"Friendship isn't a big thing. It's a million little things" - Unknown As I'm stumbling through Mom's recipes and consequently the kitchen, the grocery aisles, the farmer's markets, I'm slowly learning to appreciate the hidden benefits of cooking meals from scratch. For years, okay, for my entire adult life up until this past year, I took way too much comfort in preparing meals from mixes or nifty little packages where the food items are dumped inside and supposedly accounted for on the outside label. There is some logic here. It's much … [Read more...]
Living Life Without “Conditions”
July 11, 2011 By 4 Comments
"Goodness is the only investment that never fails" - Unknown. My mother was a very private person yet she was extremely selfless when it came to her family and friends. I don't think I fully grasped the extent of her "unconditional aura," her true altruism, until I was in the receiving line at her funeral and met random people from all walks of her life, each of whom quickly relayed an equally touching story about the impact Mom had on their lives. But, it wasn't until I saw the standing room only crowd inside the sanctuary that I was … [Read more...]
FRIDAY-FOOD-FRENZY: Shrimp and Cheese to Please
July 8, 2011 By 1 Comment
My 6-year old recently discovered shrimp. Actually, I had no idea where or when he had even tried it. It wasn't until we cleared out his cubby on the last day of Kindergarten and I finally got the chance to read his "Family Book" that I learned his favorite food is apparently SHRIMP! You can imagine how surprised, skeptical and excited I was about his declaration. Most other classmates responded with the generic hot dog or pizza or chicken fingers but, SHRIMP? How interesting.... Growing up not far from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I … [Read more...]
Table Time: Creating Positive Eating Experiences for Your Family
July 7, 2011 By 10 Comments
When I was growing up, from toddler age through high school, we ate dinner together as a family almost-every-single-night, save for the days we had late games or practices or Dad had to give a lecture. Somehow, my dad was able to get home by 6pm and we would sit down for a civilized home-cooked meal. Dinner time was sacred. It was the only time during the week we were all together. It was the time designated to share details from our day, talk about frustrations and challenges and epiphanies and anything else. There were no topics out of … [Read more...]
