Last year, I was the mom who didn’t. I didn’t make it to school events on time. I didn’t remember when gym day was. I didn’t send in trinkets for holidays (a lot of parents do in our school). It was a big round of didn’ts. And it felt like no matter what I did, I just couldn’t get into the swing of school. It was a constant sense of missing something.

But this year is different. This year I vowed to be the mom who does. And so far, I am doing pretty well at it.

Sure, I might have packed these treat bags up while the kids ate lunch a mere 30 minutes before school today. But I still did it. And I was really happy with the results. Inside are some simple kid toys.

Most of all though, I loved the treat bags themselves. As I’ve mentioned, I adore Halloween … haunted houses, scary movies, the macabre. I love it all. So the creepy house on these cellophane bags? I just couldn’t resist. Total love.

So, tomorrow, Will will dress up as an adorable pirate and Paige as a pretty princess. Me? I’m going as a snazzy wicked witch. I cannot wait …

Do you dress up for Halloween? What will you (and your kids!) be this year?

“Mommy, what’s this?” Will asked me when he sat down to dinner and saw two spooky ghosts on his plate. I could see him thinking hard as he studied the white apparitions.  “Are they ghosts?”

Yes, indeed, they were ghosts.

I fashioned these ghosts from mozzerella cheese sliced from a block and slices kalamata olives. When I originally made these, I fastened the eyes with a dab of cream cheese, but I skipped that step this time. It’s nice to have everything stuck together, but it isn’t always necessary.

What I love most about these adorable ghosts? The flavors. Salty, brined olives are a fantastic contrast to the smooth, creamy cheese.  Cute is great, but cute and tasty is even better. Seriously. Will must have thought so too, because he gobbled them right up.

I love Halloween.

Check out the directions for this and another freakish (and yummy!) Halloween treat on my latest post at the Mott’s More to the Core blog.

So, where did we eat this weekend on the Cape?

The Cape.

It feels so unnatural to me to say Cape Cod. It’s so formal, like something that someone who hadn’t ever been there would say. But I’ve been there many times. As a child, my family would make a yearly pilgrimage to the Cape for our massive annual family reunion. There would be volleyball and lobster. My grandmother would convene with her cousins, the ones that she’d spent summers playing on beaches and swimming with. Meanwhile, I would search the crowds (yes, crowds) for my generation of cousins … the ones who, although older, would build sandcastles on the beach with me.

I have a great family.

This past weekend was the first time that my children visited the Cape. While I doubt they will ever connect the concept of visiting the Cape with huge family gatherings like I do, I certainly hope that they do associate it would good times and good friends. I have great friends too.

Alright, enough musings … onto the food. Read the rest of this entry…

On Friday, not long after hitting publish on previous blog post here, I loaded the kids into my trusty little Civic and headed to Cape Cod for the weekend. It was dark and rainy, but the drive was pretty easy and peaceful. And when we arrived, just after midnight, we were greeted by two of my wonderful friends who helped me to quickly unload the car and put the kids to bed.

It was a weekend that we had talked about for more than a month, sending links back and forth and brainstorming about things to see. High on the list was visiting a cranberry bog, which unfortunately didn’t happen. But we did score three pounds each of some freshly picked cranberries. Sweet! I cannot wait to get cooking with them. I have many great things planned …

Missing the cranberry bog wasn’t for lack of trying … we did what we could. We dropped in on an annual cranberry festival, where we ate some dried cranberries and scooted around a barn filled with people and vendors. It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. But the kids were pleased since they scored some balloons and got to meet a friendly pig.

We checked out a fake lighthouse at the fair grounds and a real one at a beach. We ate fried clams and delicious brownies. We went to a small museum, ate in a small local diner that I have been to dozens of times )but didn’t totally realize that until we were mid-meal) and managed to hit the better part of the cape. It was a total blast.

Many good things can be said about good food and good company … and we were blessed with both this past weekend.

