I woke up with a migraine yesterday. I have to say that after this odd three-week hiatus (unheard of if you’re me), I particularly resented this one. It was just there. No usual phantom warning, flecks of light, odd pain elsewhere. There. Pounding at my eyelids and making it impossible for me to feel like dragging myself out of bed when my alarm went off at 5:45 in the morning, even though it had to happen. I think the fact that I’d been oddly migraine-free for about three weeks... more

Daylight savings, nearly a month ago now (where did the time go?), marked the end of late evenings, cooking dinner by the light of the kitchen window. The sun is gone by 5:00 p.m., forcing me to turn on glaring overhead lights earlier, sometimes before I’ve even stood up from my computer and finished work for the day. Dinner-hour darkness and cold, windy nights have me dreaming of warm dishes cooked in my oven and over the stove. I thought this hearty cream stew was the perfect way to warm... more

Around our house, chicken rules. Beef is king, but due to the higher fat content, we try to limit our red meat intake. We eat plenty of fish, but with the cumulative toxins that can come with it, we hold off on going overboard. Sure, there’s pork, but the only way Shaina is not a fan and will only occasionally allow it in some smoked varieties – you know: bacon, ribs, pulled pork. So, by default, we are left with either more exotic meats like lamb and ostrich or we fall back on the most... more

I have been running around frantically for the past week or two with more things to do than i can possibly keep track of. There’s been coordinating the book fair, baptisms for itty bitty babies, hospital visits with my sister-in-law and niece, doctor’s appointments and, of course, the ever present work that fills my days. Luckily, simple dinners like this can be assembled a day or two before and require only minimum prep work to get them in the oven and steaming hot to the table. If... more

While this lemon chicken pasta salad could function as a side dish or a potluck item, we eat it on top of a bed of organic spring mix greens as a meal. It’s fantastic paired with garlic bread or pesto cheese bread as well or even just a few raw vegetables for dipping. It’s easy to make ahead, and it stores well in the fridge. As with any creamy pasta salad, it absorbs the moisture the longer it sits. If this bothers you, simple stir in a tablespoon of milk or two tablespoons of ranch... more

That, up there, is flat-leaf parsley, growing in a pot. And down below here? Those are all things that I had sitting around the house. No joke. If I had shopped for this meal, I would have picked up a better wine. As it happened, we don’t often drink white wine (we drink red), and so I keep white cooking wine around. And it is all I had on hand. Cooking wine = cheap wine with salt. Also lying around? Chicken breasts. Sometimes we just buy chicken breasts without a plan. We just... more

I used to be afraid of baking bread. It felt like this giant activity that required time and planning. And time. Lots and lots of time. Baking bread is for people with time, and time is something I don’t have, I would tell myself. Because, really, I don’t. There are things like a job and four kids that take up most of that, and then there’s the cleaning that is never. ever. done. It’s more of a balancing act, and I promise you that someday (hopefully soon) I will give... more