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“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Valentine’s Day is nearly here and whether you are preparing a meal for your one true love or for your whole family, one thing is for sure – a thoughtfully prepared meal is a terrific way to let them know how much you value them. […]
ListPlanIt’s Magnetic Grocery List Notepads are here! Having an organized grocery list ready for a trip to the supermarket is an important part of saving time and money. The first step is to jot down a list of meals that you will be preparing in the upcoming week, 2 weeks, or month (whatever length of […]
Thanksgiving is nearly here. You’ve got the turkey in the refrigerator to thaw. You’ve chosen your recipes and purchased your ingredients. You’ve pureed the pumpkin for the pumpkin pie. Have you considered the table where your friends and loved ones will gather around? Creating an appropriate atmosphere for your feast, while by no means necessary, […]
We are definitely a soup family. The majority of our favorite meals are soups. And why shouldn’t they be? Soups tend to be not only easier to prepare (just throw it all in one pot), but healthier (nothing fried here). Soup brings comfort on a cold day and warmth to an ill body. Here are […]
I love recipes that have been generated from a relative. I have several of those. I treasure them and will make sure that each time I make something, I let my family know that “This is Grammy’s Yams & Apples recipe” or “What do you think of Aunt Vicki’s Cranberry Salad?” However, I also have […]
Meal planning is one of my favorite things. I love the satisfaction I get from knowing what’s for dinner. I don’t enjoy arriving at 4 pm and having no idea what to make for dinner when my children are hungry and I’m tired from a long day. Payday is my reminder that it is time […]
Meal planning week after week and month after month can be a monotonous task. Planning meals is important for the benefit of grocery shopping and for some peace of mind when it comes time to feeding a family. One method I’ve begun to use over the years is to follow certain themes for as many […]
Having friends over for dinner is a fun way to socialize. It allows you to prepare something extra special and to have a more intimate evening with people that you love or would love to know better. For many people, having guests over seems an overwhelming prospect. The myriad of things to think about such […]
In Maine, it is only just starting to warm up and I am now beginning to pull from my memory of last year’s meals some of my family’s favorite summer dishes. Summer eating means summer cooking: more crockpot and grill, less oven. Summer means food fresh from the garden with lots of color. Summer means […]
Okay, not so much IN my food, but unless I lived in California or another major food-producing place, fossil fuel is what would bring most of the items in my grocery store to my table. As you may have read from my previous post, I have started to look at my food differently. Instead of […]
As I mentioned in my last post, I am reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracleby Barbara Kingsolver and never have I been more inspired to make personal changes in my food choices. Many of the suggestions in this post will be points that I picked up from the book. What I know for sure is that I […]
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a wonderful way for farmers to keep their small farms and still make a living. When you buy from a farm in your community, you are contributing in so many ways to that community, to your health, and to the environment. A share from a CSA will usually cost about […]
I love Christmas! The sights, smells, sounds are all wonderful, but my favorite part might very well be the taste! Cookies rank really high on my list of favorites. I like to make several different kinds throughout the month of December. Here are the cookies that usually make an appearance (and then a quick disappearance […]
I could have listed my favorite main courses, delicious side dishes, elegant centerpieces. But no. If I had to choose my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, it would absolutely have to be the pies! Not just one. There should be a selection. Now in our home, the Thanksgiving meal is just set for our […]
We will not be visiting family, nor will we be having company for the holiday, but that does not mean I want it to be any less special or memorable for my family. Each year, I am getting more and more satisfaction out of the reactions of my children on a holiday that centers around […]
I’ve always been a sugar-cone-kind-of-girl, but recently I’ve discovered new reasons to love the plain-old, regular cones. They are flat-bottomed so they are easy to set down without making a mess. They are portable – the perfect size for little hands. They are edible (and pretty tasty, I must admit). Really, anything delicious, whether sweet […]
Guest Blogger – Jessica Ryan My friend Marie told me that she had friends that stopped by suddenly last night. While she was thrilled to see them, she felt badly that she had nothing to offer them to munch on (she did have wine on hand!). So that got me to thinking… what would I […]
This weekend, our local apple orchard opens! This brings an enormous amount of pleasure to my family. Some of our best memories are of tasting the apples fresh off the trees, riding in a hay wagon to get out to the orchard, petting the farm animals, looking around at the brilliant colors of the trees […]
Healthy eating does not have to mean cutting out all of our favorite foods.Sometimes the only motivation you need cut calories, fat, or carbs is documented proof.If you feel like you are being careful with what you consume but are still left wondering why you can’t seem to lose any weight, maybe the answer lies […]
Some nights, it is nice to take a break from cooking. This would be a good time to provide your family with a healthy meal that can be assembled in a few minutes, has little cleanup, and teaches even the little ones that they, too, can help feed the family. Here is a list of […]
With kids heading back to school, parents have to adjust to making school lunches between the chaos of breakfast and rushing to the bus stop. We want our kids’ lunches to be simple, yet nutritious. And variety is the spice of life, right? So break out your reusable containers. Check out Lunch in a Box.net for […]
It is blueberry season here in Maine and we have already been picking twice. The cleared areas below the power lines are just full of lowbush, wild blueberries. I just gave all of my Little Sals (from Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey – GREAT book!) a little pail while mama used her large pail, and […]
Guest Blogger – Elliott Kim A quick and easy meal doesn’t have to mean, “pierce film to vent. rotate once during heating.” If you make Hamburger Helper often enough to skip reading the instructions, we have a problem. Step 1 is to take the advice of personal finance bloggers. Cooking at home saves money. Further, […]
Summertime in Maine means beautiful weather, days at the beach, festivals galore, and lots of guests. I love having friends and family come and visit, but there are many things to be done before I feel comfortable letting them sleep in our beds and brush their teeth at our sinks. Prepare menu of all meals. […]
‘Tis the season for charcoal and cooking outdoors! Food from the grill is not only delicious, but easily prepared and easily shared. Here are a few kinds of food that are perfect whether grilling for family or friends. Cheeseburgers – experiment with ground beef and ground turkey to vary the flavor Hot Dogs – not […]