Through the Year on store shelves and online. There is an ample acknowledgements section but right now I am want to thank all of YOU! My readers, supporters, and friends. I am so immensely grateful for your support! As book reviews come in I’ll be sure to share them with you. In the mean time, here is a little bit about the book and some events I’m planning for 2015!

About the book: I wrote this book to help families always be able to find the perfect recipe in a pinch. A couple of years ago I found myself suddenly tasked with a lot of cooking above and beyond my every day fare and needed a recipe repertoire to match. Go-to bake sale recipe? Done. What to make for Thanksgiving dinner? A beach picnic with friends? I needed recipes for occasions that were a little different than my usual weekday breakfast, lunch, and dinner routine.

Organization: The make the book match the theme I organized it like a family calendar. It is organized by season. Within each season there are menus for specific occasions. There are also seasonal crafts and some light, fun gardening tips.

Artwork: Instead of layering in a few glossy photographs that might eventually look dated my editor and I decided to have the book illustrated. We love the work of Lindsey Spinks and were thrilled with the pictures she drew.

I’ll continue to fill you in about the book throughout the year. In the mean time, come and see me if you can!

Book signings:

Thursday May 7th, 6-8pm at JMcLaughlin in Southport, CT.

Thursday June 4th from 6-8pm at JMcLaughlin in Concord, MA.

Fall book signings planned for:

Charleston, SC

Charlotte, NC

Chicago, IL

Edina, MN

If you’d like me to come to your city please let me know! Stay tuned tomorrow for a very special giveaway which includes a signed book!

This summery tote for carrying knitting projects and toys for the grandkids. (via JMcLaughlin,$150)

Chocolate mice for a sweet bite. (via Burdick, $32)

A sweet love token to collect and wear, always. (via India Hicks, $39 and up)

Charlotte Moss’s gorgeous new book to inspire her tablescapes. (via Amazon, $32.72)

Lilypad silicone lids to replace plastic wrap in the kitchen. (They are seriously the coolest!) (via Amazon, $30.95)

A playful tray for trinkets. (via Caitlin McGauley, $185)

A gorgeous strawberry plant so she can enjoy fresh berries in her cereal all summer long. (via White Flower Farm, $19.95)

Sea salt and Amalfi lemon hand soap for keeping hands soft and fresh. (via Fruits & Passions $10.50)

Blooming tea to share. (via Food52, $28)

I’ve been wanting to feature my friend Cathy’s book, Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year Round Preserving for some time now, but I had to wait until spring. Why? Because I am finally using up my remaining frozen strawberries and rhubarb from last fall and want to feature her amazing Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce. Also, Cathy’s book WON the 2015 IACP Single Subject Cookbook Award so now I can officially brag about that for her. (There is even a new beauty mark on the cover!) Congratulations, Cathy!

You all know how much I love preserving and Cathy does too. In fact, Cathy has written this beautiful book for us home preservers. In it she shares her infinite knowledge about home preserving and everything in between. This week Cathy and I had a little chat about her book and she graciously allowed me to share her sauce recipe. If you want to see this book for yourself don’t forget to enter the giveaway below!

Over the weekend we celebrated my husband’s birthday. In keep with tradition I made him a cake. My kids were slightly disappointed that this chocolate cake wasn’t as kid-friendly as last year. But, they still had plenty of Easter candy to enjoy so I really didn’t feel guilty. The original cake recipe is adapted from Molly’s famous rich and fudgy wedding cake recipe. I’ve tweaked it by adding a generous nip of kahlua and an extra topping of whipped cream. It takes very little time to prepare and is perfect for any celebration.

(Photo via William Hill Estates)

Hi Friends! I am heading to San Francisco and Napa Valley for a much-needed vacay soon. I am SO ready for some sun and a change of scenery. Do you have any tips for places I must see in Napa? I would love to hear any and all suggestions. I love wine, riding bikes, and anything to do with being outdoors and enjoying good food. I’ll be sure to report back after our trip. Thanks in advance!

(image via Swanson Vineyards)

Obviously this 24-hour itinerary from Alexis Swanson looks amazing. If it was created for Ina I’m sure that means I’d like it too!

