A Moroccan-inspired holiday hors d’oeuvre The final month of the year has arrived, and with it an abundance of fresh, vibrant energy and seasonal cheer! I love so many things about this time of year. As a mother, it is fun to see the joy and awe in my daughter’s eyes when we decorate the […]
04
Dec
Dec
If you celebrate Christmas, you have exactly three weeks to finish your gift buying. If you are feeling at a loss for some special person on your list, one of the methods I use to pick out the perfect item is to pay close attention during our conversations. When I do, they tell me, unwittingly, […]
30
Nov
Nov
Reprinted with permission from author, Rebecca Thistelthwaite, and LocalHarvest. I have written about community-supported agriculture (CSAs) before and so haveprevious writers at LocalHarvest. CSA farming is truly at the core of what LocalHarvest does connecting consumers with farmers in a mutual relationship of reciprocity. But times are changing. Consumers have an ever broadening expanse of options to locate […]
29
Nov
Nov
The description of a new TV show says, “Friendship isn’t a big thing, it’s a million little things.” Well…yes. You can say the same thing about a life, and a marriage. But I wish to mention here that there’s so little information about the third stage of a girl’s life, widowhood, that I decided to […]
28
Nov
Nov
Fool-proof tricks for juicy chicken breast, every time I sure am enjoying the slow-down of the season this year. Last fall, I barely had a chance to breathe in that sliver of time between the bustle of summer and holiday preparations. I had a lot going on then—family obligations, unexpected traveling, tons of gardening—and simply […]
27
Nov
Nov
The other day I was feeling out of sorts. Every misstep—big or small—placed a weight on my psyche that I wasn’t able to shake off. I hadn’t slept well for a couple of nights. I found out I didn’t get yet another job since we relocated. And I didn’t have a plan for dinner (seemed […]
22
Nov
Nov
Many of us live busy, demanding lives. Sometimes we wonder if we can juggle it all and still keep our high standards without becoming a nervous wreck. It’s important to know how to step back from the grind and just reconnect with ourselves. Self-care isn’t just a luxury for beach vacations; it’s something we should […]
21
Nov
Nov
Repurposing leftovers from the holiday meal that keeps on giving… I love celebrating Thanksgiving for many reasons: Savoring a wonderful meal in thanks to the harvest: Check! Spending a relaxing day off in the company of people I love: Check! Pie: Check! But one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is that it usually comes […]
20
Nov
Nov
You know what they say every Thanksgiving: that plateful of turkey tryptophan will surely send you to the couch for a snooze like no other. While I’m often up for a quick afternoon nap to recharge the batteries, I’m trying to remember a Thanksgiving when it was impossible to stay awake after eating. I suppose, […]
15
Nov
Nov
After the last few weeks of working alongside my garden helper, cutting down all my ornamental grasses, and harvesting the rest of my herbal treasures (heirloom hyssop, boneset, oregano, peppermint, thyme, rosemary, and others), it occurred to me how diligently we get our yardwork done in preparation for yet another winter, yet we often don’t […]
What’s Cooking at SRP?
Arugula-Pear Salad with Hazelnuts and Parmigiano Reggiano: Simple, Elegant Fall Flavors
14
Nov
Nov
I’ll never forget the first Thanksgiving I spent in the United States, away from my Canadian family. Though we feasted for the Canadian celebration each year (about a month earlier), nothing prepared me for the smorgasbord of food at my first Thanksgiving with a family of mid-westerners. It was a huge affair, upwards of two […]
13
Nov
Nov
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people say, “Caffeine doesn’t affect me,” which confused me. It has always been my understanding that caffeine is a stimulant and should be likely to affect one person the same as any other. Right? I mean, a stimulant is a stimulant. It triggers the brain and central nervous […]
08
Nov
Nov
I’ve always been an all-or-nothing kind of person. When I do something, I go ALL in, full throttle. I’ll push myself as hard as I possibly can to finish what I’ve started. This has been a great quality in my life, and I’ve accomplished a lot of difficult goals because of it. However, there’s a problem: the “nothing” in […]
07
Nov
Nov
I’ve been writing this blog for years now, and it recently dawned on me that I’ve never shared my recipe for one of the most quintessential dishes of Thanksgiving: pumpkin pie. Maybe I wanted to be unique and opt for more exotic desserts (Chocolate, Pumpkin, and Peanut Butter Cheesecake, I’m looking at you). Or maybe […]
06
Nov
Nov
The last time my hubby and I stopped by our local fresh fruit and veggie market, I was mesmerized by the beautiful rows of honey-filled glass jars. It was almost as if they were glowing, luring each shopper hither. Sirens of the condiment world, but without the danger. I’d already confirmed that honey is a […]
Tips from the Traditional Cook
The Death of Brain Neurons (Sad News: Ted Turner Recently Diagnosed with Dementia)
01
Nov
Nov
Although my time for perusing the latest entertainment news is relatively limited, I nevertheless saw an article announcing that Ted Turner had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. My first thought, after a genuine sense of sorrow for him, was to ask myself if the rest of us might be able to deter, prevent, or […]
31
Oct
Oct
An upscaled version of a familiar classic, perfect for your holiday table. Once Halloween passes and we hit that first week in November, my mind shifts gears from fall wind-down to fall ramp-up as I contemplate the holiday season ahead. Thus starts a series of delicious holiday-themed recipes to share with you all. These last […]
30
Oct
Oct
I remember a woman telling me years ago that she couldn’t wait to have a hysterectomy. She explained that she was tired of monthly menstruation and was “done with those parts anyway.” This was before my self-health days, but it still didn’t sit right with me. I wondered if we should really be willing to […]
26
Oct
Oct
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’ve never paid much attention to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Rather, when it comes to myself and my family, I rely on my self-health education, gathering information from reliable sources, paying attention, asking questions about what we need at any given time, and adjusting as […]
25
Oct
Oct
Back in June, I wrote a post to help me answer a question: is starting a garden really worth it? Gardening, I discovered, is no joke! Much more work than I originally thought goes into preparing and planting. Yet despite that, the answer is yes, it really is worth it. Now that the gardening season is […]