Before Beatrice was born I froze a bunch of meals and they were pretty awful. Instead of enjoying a relaxing quick meal I found myself wrestling with giant casseroles that baked for hours but were still frozen in the middle, eating half cold and half overcooked burritos, and trying to force frozen squares of hot […]
Eight great appetizer recipes
December 19, 2012 by
I like to host parties and I have a reputation for being a good cook. And while I can execute a recipe well, I think what I am actually good at is recipe selection. Thus I have accumulated a long list of party favorites. So if you are done wrapping and shopping and are now […]
How to make soup mix in a jar
November 27, 2012 by
I mentioned last post that Noah is not a project or craft kind of guy, so when it came time for him to work on his Christmas gifts, our options were limited. Fortunately, soup mix in a jar is a very popular gift and recipes abound for them. I was suspicious, though, as I read […]
How to make spice mixes for gifts
November 23, 2012 by
Every year my boys and I make gifts to give their teachers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I’m determined that they learn the joy of being thoughtful gift-givers, and they are required to participate in the gift creation process. Owen has always been a project and craft guy, so it was easier with him. We made […]
How to make homemade marshmallows and hot cocoa
November 18, 2012 by
Last year for Christmas Jen and I made the exact same gift for friends and family — homemade marshmallows and hot cocoa mix. Around the same time I proposed starting Borealis together, and it seemed like kismet — although we are very different people in many ways, we still think eerily alike. In time for […]
May evenings, and rhubarb
May 10, 2012 by
Rhubarb was the first edible I ever grew. When we moved into our house eight years ago the gardens were a mess (and still kind of are), but the rhubarb! The rhubarb appeared comfortingly and made me feel like I was doing something right. I harvested that rhubarb and made it into cakes and breads […]
Valentine’s Day dinner . . . for four
February 14, 2012 by
I can’t remember the last time my husband and I went out for Valentine’s Day. I think it was an early seating at some popular place more than 10 years ago. They’d clearly brought in extra tables and I was closer to the person next to me on the banquette than my husband across the […]
I’ll never buy granola again
February 1, 2012 by
Why, oh why did I wait so long to try homemade granola? I had heard it was easy, tasty, and way less expensive, but still I hadn’t tried it. And then my friend Heidi sent me a jar for Christmas (Christmas being around January 25 for her, but she has a new baby, so we’ll […]