Spring and summer entertaining season is on the horizon and that means one thing: showers. As in, baby showers, bridal showers, and engagement showers. So many showers! I personally love showers of all kinds and have thrown quite a few myself. In doing so I’ve learned a few things along the way as well. First: have a standby menu. It is best to have a few standards you can riff on: chicken salad, quiche, punches, bon bons, and a solid dessert nibble. For a baby shower you might do a big cake too, but I find having a bite size dessert on hand is always an good idea. Which is where my Lemon Raspberry Jam bars come in.

I love these roast potatoes because they are perfect for entertaining. As in, you can make a nice big batch and serve them in a bowl to lots and lots of people and everyone loves them. Potato dishes are usually good for entertaining in general, but this one is totally foolproof. The come out perfect every time and the paprika and crispy skins make them so delish. They also don’t need any heavy adornments which I don’t find as appealing in the warmer months. There is no cream, cheese, or onions, just salt, pepper, oil, and paprika. In the oven, then done and done.

Our kitchen renovation is still in the works. All winter we’ve been checking out design books and kitchens we like around town. I also found this great article about 15 small and clever kitchen designs and I want all of them to be included in ours! One thing I’d never paid much attention to before was the sink. Every kitchen has one, but I never gave much thought to how they fit into the overall design scheme. Equally as important: functionality. What do I use my sink for and what kind do I need?

(photo via: alfaplit)

I’ve lived with both single and double sinks and think we should go with a double sink. I love the option of one space to wash and one space to drip dry. The hardware above is not my style, but that is a different design decision altogether. This undermount double sink catches my eye in particular because it is paired with my favorite wooden countertop. (But is an undermount easy to keep clean around the top edges?)

(photo via Design Mom)

(via Elements of Style)

Then I see these gorgeous deep apron sinks and think how pretty they are. They give a room a nice polished feel and the gleaming white always looks clean and modern. Maybe I’ll have to add a utility room to our wish list just so I can have a sink like this.

(via Country Living)

I like this sink with the apron and the window above it. I definitely want to position our new sink so I can look out on the yard and the kids while I wash dishes.

(via Design*Sponge)

I am gaga for Grace and Julia’s recent kitchen renovation. Bright space, wooden countertops, antique wooden floors, sink with a window view, giant island, open shelving, pantry to the side… So many of my favorite elements! I have pinned every image from their renovation to my idea board.

What kind of sink is your favorite?

ps – So far we’ve covered: Refrigerators, Pantries, Countertops, and Ovens

One thing that is a surefire hit with breakfast entertaining is coffee cake. There is no way to go wrong with it which is why it is important to have a couple good coffee cake recipes up your sleeve at all times. I made this last Friday when my parents came to town for Easter weekend. It is your basic sour cream coffee cake made in a tube pan. I added cappuccino chips and a little espresso to the crumb to make it extra decadent and ideal for my coffee-loving parents.

Just a couple of weeks ago there was still so much snow in our yard I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see the grass again; let alone a blooming rose or single lilac. But! We are slowly but surely turning the corner weather-wise. The snow has melted and I am excited to say that we are finally making big plans for our garden this year. Last year we focused on returning the grass to health, chasing out vermin and trapping a large groundhog that resided under the porch, and experimenting with vegetables in our new raised bed. I carefully studied the sun and shade patterns on our property and worked hard at digging out old vines and stubborn weeds once and for all.

It was a steep learning curve but the knowledge I am starting with this season is incredibly helpful. I’ve started mapping out a plan for flowers and shrubs that will work well in our climate based on the light and heat we get from May through October. This week I even started flipping through my favorite gardening books for inspiration and have added a new one to the mix: Bunny Williams: On Garden Style.

This tome is reissue of an earlier version of the book from 1998 and is a treasure for any gardener. It is part aspirational, part practical, and all eye candy. While I don’t have nearly the kind of estate like the ones in this book there are still many ideas I can apply to our yard.

Lavender does really well in our area because it can endure the heat and minimal rainfall in the summer. It also attracts bumble bees and butterflies, both hallmarks of a healthy garden. So far our lavender has been doing well and I even dried some for Christmas gifts. I love Bunny’s idea of using it to line paths in big, voluptuous bunches.

It can be fun to play jokes with food if you are super clever. But I am not one of those people so I just give something a little twist and call it my own personal April Fools joke. For example, are these blondies or are they brownies? Or are they both? I called them marbled blondies because that is the easiest thing to say.