Recipes

The world probably doesn’t need another granola recipe.  There are certainly enough out there to choose from.  But, here goes anyway, because you never know when the next one you make might become your favorite.  And, because this is what we’re eating this week as we sit in the hospital and wait for Moe’s heart […]

We were supposed to be leaving for Vietnam tomorrow, on a luxury biking tour with Butterfield & Robinson.  Instead of packing today, I’m in Vancouver and getting ready to head back to St. Paul’s Hospital, where my father-in-law is there awaiting a procedure for a new heart valve.  We’ve actually been in the hospital with […]

I was eight when I got my first diary. A small, red leather book clasped with a gold lock, sitting under the Christmas tree. I wrote faithfully in that diary each night before bed, with the worries of a young girl’s mind. From that time on, I’ve collected dozens of journals, filled with my thoughts, […]

The end of this Christmas season and the beginning of a brand new year launches me into excessive self-reflection, leaving me equal parts joyful, thankful and sad.  Joyfulness for the grace that Christmas brings and the boundless possibilities a new year holds.  Thankfulness for the most amazing husband, for loving relationships, for the opportunity to […]

I almost didn’t write this post.  The topic of easy holiday entertaining sounded trite to me, and maybe even a little pompous. Because really, holiday entertaining can be stressful.  Especially if we start to compare ourselves to Pinterest boards and Instagram posts and beautiful blogs portraying perfectly set tables (or perfectly imperfectly set tables) and […]

I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about the meaning of family. There is the family we are born into, and then there is the family we choose.  Some of the family we choose might include the family we’re born with—family members who are kind, compassionate, loving, joyful, giving or interesting individuals with whom we […]

It’s such a treat to have my Mom and Granny staying with us this week.  We’ve cooked and baked, gone antiquing, window shopped, and sat around reminiscing.  These times are precious, the moments that you’d like to capture and suspend in time. I’ve always found the best conversations in life happen in the kitchen or […]

There are moments when I’m awed at how beautiful life with Elie has become.  Last weekend, standing in my sunny kitchen listening to the sound of laughter surround me, I was filled with awe. The weekend held so many opportunities for thankfulness, reminding me to appreciate the simple pleasures that make life sweet.  I went […]

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Actually, I have a recovering sweet tooth, being a formal SnackWell cookie binger.  Back in the mid-90s, I drank the fat-free KoolAid, existing on plain bagels, coffee with skim milk and sweetener, ‘light’ yogurt and bananas, brown rice, and fat free ice cream.  And I wondered why […]

I want to warn you that this post starts with sadness, in case you need to save this reading for another time.  But, it ends with friendship and a recipe.