“You’re looking pretty fat, Charity!” My grandpa used to say this when I came to visit as a kid. That was his actual greeting. A scrappy little girl with skinny legs and a poochy tummy, I looked like Eloise. Just substitute a mobile home on a tiny farm for the Plaza hotel and there I […]

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe (Excerpted from “The Farmhouse Chef” by Jamie DeMent.) This recipe is the happy result of a late afternoon meltdown. I had planned to cook fried chicken for a crowd at the farm and, as often happens, the day ran away with me. Pigs got loose and tore up a freshly planted […]

These toasted bagel bites are the simplest way to land a major hit at lunchtime. In three minutes flat, you can whip up one of our four kids’ favorite school lunches of all time. Plus, the mix-and-match options are endless. Use whole-wheat bagels, everything bagels or plain. Add peanut butter and jam, hummus, marinara sauce […]

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe Make these quiche cups for dinner and you’ve also got school lunches ready to go later in the week! I like to pair these hand-held quiches with a big salad on warm days or a deliciously simple soup on cold nights like we’re having now. Last night we had “Fairy Soup”, […]

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe My kids love cornbread. I make a honey-whole-wheat cornbread that’s packed with good-for-you ingredients and every time I do, everyone squeals. With de-light. But I don’t always have time to bake all the things from scratch. And I’m guessing you don’t either. That’s why I love these Instant Lunchbox Cornbread Muffins […]

Looking for a holiday gift for teachers? When I saw a recent article brazenly titled “12 Holiday Gifts Teachers Do NOT Want” my curiosity was piqued. So was my insecurity. I have four small kids and all of them adore their teachers. Each year they LOVE offering a holiday gift to the adults who guide […]

If there’s an easier Thanksgiving food craft to make, you’ll have to convince me because these 3-Step Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pilgrim Hats are the simplest treat we’ve ever done. Seriously. I made one, then went to check on our chickens outside (they’re new to the coop after spending a month in the garage.) When I came […]

Overlooked, Under-Hyped or Older Favorites You Might Have Missed  What are the best movies for kids? We have four small kids and love Dinner & a Movie Night! Since you already know about all the “Avengers” and “Harry Potter” movies, these are the OTHER recommendations for families. Not too scary. Classics that have aged well. […]

You know those cute Halloween breakfast ideas you see on Pinterest? The ones that seem SO easy, then turn out to be as hard as convincing your three-year-old that it’ll be faster if you just buckle her carseat? This is not one of them. After testing out the idea, I have good news. These adorable […]

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe What’s the secret/only hope for a healthy breakfast recipe on busy school days? A make-ahead breakfast sandwich like this one and a healthy drink to go with it like ORANGINA. For our favorite new healthy breakfast recipe, starts with leftover roasted vegetables. This could be roasted cauliflower. Or oven roasted broccoli. […]