I was traveling down the slippery slope to laughable lunches.  My kids’ lunchboxes were looking like science experiments…gross ones!  Alas, it was time for Spring Break, and a break from packing lunches was  just what I needed.  This is also the time when I treat myself to a new magazine every year.  Standing in front of the display at Whole Foods, a bright cover with some gorgeous freshly steamed asparagus jumped into my foodie view.  I knew I would be devouring this magazine called Eating Well cover-to-cover for the entire week.  Read the rest of this post...

Okay, so you’ve had a rough day. Little Suzie cut Johnnie’s hair, the fridge died and the dog threw up. But take heart, you can still get a good laugh! My favorite blog (other than this one of course) is Cake Wrecks, where we all enjoy “when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong.” If you can devote a couple minutes a day, you are sure to get a chuckle. But be warned: click on any of the Fan Faves or Classics, and you’ll find yourself laughing hysterically for a very long time (Seasonal Non Sequiturs is a good place to start). The author, Jen Yates, is a very funny writer, and it’s always worth reading her commentary. She’s found so many fantastically horrific cakes that now she’s got a Cake Wrecks book out. So give yourself a break and go have a little fun at Cake Wrecks!  Read the rest of this post...

Easy admission: I LOVE CHOCOLATE! I had a friend in grad school who shared my love of chocolate.  A bowl of mini chocolate bars didn’t stand a chance with us around, all we left behind was a trail of torn and crumpled candy wrappers.  In those years, we couldn’t make it back home for every holiday, so the two of us (and our Roosters, who happen to be awesome cooks) would take turns hosting the special meal for our friends still on campus.  When she started experimenting with chocolate cheesecakes, we were all in heaven.  Whenever I make this cheesecake, I always smile as I remember those times together.  Read the rest of this post...

The end of summer is nearing, and I have a confession to make: I am almost sick of my garden tomatoes. They are ripening in such big bunches now that we can barely keep up with them, and I’m looking for new ways to eat them. This is a delicious recipe I got from my aunt. She gave me a photocopy of a photocopy that was from a magazine (I think), but I have no idea where the recipe originated. I’d love to give the right person credit for it, so if anybody out there knows the origin of the recipe, please let me know. It’s chock full of fresh veggies and tastes like summer itself. And with one person to grill the corn and one to chop, it’s a quick meal to prepare.