I’m finally satisfied with the organization of our new kitchen. The wooden spoons and spatulas and tongs are within grabbing distance of the stove top. The cutting boards and cooling racks are neatly stacked in the cupboard below canned goods and confections. There is a drawer dedicated to baking supplies — muffin tins, measuring spoons, [...]
We have no extraordinary resolutions this year. Just the usual. Eat healthy. Exercise. Unplug. Enjoy life’s little details. Savor every moment with Samuel. And I think we’re off to a good start! I don’t believe that every Monday will be a meatless one, but it is our goal to eat at least one vegetarian meal [...]
This recipe comes from Cooking Light, and it’s so simple you’re going to wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself. Simply roast butternut squash with balsamic vinegar, then toss it with fettuccine, pine nuts, chopped fresh sage, arugula, and Parmesan cheese. Without really trying to, we’ve been eating a lot of vegetarian meals lately, [...]
Do you still have rows of canned pumpkin stacked in your pantry? Or is that just us? Well, if you have a surplus like we do, and you’d prefer to use them up before the flowers bloom this spring, then we have a recipe for you. It’s cheesy. It’s creamy. It’s pumpkiny. It’s a new [...]
Next up for Challenge Pears: the main course. We had pizza as our appetizer, so I decided to stick with the Italian theme. And I know cheese pairs well with pears, so how about nestling the fruit inside a soft egg ravioli with Pecorino Romano and mascarpone? Perfect! But first: the dough. We followed a [...]
A successful dinner party begins with a well-planned menu. And so on the occasion of our first dinner party in our new home, I spent more time choosing the dishes than I spent preparing them. For the main course, I turned to a simple favorite: mustard-baked chicken with pretzel crust. But rather than using the [...]
We eventually tired of preparing simple favorites in our new kitchen and were ready to test our new Calphalon cookware with an unfamiliar recipe. Enter The Pioneer Woman! This pasta dish is spicy and satisfying. We didn’t have Cajun spice in our cupboard so Nick combined cayenne pepper, paprika, white pepper, and garlic powder. (He [...]
What’s the perfect meal to accompany tree trimming and to serve as the test subject of a new 50mm f/1.8 camera lens? Beef minestrone soup, of course. Smell the savory scent of stewed beef and vegetables while hanging ornaments and sipping White Russians. And snap photos of a colorful ladle of steaming goodness. Then enjoy [...]
Looking for a simple and savory dinner recipe on this chilly Monday? Try this spin on our favorite pasta. Nick tossed it together last week (because he knows how much I love shrimp and mushrooms), and we paired it with a local red wine and toasted garlic bread. Ingredients linguine (or any pasta of your [...]
We’re currently living in an apartment with a kitchen drawer that opens into the handle of the oven and a refrigerator door that opens into the windowsill. There is just enough counter space for a microwave and a coffee maker and a kitchen table that barely seats four adults. But as Maggie reminded us, “Life [...]