fennel, beet, and blood orange salad

This rainy, mild winter reminds me of being a kid: sitting in the back of my family station wagon, listening to rain drops on the roof and the squeak of the windshield wipers with the easy listening sounds of Carole King on the radio. Remember when the backseat could be the safest, coziest place in the world? What a bummer that grown-ups don’t really get to snuggle in the back seat very often.

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carrot salad with parsley

Though unlikely, mid-week lunch inspiration struck today. I had planned on avocado toast with over-easy eggs and parsley when I realized that the parsley’s true destiny was a supporting role in a carrot salad. So I grabbed a few carrots from the fridge and had this tasty salad made (and photographed) in minutes. Healthy and photogenic? Oh yes. Head over to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen for our recipe.

persimmon, pear, and clementine salad

Dear December, please slow down. I want to enjoy every second of pine needles, Christmas lights, candles, cinnamon, clementines and laughter. I want to cry to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and dance to “Christmas in Hollis” at least five more times. I want to bake cookies for the world, make my own eggnog, make my own holiday gifts, and wear something glittery for a night out on the town. But you, December, seem to have different plans and are rushing by at lightning speed, and I feel a little lost in your speedy wake. read more »

hasselback sweet potatoes

And we’re off. After a slow start, and near denial, Thanksgiving preparations are well under way. The promised “flurry of posts” has not come to fruition, but I did want to check in briefly and wish you and yours safe travels and a very happy Thanksgiving.

I also wanted to share these simple Hasselback sweet potatoes with a spicy lime vinaigrette. Simple and satisfying, they are an excellent healthy sweet potato option. Thanksgiving aside, they’re also a great cold weather side.

Get our recipe over on Babble.com’s Family Kitchen.

tomato and cherry pazanella

So, here we are nearly halfway through August. After spending so much time thinking of nothing but July! July! I am a little unsure of how to conduct myself in this post-July world (not to mention the whole newborn thing–though it’s going pretty well). Time marches on, and the things we were waiting for, counting down to, somehow happen.

Happening also are all the tomatoes, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, and corn I could want. I love that we can take produce for granted this time of year. Just grab a handful of fruit and eat it up, or pick the tomatoes right off the vine with no worries–there’s more where that came from. read more »

blood orange birthday cake

Food traditions are usually associated with major holidays and family, but among a group of good friends, we have a few food traditions that go back years. Among them are terrible vegan pancakes–perfect after a lively night (and now, thankfully, given a non-vegan taste makeover), pinto bean hummus (lovingly made to accommodate my allergies), and this classic cake, once dutifully prepared for any number of vegan birthday boys and girls. read more »