Wishing you a Happy New Year, plus a NeatDesk Desktop Scanner & Digital Filing System giveaway to keep you organized going into 2012! We had a highly disorganized, hectic, fun-filled Christmas weekend this year. We ran from one place to the next starting Christmas Eve morning, baked cookies in between, showed up late once because Ole decided the odd warm weather required a Christmas Day motorcycle ride (worth it) and stuffed ourselves silly on prime rib, shrimp dip, Christmas cookies and more.... more

A warm and spiced breakfast just waiting to awaken your senses Christmas morning, with you surrounded by family and a plate piled high with cardamom cream stuffed French toast swimming in gingerbread praline sauce. The gifts already sit under the tree, wrapped and calling to the kids. Only the stockings have yet to be filled. For the first three days they squealed and sorted the piles into the ones with their names. They added bows to the tops from the stash in the wrapping box. Then they wrapped... more

This month in the Eat Well, Spend Less series we’re taking a look at the holiday season and keeping the budget under control. Here you’ll find advice for getting ready for the next week by stocking up this weekend. So, Christmas is now exactly one week away. If you’re like me, it has suddenly hit you that this is the last weekend to prepare before the big to-do of the holiday hits. So, it’s time to hit the grocery store, stock up and make it worth your while in the stress... more

Enter to win a Le Creuset Cast Iron Enameled Crêpe Pan and start flipping and filling them in style. Last week in San Francisco Ole took me to his favorite breakfast place in Nob Hill. It’s just a bit off the beaten path, and they have just a lovely chalkboard menu that boasts a full selection of both sweet and savory crêpes, including specials of the day for both. There was the crêpe Suzette (which is to be twisted and replicated later this week), and then there were crêpes filled with... more

Give the gift of cookies that they can enjoy whenever the mood strikes them. An easy gingerbread cookie mix in a jar makes a great teacher gift this Christmas and holiday season. Christmas is right around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: Run through the mall scanning the shelves for random gifts to throw into your cart for all those people you still have left to buy for, right? Okay, so I try to avoid the mall at all cost this time of year. I haven’t even stepped foot inside one... more

A little something to keep your hands free and clear for baking up holiday treats this season. A VTech Multi-Tasking Phone System giveaway for you. I consider myself to be a fairly adept at multitasking. I do it often, for otherwise I may never accomplish the things that need to be done on a daily basis. In fact, often I still fail. Right now I am babysitting a cake in the oven, cookies need to be photographed, I have writing deadlines breathing down my back. If I turn slightly to my left, I see... more

Gingerbread cookies are the quintessential Christmas treat. People from all over enjoy variations of them come Christmastime. Here are a few variations you could try with just one simple gingerbread cookie recipe. I’ve been sitting quietly for a long time thinking about what to write in this space. I had set out to show you the versatility of gingerbread cookies, and I thought I might entertain you with a story. I’d weave a tale of childlike fantasy of a gingerbread boy and the amazing... more