hopeful

Spinach and feta has to be one of my favorite flavor combinations of all time: there is just something about how creamy feta balances the delicate texture of cooked spinach. Growing up in Chicago, spanikopita was available at just about every corner family restaurant and I have long loved it. This recipe replaces the typical...

So I'm thinking about entering an amateur photography contest. These are the pictures I am considering....whaddya all think? I would love your thoughts/criticism/input. Taken at Brasserie du Pays Welche, France Taken at Heart Lake, Montana Taken at the Strasbourg Market Taken in the Strasbourg Cathedral Taken...

When I started this blog back in October, one of my goals was to bake more bread. I'm now several months in and, looking back, I've done alright. I feel like with every new bread recipe, I get a better sense of the basics of breadmaking, and I've enjoyed seeking out new recipes to try. If Finn does indeed become a baker,...

If your love for cooking and recipes is anything like mine (and I would venture to guess that for many of you it is), you have a recipe problem. Not a problem with the recipes per se but a problem with organizing the recipes in a way that they are usable. They are everywhere, in all kinds of formats, and they are driving...

We finally got some snow here in central Illinois. My kids spent an entire morning watching it accumulate before I deemed it time to get dressed and head out into the long-awaited winter wonderland. While waiting for the snow to fall, Finn and I baked a loaf of bread.  The recipe came from a cookbook that he...

I first started knitting when I was studying abroad in college. A friend had showed me the basics the year before, and for some reason I picked up needles and yarn somewhere in northern India during that long ago semester. I particularly remember knitting during the independent study portion of the program, at which time...

For the very first time in the history of our marriage, Sean and I decided to spend Christmas Day in our own home. In previous years, we've always spent Christmas Day with either my family in Chicago or his family in Montana. After running around like ragged last Christmas Day with two kids in tow, we decided that 2011...

I was somewhat ambivalent about beets in my youth. They didn't show up often at the family dinner table, and on the rare occasion that they did, they were typically the pickled-in-a-jar variety. Then I went to Mongolia. You see, Mongolia doesn't have a lot going on in the vegetable department. Bitter, long, arid winters...