I’ve been enjoying having two of my children sent out the door every morning, waiting to catch a big yellow school bus at the end of the driveway with backpacks and school lunches packed neatly in bento boxes and thermal containers. The day begins for the younger two then, as they run and play together, and I watch my youngest girl turn into a dotting big sister, showing her brother exactly how to play with Littlest Pet Shops and build princess-style forts from blankets in her bedroom. As... more

I’ve wanted to start making more bread for some time now. I dream of large, luxurious loaves baking on a daily basis, making the house smell like a bakery. But I don’t. I even have Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, but my fridge, you see, is teeny tiny when you’re trying to feed six people. Most days we have to play a few games of Tetris to fit the leftovers in and get the door to close and a bucket o’ dough just doesn’t fit. But oh, how I wish it would. Focaccia... more

Back-to-school is over. My kids are officially back, and that means summer is coming to a close. The sun isn’t as warm these days, and my garden is prolific for the lack of heat, not because of it. The farmers market will start changing over their produce as the season changes, and already the winter squash is showing up more and more, and the summer squash is becoming fewer and farther between. For all these reasons, I’m making peach muffins. All summer I wait for the peaches to come, and when... more

The Saturday before Mother’s Day I made banana bread out of necessity. I had, yet again, ignored the bananas. It’s something I’ve done frequently in the past month. I can never figure out quite what it is. For months we eat bananas, running out long before our next planned shopping trip and then, we simply don’t. They sit there, first with just a few brown sugar spots, and then the number increases until the yellow is all but gone. Then there is banana bread. Like many... more

A few weeks ago I purchased blood oranges. They aren’t all that common here in Minnesota, so I wanted to take advantage of the rare sighting. Then came the process of determining what I was going to make with them. Eventually, I settled on blood orange and chocolate chip muffins with a citrus glaze, but the process of getting there was a bit more convoluted. I asked for a recommendation on recipes, and boy did I get it. Maria from Two Peas in Their Pod sent me the recipe for her Pink Grapefruit... more

I’ve been drooling watching everyone talk about their spring artichokes. Alas, here in MN there are none, and the fresh ones there are tend to be exceedingly pricey. In an attempt to put off my cravings until some California artichokes land in my lap, I made a pizza. One with artichokes of the marinated and canned variety. There happens to be a bit of prosciutto on there too, but that’s just an extra bonus. First, let’s start with the dough. What is a good pizza without a good... more

Our garden is overflowing with zucchini, and after eating it 5 out of the 7 nights last week with dinner sauteed, added in sauces and cut into cold spears, it’s time to bake. Lucky for me, one of my favorite quick breads is zucchini bread. This one is complete with orange zest and a light orange glaze and packed with walnuts. A few weeks ago, our neighbors Doug and Sarah graciously fed our lone pet, a rescued goldfish, while we were up in the woods getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. They... more