Our dill is in. Not only is it in the spots we planted last year, but I had let it go to seed in our container herb garden last year. We then spread the dirt from that pot into our new raised garden beds, and now there are tiny dill plants coming up everywhere. Not that I mind. I am going to move them once my large dill goes to seed, and then we’ll start the cycle all over. A whole summer of fresh dill and, subsequently, lemon dill cream cheese. This happens to be Ole’s baby (read:... 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

Smoothies are a great meal choice when you’re on the go. Choose fresh and frozen ingredients, and just a few minutes in the blender gives you a healthy, portable breakfast. Enter to win a Magic Bullet To-Go for further ease of smoothie prep by leaving a comment with your favorite smoothie recipe. Keep reading for more details. I am guilty of skipping breakfast on a regular basis. While I feed my kids a healthy meal, I sometimes stop short of actually preparing something for myself, usually... 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

My quest for the perfect eggs started in sixth grade. I had compared my mom’s and my grandma’s scrambled eggs and the scrambled eggs of my childhood friends parents, and there was something definitely different about my grandma’s. They weren’t spongy. They were fluffy. They didn’t lack flavor. They were yellow clouds of morning bliss. I wanted to make those eggs. My grandma was a Yugoslavian-born housewife, who would wake up before the sun and go about the business... more

It’s Wednesday, and I’m having a hard time grasping the concept that I have two full days of work ahead of me before the weekend. Two. Full. Days. Granted, I work from this very seat I’m sitting in now and much of it is done before I shower or change out of my pajamas. With Kola Nut having his last day of preschool Tuesday, the list of possible reasons for showering before 2:00 pm was just slashed in half. Still, I work. What do you do when Hump Day’s “hump”... more

Three years ago I went to a bridal shower for my cousin. There was a French toast bake there. It was fantastic. This is not that recipe. It only prompted me to search online for something similar. After looking over a few, I came up with this. While most breakfast bakes call for cream or half and half and lots of butter, this one is lacking those things either entirely or in large amounts. This allows you to eat a second or…third piece. I also get several requests for this recipe. ... more