College Boy and Irish Girl are great at thinking of creative birthday presents that the recipient will really love, and this year they hit it out of the ballpark with Teacher’s birthday present. At first we were a little puzzled when Teacher reached into the bag and pulled out…
My family has a tradition who brings what for Thanksgiving dinner at Uncle Ike and Aunt Elle’s. We always bring, in Uncle Ike’s words, “The weird stuff that only your family eats.” Like Aunt Betty’s Stuffing, squash, Drunken Cranberries, and Drunken Sweet Potatoes. We also bring pumpkin and cherry pie,…
When I was a kid my grandma and grandpa had a huge Cortland apple tree in their back yard. To me nothing tasted better than those apples, except maybe Grandma’s Great Apple Dessert. Like Big Meat Bake Dish, this recipe probably has an official name, but we’ve always called it…
You know those family recipes that you aren’t sure where they came from or what their real name is? This is one of those kinds of recipes. I grew up on Big Meat Bake Dish. It was such a staple in my family when I was growing up that I…
The first time I ever had Cheeseburger Macaroni Soup was at Teacher’s house before we were married. He’d invited me to visit for a weekend and I was so head-over-heels for him that I jumped at the chance. Yes, his parents were there the whole time and we slept in…
Last Christmas I gave Teacher “Frontera: Margaritas, Guacamoles and Snacks” by Rick Bayless, and we’ve been working our way through the recipes one blissful weekend at a time. One of the recipes that really intrigued me was the Meyer Lemon Margarita. I’m not a big fan of lemons, but Meyer…
Teacher and I have been following the Love and Logic approach to parenting – with varying degrees of dedication and success – for several years now. One of the recommendations is to have children be responsible for a family meal once a week, beginning around age 8. We’d followed that…
The first time I ever had Ham and Pickle Wraps was when Teacher and I were visiting his parents for Christmas the first year we were married. I watched Mom N. make Ham and Pickle Wraps to take to the church choir Christmas party and wasn’t sure what to think…
If you’ve ever tried to feed a kid you know it’s no easy task! Kids’ tastes can change from day to day and moment to moment. One day they can’t stand to have a bowl of peas on the dinner table, and the next day they’re eating peas like their…
Our family is fueled by granola bars. In the morning the kids grab a granola bar to munch on in the car on the way to school. After school they grab a granola bar to munch on as a snack. Since granola bars are fairly healthy I don’t mind too…
