One birthday tradition in our family is that the birthday girl selects the dessert for the day. My dad always has German chocolate cake; Alex and my sister Megan usually share a pie; Lil likes chocolate cake (homemade, of course). Now that my youngest sister Heather is a trained pastry chef and freelance cake and truffle maker, I usually give her a few ideas and tell her to make me something tasty. This year, I [...]

A walk at Darby Creek Metro Park with bug, bird, and buffalo watching + goodies from Pattycake Bakery and lunch from Los Potosinos + a family party with pumpkin beer tasting, awesome food and gifts + two Taysetee beet desserts = a lovely birthday for me!

If you’ve ever come to a Hounds in the Kitchen class or event, chances are you’ve seen my Earthlust stainless steel water bottle. I carry my beloved bottle nearly everywhere I go. It’s safe (no BPA or other nasties), easy to clean in the dishwasher, and sipping is a cinch. (Yes, I am one of those people who dribble down my chin when I drink from a wide-mouthed vessel.) The 20 ounce size is perfect [...]

As I was thinking about my life and readers, I considered ‘how about something for the four legged beasts?’ My dogs keep me company on walks in the alleys, bark at strangers, and eat cooking leavings off the kitchen floor. They also eat my tomatoes, birthday cakes, and everything else passable. They are, in part, evil. But even evil dogs deserve a nice fresh collar and leash once in awhile. Today’s birthday giveaway is a [...]

Last year, when I turned 30, my birthday was all about me. This year, I want to celebrate with you fellow cooks and readers. Let’s countdown to my birthday (October 9) with some giveaways! First up is free shopping at Krogers. Krogers is a supermarket store chain in the Midwest. I shop at our Graceland Marketplace location once a month of so for staples and organic produce. What I like most about Krogers is that [...]

Ingredients & Inspiration: I harvested a ton (well, several huge bowls) of green tomatoes, peppers, and herbs this weekend when frost threatened. I ended up with four bags of Swainway Urban Farm sprouts after working the booth on Saturday. Yum! Hello birthday week!! I want to go to Athens Farmers Market for my birthday and backpack the night at Wildcat Hollow. This will be our first time to the market ever and first time backpacking [...]

Lil’s kitty cat cake was made by my sister Heather of Taysetee Pastry. Lil’s birthday marks two weeks until my birthday, yippee!