Eatin' on the Cheap

Right now, in my mind, I am on vacation. I am not actually on vacation, I am somewhere towards the beginning of what will eventually turn into the busiest, most stressful, and exhausting month of my life. The month of May has now been dubbed Hell Month. Do you ever have one of those months? Where [...]

The first day of Spring has already passed but I can’t say that Mother Nature got the memo. It has been cold and wet and windy for what seems like forever. I’m sure that the rest of the country is with me when I say that I am more than ready for warm weather. I no [...]

  A few weeks ago I was looking back through some old posts and came across one about what I hoped to have one day (and stuffed artichokes which by the way are delicious and I should totally make this again soon). The very first line of that post is: “My dream is to one [...]

My guilty pleasure is Asian cuisine. More specifically, Chinese takeout. Back when we lived in Atlanta, I kept the local Chinese restaurant very busy, especially after the twins were born. I ordered so often that the delivery guy began to comment on how big the kids were getting and would notice when I didn’t call [...]

Life should never be this crazy. Swirling towers of wind should never come out of the sky at 2:30 in the morning and leave you and your family huddling amongst the winter coats and wrapping paper. No one should ever have to walk outside to see the war-zone that is left in the wake of [...]

Some recipes are just universal. Everyone has their own version. Like marinara sauce or biscuits. Who knows who came up with the idea first, but everyone has been putting their own spin on these recipes for as long as I can remember. Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos are no different. Really, this recipe is more of a [...]

Happy New Year!! 2013 has arrived despite all of the Mayan prophecies and many people are making all of the usual promises to themselves. I don’t know why we feel compelled to make all of these changes on the first day of the year. We could just as easily do it on a Tuesday in [...]

The kids are finally out of school and the final days before Christmas are upon us. The presents are piled under the tree, the twinkle lights are shining, Melvin the Elf is planning his escape, and the Christmas baking is well under way. Today we will be working on those last minute gifts for all [...]

 There is just something about a loaf of bread that offers a sense of tranquility. That sounds really corny, I realize, but bread as a symbol carries with it so many connotations of warmth, comfort, and love. Even the process of making bread is therapeutic.  First, you must precisely measure and sift, really focusing on the task at hand. Then [...]

The last week or so has been physically and emotionally exhausting. My nerves are frazzled, my energy is low, and my patience and good nature is wearing a bit thin. Even my wit and sarcasm are a little off. This usually happens during the holidays, but with the death of a loved one, fatigue has [...]

My kids have some extraordinary teachers. They are kind-hearted, patient and have managed to make Kindergarten the most fun place to be for my babies. Honestly, my kids love Monday mornings because that means they get to go back to school! They come home with folders jam packed with construction paper and smiley faces and [...]

Yesterday, I lost my sister. She was not my biological sister, we were not even remotely related, but she was my sister. I grew up with her, I looked up to her, she was the oldest of the seven of us ( most of us not actually related), and she was the shining star of [...]

I think this was about the third recipe I ever put up on this blog, and at that point I lived in a poorly lit house with two year old twins and a pretty healthy dose of near-insanity. Although things have changed a lot in the last 4 years there are some things that will [...]

 The turkey sandwich is the iconic Day-after-Thanksgiving food for most Americans and our household is no exception. Members of our family have been known to nearly chase you around the house with a turkey sandwich like some kind of turkey sandwich hustler. As if the fate of the world depended upon that turkey being eaten…and [...]

The funniest thing happened the day before Thanksgiving 6 years ago. There I was, big as a barn, pulling a ham out of the oven. It had been a long day of cooking so I went to lay down for a nap and as soon as my head hit the pillow – POP!- my water [...]