Click through to see more photos from our trip. Read the rest of this entry…

When I was in high school, I had a close group of friends who always hung out together. As groups of friends go, we weren’t always all the best of friends — there were ebbs and flows, just like any relationship. But one thing was certain: when we got together, we all had a ton of fun.

One of those friends was Lisa. She was an honors student who loved English class just like me. We had most of our classes together, except for language — she was a French student, I was a Spanish one. So, we spent a lot of time together in and out of school. When I think of her, one thing that sticks out in my mind is her absolute love of Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. I smile just thinking about her waxing poetic about their many virtues.

Now me? I don’t think I had eaten — let alone heard of — lemon poppy seed anything before her.  But once I tried them, I discovered that they were every bit as good as she said. However, unlike Lisa, I just couldn’t bear the idea of poppy seeds getting caught in my teeth (call me vain … ok, I probably was). So, I didn’t eat them often.

Last week though, my local supermarket’s bakery had mini muffins on sale and I picked up a package. I’d almost forgotten how much I love the sweet lemony flavor … mmm. But something struck me as I ate them: I still really don’t like the poppy seeds. I could totally do without them, in fact. That got me thinking about how I could have my lemon without the hassle of the seeds …

The answer? Blueberries. I mean, sure, you could make the muffins sans any additions. But what fun would that be?I am sure it would taste perfectly fine without them, but I don’t want fine … I want something that makes you swoon.

And really … lemon and blueberry are two flavors that really go well together. Aren’t they? Well, my kids and I thought so. I think you will too.

Read the rest of this entry…

Some foods are ubiquitous to areas. Philadelphia has its cheesesteaks. The south has its BBQ. New York has its cheesecake. Boston has its baked beans. But for every well-known regional food, there are dozens of lesser known ones that are just as wonderful — if not more so.

When it comes to greater Boston, one of those foods is the Roast Beef Sandwich. An area favorite, particularly north of Boston, it’s popularity extends across the New Hampshire line and down into Rhode Island too.

Let me introduce you to this glorious sandwich … The Roast Beef Sandwich is typically served on an onion roll, which is a soft sandwich roll that’s dotted with sweet bits of caramelized onions. My husband opts for a regular sesame roll, but you have to ask for that (and unless you are a total onion hater like him, I don’t suggest you do so). Onto that roll goes an eye-popping quantity of thinly sliced roast beef deli meat, which has been warmed on the grill. It’s doused with a spicy, loose barbecue sauce and served hot. The contrast between the sweet onions and the bite of the sauce is amazing.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my lips … this is an amazing sandwich. Read the rest of this entry…

Last night, after a rushed day, my husband and I did something together that doesn’t happen enough these days: we power-cleaned the house. In short order, my office was transformed from neglected storage space to usable thinking space. By the time we were done, the bathrooms were sparkling and the living room picked up. It was a great feeling to wake up to such a tidy house today.

And having a tidy house? Well, that makes me spontaneous. Seriously. I was driving to the store today when I had an inkling that today might be a good day to invite someone over for lunch. I did – or tried to – but it didn’t work out. The quiche, on the other hand, was fantastic. The kids just ate it up.

I started with two big shallots. After chopping then into rings, I sauteed them in some olive oil, swishing them around with my favorite wooden spatula until they were all soft and caramelized. It’s important to smash them a bit while they are cooking so that they break up a little. The caramelizing brought out their wonderful subtle sweetness.

When it came time to make the quiche, I layered the shallots with some crumbled Danish blue cheese. Danish blue cheese is creamy and blends well. Some blue cheeses, like Maytag blue, have a major bite, but Danish is a little more subtle. Although it’s sharp, it mellows a lot when melted into the egg mixture. The result is this amazing flavor combination that is sweet, salty, savory and super … all at once.

After it baked up, the kids and I dug in and devoured it. Mmm, and was it ever good. This would make a perfect lunch with a nice green salad (we skipped that today) and some toasty bread. And best of all? It’s ridiculously easy to make. Totally perfect for an impromptu lunch date.

