Looking for a recipe today? I shared my mother’s Tuna Noodle Casserole with the Columbus Dispatch for their article about potato chip toppings. After a long draught of travel, this spring is shaping up to be a flood of trips. Check out our itinerary: February 2 – Cleveland – Fresh Street Pop-up February 10-11 – Cincinnati – Winter BeerFest and 5Bs Conference February 18-19 – Granville – OEFFA Conference end of February – San Salvador [...]

1. I like to make jam but I rarely eat it. 2. Same with pickles. Hence, my pantry is overabundant and I give many jarred gifts. 3. I failed at worm composting last year. I so don’t like squishy creatures that I hated tending the box and turned the wigglers lose in my compost bin in the summer. I am keeping my awesome One20 Farm composter with the hopes that someday I’ll get over my [...]

My family has a winter holiday tradition to make egg rolls from scratch. Usually the lengthy process happens on Christmas Day but this year we made them on New Years Day. We all love to cook and working together makes light work of the tedious rolling. A corollary tradition is to stuff any remaining wrappers after the filling is gone with random foods. This year, cocktail cherries and chocolate was a hit. Lil’s roll with [...]

Despite my optimism, I did not achieve many of my 2011 resolutions. 2011 was a bit of a difficult year health wise. I had surgery to clear out my sinuses, but a raging infection kept me feeling lousy most of the summer. After some irritating testing, I found out in September that I am allergic to dogs and dust mites. We changed some habits and removed allergens in the house, but I continue to suffer [...]

Today Alex and I celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary. Eleven years!! It is hard to limit the list, but here are 11 things I love about being married to Alex: 1) He knows me and loves me for myself. 2) Better than just knowing, Alex indulges me with simple things, like the last bite of ice cream or serving me a nightcap. 3) Alex exudes such confidence that I am able to feel more confident [...]

The last five days were totally consumed by holidays: Thursday – hosted lunch and Solstice party for 7 kids and assorted adults Friday – cooked and crafted all day and drove to Lima and back for dinner with my Grandmother Saturday – cooked all day and hosted Xmas Eve dinner for 12 Sunday – visited two families for Christmas gift exchange and meals Monday – drove to New Carlisle, Ohio and back for Tayse family [...]

The homestead is bustling like an elf shop these days with gift wrapping, cooking, hosting gatherings and attending others. We like to read holiday books and watch videos during the down time to get excited for the big day coming. Here are five we like this year: 1) Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky is based on the true story of George Washington learning about the holiday from a Jewish soldier in the Revolutionary [...]