I am, by nature, a planner. A visit to my kitchen would prove the point: a fully inked-in white board calendar, a bulletin board pinned with every school/activity/holiday schedule, and several post-it notes scattered around the inside doors of…
Blackberry-Cherry Sidecar Cocktail
Is it spring yet? As I peek out from beneath my warm comforter every morning, before the children’s giggles (and shrieks) begin from across the hall, I gaze outside at the bare trees and realize it hasn’t sprung up on…
Double Dark Chocolate Cookies
There is a lot of Valentine’s Day grumpiness this time of year. Don’t get me wrong; a lot of the arguments are totally valid, and I was definitely a complainer during my topsy-turvy twenties (at least, in the romance…
Tomato & Ricotta Bruschetta
The more I entertain, the more I come to realize that you don’t have to put out a ridiculously complicated menu to make a big impression on your guests. Excepting Holiday dinners, I think simple, bold flavors…
Cucumber & Jalapeño Margarita
If I had my wish, I would run away to someplace warm & mild every winter. The cold weather has firmly settled in this part of the country, and although I can usually make it until the first thaw, this…
Green Pear Smoothie
There seems to be a basic formula to the ever popular “New Year guilt-induced-clean-eating-post-holiday stretch” green smoothie. Veggies…protein…ice…. maybe some fruit if I spend some extra time at the gym… The problem is that it can get boring and, dare…
Cauliflower & Potato Soup
As we approach the New Year, the same old mantra of healthy resolutions begin to run through my thoughts. I know that I’m not the only one. With our overly-indulgent holiday meals done and gone, and the bubbles of New…
Lemon Tart with Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
I’ve mentioned this in passing before, but back in the mid 90’s and 2000’s, I was a professional ballet dancer. I lived in a world of pointe shoes, barres (that is not the drink-y kind), Chopin, and Tchaikovsky. I performed…
Chocolate Peppermint Bark Shortbread
Everyone has their personal favorite taste that they cherish over everything else. Some people like beer, others prefer specialty cheese… For my husband, it’s any dessert with peppermint or a fresh minty flavor (with maple a close second, being Canadian…
Pomegranate Gin Fizz
As I write this, December is officially upon us. Winter holiday parties over take our schedules, variations from the Nutcracker Suite serenade us in the shopping malls, and the kids are getting together their wish lists; It’s a joyous…