Monthly Archives: November 2011

Tomato Pasta Soup

November 21, 2011

This week starts for me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s Thanksgiving week – usually a time of feasting, celebrating, and counting the blessings which God has graciously given us. Christmas is my favorite holiday, but turkey day is a close second. Load me up with ample stuffing, pumpkin pie, and the conversation of loved ones, and I’m a happy girl. This year, though, the holiday is marked with sadness. My husband’s grandmother passed away unexpectedly last Friday from complications after a fall down the stairs. We decided it was best that I stay home, but Dan, Eowyn, and the …

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

November 17, 2011

Pumpkin. Does any better vegetable exist? I’m thinking no. It’s usually the type of ingredient that comes out to play as the leaves start to turn, but by Valentine’s Day, its orangey hue is a distant memory. For most of my life, I was content to eat it in pie form on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that was about it. I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at sometime in the last few years, pumpkin began to inch its way further into my cooking. More and more, I found myself buying it, to the point where it’s now a …

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Ready-to-Eat Veggie Sticks

November 14, 2011

Isn’t it amazing how sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s day? While certainly there were times earlier in my life when others were gracious toward me, I don’t think I truly started appreciating it until my daughter, Eowyn, joined our family. She’s nearly 19 months old now, but back when she was a newborn, my heart overflowed with gratitude towards the friends and family who supported us in the transition to parenthood. The baby shower gifts, the postpartum meals, and the advice from all the moms who had gone before me were invaluable. …

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Hot Spiced Cider

November 10, 2011

I always feel a little guilty whenever I make this apple cider, though it’s not for the reasons you might expect. It hasn’t been uncommon for people to remark that it’s the best they’ve ever tasted. Really? Wow, that was more than I was anticipating. The first time it happened, I thought the guy was just trying to be nice, but then it kept happening again and again. Such compliments continue to amaze me because this recipe is so simple and takes all of five minutes of prep work. Why should I receive praise for doing next to nothing? The …

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Chicken and Dumplings

November 8, 2011

For me, Chicken and Dumplings is the quintessential comfort food. My childhood was characterized by frequent transition and lots of relocating, yet any time my mom made a pot of this warming soup, I knew I was home. Even now, when I taste the chewy dumplings and the peppered broth lingers on my tongue, gratitude fills my heart for the love that was poured into every batch. These days, as a wife and soon-to-be mom of two, I have the privilege of sharing this dish with my own family. This isn’t the type of dinner made for scarfing before engaging in the evening’s activities. It’s meant to be slow …

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Roasted Kale Chips

November 4, 2011

We’ve all felt it. That nagging sense of regret that comes with eating a bit too much junk food and far too few veggies. We know we should get our greens, but why is it so hard to do sometimes? Those crispy, salty potato chips stare us down, begging us to indulge, until finally we cave. Then, adding insult to injury, they leave us with a stomach ache that serves as an unpleasant reminder of our indiscretion. Now don’t get me wrong, indulgence has its place, and I fully believe that food should be both nourishing and enjoyable. But isn’t it easy to get …

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Apple Carrot Muffins

November 2, 2011

Welcome to my brand new blog! I am thrilled to be launching this project and am grateful for the love, support, and help I have received in making it a reality. To kick things off, I’d like to share with you a recipe that has me smitten. Before I found these gems, I would have never described myself as a muffin lover. The dry, fall-apart-in-my-hands quality of most of the ones I’ve eaten in my life has left me sweeping up crumbs and downing milk by the glass. Sure, maybe I thought they tasted okay at the time, but it …

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