Category: breakfast & brunch
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Italian Gingerbread Cake with Brandy Butter & Masterpiece Theatre
On Sunday nights growing up, this song signaled that it was time for bed. At first I thought this was just cleverly timed – a gentle reverse alarm clock. As I grew, I realized my parents weren’t so much wanting me to get a good night’s sleep at the close of the weekend as they… Read more
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Latkes (Crispy Potato Pancakes) & Positive Energy
Without sounding all yoga, I have the following to say: It takes just as much energy to be and say negative things as it does positive. This time of year – but really in all seasons – life is much more enjoyable when we spread kindness and joy. That is all. That, and the best… Read more
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Maple Cream & Creepy Kid Books
Who doesn’t love Goodnight Moon? The soothing words, the simple reassurance of saying goodnight to objects, the perfect length book – not too short, not epic like Cars & Trucks & Things that Go. My grandmother read it to my father, my mother read it to me, I read it to my kids. My husband… Read more
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Brown Sugar Sorghum Muffins & Yoga Nonsense
So, I’m a semi-recent yoga convert. And while I am grateful for the practice and enjoy my flexibility, I have some issues. Do I appreciate my toned back and newfound tolerance for way elevated heart rate meets ninety-two degree heat? Yes. Stretching, working hard, lifting one leg up high behind me while stretching one arm… Read more
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Double Quinoa and Collard Greens Pie & Eating Alone
I spend most of time with other people. Often, these humans are small and frustrate easily and see nothing wrong with digging for worms in the yard and running in to taste a dish with their wormy fingers. I’m a fan of dirt. And worms. And people. This weekend we had staggered some visits but… Read more
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Italian Cherry Pie with Graham and Ginger & Recovering from Tragedy
So, I tried not to think about it. But, like all emotional baggage, tragedy does not fit into the overhead compartment nor under the seat in front of me. Today is year anniversary of the worst day of my life. The night before, I’d gone out when everyone was asleep and bought a super soft… Read more
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Whole Grain Apple Crumb Pie with Buttermilk Crust & Thanks
This pie is cousin to the tart tatin, lover of the tart, delicate sister of the traditional apple pie or apple crumb cake. It’s also what I created when all but three of the apples in my house were consumed by my children and cooked-fruit-loathing husband. In terms of the buttermilk powder, let me explain…I… Read more
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Whole Grain Pumpkin Bread & Parenting Pre-teens
My bedroom door swings open. “Jamie, please knock next time,” my husband tells our 12 1/2 year old. A shrug. “So, you want to know something weird?” This is one of Jamie’s lead-ins. He appears most nights, often remembering to knock, after the other kids are asleep. Sometimes he has a specific question (“Can you… Read more
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Whole Grain Pumpkin Twists with Maple Glaze & Welcome to the Well-Cooked Life
Whole Grain Pumpkin Twists with Maple Glaze & Welcome to the Well-Cooked Life Those who know me (either personally or through my books or blog) know that I love fall. Autumn colors make me look like I have food poisoning, but the foods of fall – apples, pumpkins, seeds, kale – are perfect for cooking… Read more
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Whole Grain Double Apple Breakfast Cake & Parenting
You know you want this. We have a two snack per day rule in our house (gasp!) and one of those snacks must be fruit (double gasp!). We started this when the kids were very young and now that 3 of the 4 are old enough to be in charge of their own school or… Read more
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Apricot-Ginger Chocolate Chip Scones & Teaching Small
“Uh, Mom? How do you close an ironing board?” This, from Jamie, age 12. I remember how this action baffled me as a kid. You press where? And do what? Perhaps I was or still am challenged by the mechanics. Or maybe no one showed me. I remember my mother teaching me how to iron… Read more
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Semi-Sweet Breakfast Loaf with Carrots and Zucchini & A Threeway
I’m the kind of baker who likes the load a bunch of foodstuffs in a bowl and see what happens. This is the School of Anti-Baking. Sometimes this results in oven explosions or brownies that resemble moose turds but most of the time I have enough of the science down to have it work. “What’re… Read more
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Maple-Polenta Southern Biscuits & Biscuits & Cuddling (Vegan Option, too!)
Confession: I am not southern. I am not even semi-southern. But I harbor deep fantasies about being whisked away and made to eat cheese grits, collard greens, and biscuits. In fact, last night I ate an entire bunch of collard greens. ON my own. I *might* have had to sleep in the attic due to… Read more
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Cottage Blueberry Crumb Cake & Broken Hearts
My 12-year-old holds a heart in his hands. “Do you like the blue?” he asks. We’re in Venice, a place known for glass beads and tiny fragile animals. I nod. Jamie has always associated me with blue as he knows it’s my favorite color. “Who is the necklace for?” Jamie’s dad asks him and Jamie… Read more
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Rustic Plum Tart & Italian Morning
Tips for a quiet Sunday morning: Wake up while everyone else is still asleep (hooray for jet-lag!). Make coffee and take your mug down to the chicken coop. Stop to play with the new puppy and her friend the tame lamb who allowed to wander everywhere. Collect eggs. note their speckles, their shades of sand,… Read more