I like to share what I’m cooking these days in case you are looking for new ideas or fresh inspiration. It’s unlikely that caprese salad is breaking new ground, but this recipe is perfect for right now and I’d like to highlight this if you’re looking to change things up. In fact, I’ve made this salad many times in the past, but haven’t really done so in the last few years. I think it’s because I honestly burned on it. We went through a big caprese salad season a few years ago and needed a break from it for a little while!

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The kids are back to school! Hooray for routine! Hooray for a few minutes for quiet each day! Hooray for structure! I never intended to take two weeks away from the blog at the end of August but, my friends, I was at my end of my rope by the end of August. It took my everything to get through each day with two energetic children once all of our camps and lessons were over for the season. As far as cooking, I just stuck with simple meals while we endured one heatwave after another and focused on the future: school.

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New Year’s Eve is a bit of a conundrum with children. Do you get a babysitter and stay out until midnight? Do we just do a kids celebration and go to bed early and skip the hoopla? For the past few years our answer has been making punch, having dinner with friends and doing something a little inbetween. Since we don’t have an all out bash I don’t go crazy making a dizzying hard liquor punch. Instead I make a sparkly punch with a hint of booze, so it is tasty without being too over the top. It is perfect for family events and New Year’s Eve celebrations alike.

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One of the biggest differences between my life in 2008 and now is how I’ve really honed in on all the things I like to live with. I know how I like my kitchen and household to function and have added in some really fun items over time. Truthfully, my favorite things are fairly mundane and inexpensive in the grand scheme of things. But, in a way, that’s precisely what makes them so special. They are my tiny treasures, my everyday go-to’s, my cute and fun enhancements that actually improve my daily life.

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I have to admit, I don’t buy as many cookbooks as I used to. I’m still a huge fan of the industry, but I can tell I’m really settling into cooking my tried-and-trues. While I always add a few new ones to the mix, I just as frequently return to my favorites by season. To […]

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Two years ago my husband and I spent a fun few days in Napa Valley to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We instantly fell in love with the area, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to be invited to return this fall to attend a seminar with Panasonic. They were debuting a really cool new countertop induction at the Culinary Institute of America with Chef Gabe Kennedy and I had a blast participating in the event. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

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Friends! I am still reeling from the amazing number of good cookbooks that came out this spring. I’ve been having such fun profiling them here and I hope you like reading about them. So, recently my friend Pamela came out with this terrific book called Kitchen Matters: More than 100 Recipes and Tips to Transform the Way You Cook and Eat — Wholesome, Nourishing, Unforgettable. For me it’s the perfect book for healthy eaters who don’t want to give up all their favorites. Pamela is the master of healthy cooking with tons of flavor. She knows what we all like and makes dishes healthier without becoming dull and flavorless.

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HELLO FRIENDS! I know, I know, it’s been a minute. What can I say, life got going and it just got to be hard for me to maintain a food blog while doing everything else with my family and other business interests. I needed to explore life beyond this world and I’m glad I did because it paid off in spades.

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Vegetable Pie  * Quinoa Salad * Roast Lamb * Green Beans * Easter Cloud Cake * Coconut Shortbread with Lemon Buttercream