Just Some Blog Business: A Year of Better Cooking

Fall is here! I’ve had a nice little break from the blog, unpacking more boxes and getting settled into our school routine. Has Fall brought a new rhythm to your days, or energy for doing something new? For the next year of blog posts, I plan to learn to cook better meals. My husband finally has a somewhat predictable schedule, for the first time in our marriage. Even the evenings when he’s not home, the kids are old enough to appreciate... Read More

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches with Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Macaroons

In the middle of our hectic parties, traveling, and unpacking this month, the kids sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Last week I decided to ignore my mile-long to do list and spend some time baking cookies with my daughters. This oatmeal macaroon recipe has been in the family for ages. My mom made these cookies with her mom. I made them with my mom. Last week my daughters made them with me. My mom’s recipe card is so worn that it looks like... Read More

Making Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade with Kids

This year my kids will be old enough for some of the activities that summertime allows. The thought of having soft green grass as a backdrop – in just a few more weeks! – makes me want even more to start blowing bubbles and collecting sand castle forms. This past week we had a little free time, plus eight lemons that had been sitting in my crisper drawer. The lemons were perfectly “cured” (in other words, we had been planning... Read More

Monster Cookies!

Annie is posting for Calamitous Cook this week. A couple weeks ago, my sister-in-law Megan came down for the day. We had tons of fun just hanging out together, and meanwhile, made the most ridiculous portion of cookies I’ve ever seen! Just the ingredients! To name a few: a whole dozen eggs, 3 pounds of peanut butter, and 15 cups of oatmeal! It all started because Megan and I flew down to Atlanta to visit Drew’s brother and his wife and... Read More

Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Berry Compote and Lemon Whipped Cream

A few days ago a friend said, “Hey Debbie, where’s that lemon pancake recipe you promised in a post a while back?” You mean, people actually read this stuff? 😉 She made my day… As promised, here’s the recipe: Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Berry Compote and Lemon Whipped Cream (Brief pause while my fingers catch their breath after typing that long title… While we’re pausing, the recipe is at the bottom,... Read More

Stovetop Spinach Artichoke Dip

My new Pioneer Woman cookbook has arrived! I hope to cook something out of it this week. I’m excited that she uses ingredients that are easily accessible in the Midwest. And, of course, I love her food photographs. In the meantime, I made Stovetop Spinach and Artichoke Dip from my Rachael Ray Get Togethers book. To borrow from Rachael’s vocabulary, it was yum-o! Moving along, then. Chopping onion, red bell pepper, fresh sage, and garlic: When... Read More

Mixed Berry Compote

While I’m waiting for the new recipe book to arrive, I decided I have to do something to make up for the recent pizza disaster. If you fall off a horse, get right back on again, right? Berries are always a good place for me to start. Berries are pretty and inspiring. Today I tried Rachael Ray’s berry compote recipe. I used it to top my lemon pancakes. I’ll post the pancake recipe another day. The compote recipe can be found at the... Read More

Confessions of a Calamitous Cook

I have just ordered a much-anticipated cookbook by Pioneer Woman, who maintains a blog from her cattle ranch in Oklahoma. You can visit her heart-warming site here. PW’s cookbook will join the ranks of several other hopeful cookbooks lining my shelf. I crack them open about once a month, but that is about to change. Because blogging actually did motivate me to learn a few new things about my camera, I’ve decided to use it as a weapon... Read More

A Big Slice of Love

For Valentine’s Day, I was planning to make dainty, heart-shaped, pink-frosted sugar cookies and photograph them. It was for the blog… but wouldn’t my own dear valentine be perfectly delighted, too? I had a timely reminder this week, though, that the man I married is the type who will always prefer meat lover’s over milk and cookies, so I ended up making deep-dish pizza instead. It’s not the traditional February 14th (or 4th) fare,... Read More