Archive

My first job besides babysitting, barely out of elementary school, was in a cherry orchard picking fruit from trees and filling woven baskets. We were paid by how many cherries we picked–it took a lot of work to fill one basket. There were several young kids like me who worked there as well as professional […]

My good friend and neighbor doesn’t cook, not even something that I would consider as a no brainer. For her birthday this week, in lieu of sweets, she asked me to make her some Greek orzo salad, which I happily did.  She provided me with a possible recipe, which needed a lot of adjustments, so […]

Six years ago today on July 11, we adopted the most wonderful 8-year-old girl, whom we named Hannah. In Taiwan, children who are 7 or older have a say in their adoption. As the judge in a small courtroom in Hsinchu, Taiwan, repeatedly and directly asked our incredibly brave little girl if she realized she […]

Mushroom gravy over pork chops? Yes, please! My family really likes pork chops, and since they are fast and easy to cook, I make them fairly often.  To prepare this dish, start off by cooking the mushrooms, pork chops, then gravy, in that order.  It’s all cooked in the same skillet at different intervals.  I […]

Salad bar dining is fun year round, but especially in the summertime.  I found these cute little mason jars in Target’s good old Dollar Spot marked down from $3 US to half price, and my mind started envisioning creative ways to use them.  So I filled my cart.  Oh, Target!  You know how that works. […]

My kids and I really like going to Souper! Salad! to enjoy a buffet style salad bar, soups, pizza, pasta, ice cream and more.  Isaac loves it because he can fill his school lunch inspired tray with everything he wants. Hannah likes everything, so any kind of smorgasbord sounds good to her. We went there […]

From our family to yours, we wish you the very best National Praline Day ever! It’s apparently a thing.  I never knew until a few days ago when I checked Google for food holidays in the United States.  One day last year I was craving pecan pie, so I baked one in the middle of […]

Cake for breakfast isn’t something I would want all the time, but yesterday I was in the mood for strawberry shortcake.  I had some whipping cream in the refrigerator, but am saving it for making pralines. I wondered how the flower-shaped cupcakes I had just baked would taste in a French toast style, covered with […]

Happy first day of summer! We have been blessed with two sons and two daughters, half of whom still live at home, Hannah, 14, and Isaac, 5.  Our two older children have always been adventurous at eating most foods, and Hannah is perhaps the least picky eater of them all. Isaac, on the other hand, […]

After I posted about my plans for making breakfast burritos for Father’s Day, I decided to rename them since most people in Austin, Texas, where I live call them breakfast tacos.  They’re kind of a big deal here, and the variety and availability are rather impressive. You can easily pick up a breakfast taco at […]