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Is It Summer Yet?
Sometimes, when it rains, it pours. Sometimes, when it pours, it doesn’t stop. Even if you’re hosting a barbecue for your family. Even when the linens are pressed, groceries are bought, cupcakes are made and the twinkle lights are hung. We have had an unseasonably warm spring in my part of the world. Our trees bloomed early, tulips and daffodils poked out of the ground weeks ahead of schedule and people are just itching to get their gardens started. Mother Nature, though – she’s got…
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Giant Chocolate Muffins
Can you justify eating a cupcake for breakfast? I can. It’s easy, really. You just call it a muffin. I mean, it doesn’t have frosting, so clearly it isn’t a dessert – and everyone knows that muffins are perfectly acceptable breakfast fare.
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“Homemade” Honey
Ok, ok. This is the second blog post in a row that isn’t a real recipe. But I just had to share our newest kitchen creation – our very first honey harvest! Those of you that know me well have probably been subject to one of my beekeeping rants in the past year or so. From the swarms to the missing queens to the urgent need for more honey supers, I now know way more that I ever thought any one person should know about bees.…
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Healthy Chicken Salad
As I’m sure is the case with many of you, January always brings a renewed focus on health and fitness in our household. The gluttony of November and December is long-gone, and the reality of dusty treadmills and suddenly snug pants starts to sink in. So, we happily dig out our favorite healthy recipes, and wonder why we ever stopped eating them in the first place. I don’t know what it is about November and December – I know there’s a lot of food around…
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Lemon Pudding Cake
Now that St. Patrick’s Day is behind us, I feel like spring is in full swing. The warmer-than-normal winter has our yard turning green, our daffodils blooming and our trees budding a few weeks ahead of schedule. This time of year I want to be outside with my hands in the dirt – planing, pruning and trying my best to remove all signs of winter. And while I spent a good part of my weekend outside, I think you all know me well enough by…
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Out and About: Eureka Springs
Last weekend, my husband and I made the quick drive down to the Eureka Springs/Little Rock Arkansas area for a long weekend. We originally had grandiose plans to recreate our honeymoon for our ten year wedding anniversary, but it didn’t work out with our kids’ schedules and childcare and all of those other grown-up responsibilities that we have these days. So – Arkansas it was. I’m actually kind of glad that things worked out the way they did. A week on the beach in Mexico…
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Red Velvet Truffle Brownies
So, it’s almost time to start thinking about Thanksgiving dinner, right? Almost time to start planning our meals, which stretchy pants we’re going to wear, and how to make it from point A to point B in under an hour and eat a full meal at both places without offending either party. Right? Yes. But first, before I can even go THERE, I have an eight year old’s birthday party to plan and execute. A Teen Beach Movie birthday party, at that. Because you know, it’s…
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Soft Breadsticks
Geez, I really seem to be all about the breads lately, don’t I? I wasn’t really planning to post these because they aren’t exactly the prettiest food I’ve ever made, but after I tried them I knew I couldn’t keep the recipe to myself. In fact, my husband requested that I make them two days in a row. Yep, that’s right. And I didn’t argue because I was secretly lamenting that he and the girls ate them all and didn’t leave any leftovers for me.…
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Deep Dish Pizza
When I was growing up, my Mom owned a newspaper and publishing company. This was an awesome job for her because it gave her the flexibility to be home with the kids when she needed to. However, it also meant that once or twice a week she had to work later in the evening to cover city council meetings or hang out until the paper was ready to go to press. This meant that my Dad was responsible for dinner for 5 kids once or…
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Pumpkin Ice Cream
So, I have to admit that as I write this tonight, I’m wearing two pairs of socks, a gigantic sweater and I’m sitting under a blanket drinking a huge mug of extra-hot coffee. It’s definitely not ice cream weather right now. Isn’t it funny how the first cold night of the season brings out the cold-drama? I’m pretty sure that 42 degrees in mid-January is going to feel like a heat wave, but tonight it’s awful. And I want nothing to do with ice cream…
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Chocolate Chip Love Muffins
I’m one of those people who thinks Valentine’s Day is silly. Sure, I can appreciate a day that’s dedicated to making the loves in your life feel special and adored. But to me it conjures up images of people waiting in line to buy overpriced flowers, cards and chocolates with only half-hearted intent. I’ve always told my husband that flowers on a random Tuesday in August, or a card for no reason will always be more appreciated than forcing it on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps that…
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Tuna & Noodles from Scratch
So, I don’t eat seafood. I’ve tried. I’ve really, really tried. There are a few swimming-things that I’ve taste-tested over the years that I didn’t absolutely detest, but I’d never order them for myself. Well, maybe, possibly a crab cake. But honestly, I’ll only eat it if my husband orders it – if it’s up to me, I can always find a more appetizing appetizer on the menu. I have done everything I can to ensure that my girls don’t have the same aversions to…