Read the rest of this entry…

This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancake recipe almost appeared here earlier this week, but that would have been the third day in a row of pumpkin recipes, so I held off for a few days. I’ve been living, breathing and (heck) eating pumpkin for days. It’s one of those wonderful (and nutritious) fall foods. And it can take on so many different personalities depending on how you cook it and what you cook it with. Wait till I get into the savory adaptations I have been dreaming about …

Anyway, these pumpkin pancakes.

This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancake recipe was really Will’s idea. I mentioned to him that I was thinking of making pumpkin pancakes and he asked me to put chocolate in them. Seemed like a good idea … and it was.  The chocolate is a good complementing flavor for the pumpkin.

Rich in flavor, these pancakes smell distinctively like pumpkin pie. Drizzle them with some good maple syrup and eat them up. I prefer Grade B maple syrup – it’s got a deeper flavor. Really, try it.

Anyway, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes are absolutely perfect for a cold day. Like today.

Read the rest of this entry…

Dearest Mother Nature,

I am a big fan of your work–Brandywine tomatoes? Genius! Basil, rosemary and lavender? Amazing. Tulips, lilacs and forsythia? Lovely. So, it’s with the deepest appreciation that I write to you. Really, I think you are great at your job.

But recently, I’ve been really concerned. You’re erratic behavior lately has me downright worried. The late start to summer was so disappointing. And I don’t just mean because of the incessant rainy days. The impact was felt all through summer as tomatoes made scarcely any appearance here in Connecticut.

After that let down, I thought you would make it up to us with a drawn out conclusion to summer. I don’t know why, but I thought maybe we’d have some warm days into late October even … but no. No, instead you decided that October 15 was the perfect day for the season’s first snow.

Seriously, Mother Nature? We’re weeks from Halloween. This is when we should be wearing light layers and considering fleece while we pick apples and take hayrides to collect pumpkins. Instead, we are using gloves and winter coats while we shield ourselves from the biting wind. What gives?

Look, you are a smart, competent, lovely woman. You are strong and confident. But these past few months have been a blur of confusing and aggravating  behavior. It needs to stop. If you could find it in your heart to bring back the pleasant temperatures, that would just be awesome.

Best,

Sarah

Making food from scratch is one of those things that I take pride in. Pancakes? We have ‘em at least once a week, always from scratch. Biscuits? When I get the hankering I turn to a great recipe that I found on The Perfect Pantry. Cookies? Always from scratch. Macaroni and cheese? Usually from scratch.

But that said, I have a strong aversion to any recipe that strikes me as being fussy. Making puff pastry from scratch? Too fussy – I am happy to purchase the Artisan Puff Pastry from Trader Joe’s instead. Croissants? I would love to know how to make them, but I’ve read recipes for them dozens of times and it’s just too time consuming.

So, when it comes to the rare occasion when I pull out the trusty Crock-Pot, I expect that whatever I make will be easy and fast to pull together. Isn’t that the whole point of using it? I thought so.

This is all a very long lead in to saying that I really find the recipes in Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook to be way too fussy. I’ve tried several recipes from this book over the years. Every time, I find that they have too many steps. Brown in a frying pan, cook this, mix that … it’s stealing the ‘quick and easy’ from the whole Crock-Pot idea.

So, it was with great reluctance that I decided to make the Tangy Tomato Brisket recipe from this book (worst name ever — it’s more like a BBQ joint brisket). As usual, I prepped my mise en place and reread the recipe to find that there were way more steps than I wanted. That meant the brisket got into the pan later than I wanted and I had to adjust the heat and time to accommodate it …

But I wouldn’t be telling you about this recipe if it wasn’t good. And good it was. I loved it. The sauce was rich and spicy-sweet, like my favorite BBQ joint’s brisket. It was fork tender and tasted delightful with the onions …

It’s not for a busy mom on a work day – it cooks too fast (5-7 hours on low) and takes too much to pull together (prep time is roughly 30 minutes, maybe 40). But for a lazy Sunday? Perfect. And if you cook it just a little longer than you can shred it with two forks and serve it up on rolls … I bet a little cheddar would be good too.

Read the rest of this entry…