Marmalade Loaf

The longer I am away from this space, the harder it is to return.  With no profound reason for my absence it feels difficult to jump back in and start sharing.  There have been plenty of wonderful meals consumed, many that would fit well in this space, but somehow my hands haven't made it to the keyboard to share.  As I pondered how to break this silence, I realized there may never be a good reason to be gone and perhaps it is best to just jump back in.  So welcome back to all of you and I hope we can meet here a little more often in the weeks to come.  There are so many cozy winter recipes to share, not to mention some holiday cheer!

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

When it comes to sharing recipes here, there are certain criteria that must be met.  Firstly, it must taste great.  Secondly, I need to have made it with great success at least two times, most often more.  Thirdly, it needs to be something worth talking about.  Maybe it's a technique that is new to me or using an ingredient that is less common.  Perhaps it's ridiculously good for you and still tastes decadent.  It could be my kids were over the moon about it, making it family friendly without being mainstream.  If we knew eachother in person, these are the recipes I would need to stop you and tell in great detail why you need to make it.

Apple Cake

 The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur with a busy family schedule.  This past weekend I was away at Luke's hockey tournament out of town.  A hotel full of 11yr old boys and their parents for three days, makes for a tiring experience.  I love watching Luke play hockey and seeing the whole team succeed.  That part is easy.  Hanging out in hallways and eating food out is not so fun for me.

Korean Short Rib Sandwich

You're a blog reader.  Me too. It's been a habit of mine for years.  Long before I wrote my own and definitely before most people did the same, I was a die hard. Most of them about food, almost all of them healthy vegetable focused and the majority you probably read too.  I don't need to tell you how great Smitten Kitchen, Sprouted Kitchen or 101cookbooks are; they're wildly popular.  Finding ones that are a bit off the beaten track are often far more entertaining.  I love to unwind at the end of the day with some mindless superficial reading before falling asleep.  Possible menu items are explored and often interwoven between personal stories that let me feel connected to those favourite writers.  Check out the heading "Blogs I Follow" to the right to see what keeps me up at night.

Carmelized Vichyssoise and Pecan Gruyure Scones

There has been an absence of posts here lately.  I've got no great excuse for the lull.  We are a busy family (as usual), but that doesn't generally stop me from finding time to write here.  I suppose the full schedule has led to a little less creativity in the kitchen.  We've had more meals that would satisfy the kids than most readers here.  Sometimes catering to their carb loving ways allows my energy to be focused elsewhere in the organization of family life.

Quinoa Brownies

It's one of my last CSA veggie pick ups today.  It's been a great season of growing and I'm thrilled to continue supporting a local farmer in her quest to provide us with organic local produce.  Stopping by each week to select veggies for our family is a highlight.  It's never easy choosing what produce we want to bring home and planning meals around them.  I'm lucky that our CSA allows for choice as I know so many simply provide you with your standard box and off you go.  There are always some items we have no choice about, but for the most part I have the option to choose.  Don recently asked that I quit choosing kale (can you believe it?), but I suppose after 14 weeks straight of the green in the fridge, he might have had a point.

Pear & Cinnamon Muffins

On any given day I would tell you how thankful I am to have good friends.  I would tell you what a great community I live in and how supported our family is each and everyday.  This week in particular my gratitude has been struck deeply.  In a moment when I needed to be two places at once, I made a call.  Twice in one week this happened and on both occasions I was met with a receptive friend willing to step in and be "me" when I couldn't be there.  Picking up a sick child from school so they wouldn't have to linger in the school office might seem like a small favour, but for the mom racing to get to her child, it is like moving the earth.