Many of you already know this, but my kids are students of Sandy Hook School. On Friday, when the joyful learning environment was shattered by violence, my son was in his classroom. He heard screams over the intercom and gunshots. His teacher, to whom I am forever indebted, hurried the students into their safe corner where they ducked down so the shooter wouldn’t see them. Will stayed there, huddled with his classmates, with his back pressed against a cabinet. His teacher comforted the children, keeping them quiet during the horrific chaos. Down the hall, my cousin’s son sat huddled with other students in his kindergarten room while their teacher quietly read stories to keep them calm.

I can’t begin to imagine what those moments were like for Will, our cousin, their friends, teachers, the whole school.

Just across the hall, mere feet from Will’s classroom, first grade teacher Victoria Soto hid her students in cupboards and closets. She huddled with them, protecting them.

Miss Soto wasn’t just a hero on December 14. She was someone who had truly touched Will’s life. On his first day of school, this past September, he was the new kid nervous about meeting new friends and finding his place in the new school. Although Miss Soto wasn’t his teacher, he met her and learned that she was friends with his teacher from last year — something that connected and bonded them. With her warm welcoming, Will immediately felt at home in the new place. We were blessed to have her in his life.

Will asked me on Friday if Miss Soto was okay. He’d seen papers strewn on her floor as he was evacuated and worried. On Saturday morning, I had to tell him that Miss Soto had not survived. “But we didn’t get to finish the lava game,” he said. “We were supposed to finish the lava game with her on Friday. Now we never will.”

I can’t hug Will tight enough or tell him enough times that I love him. I can’t take this pain from him or erase the horrific things he heard and experienced that day. I can only be there and reassure him as best I can.

As news trickled on Friday and Saturday, I had no choice but to tell my kids as we learned about the passing of so many from our community. This was our school, our people. Dawn Hochsprung, our principal, wasn’t just an enthusiastic educator. She was someone who was in the classrooms, getting excited with the kids. She was a vibrant, full-of-life woman whose eyes lit up when she talked about exciting new things happening at the school.

And I think of Mary Sherlach, the school psychologist who I’ve spoken with a few times over the last few months coordinating speech help for Paige. On a recent call, I was so upset for having missed a meeting that she assured me wasn’t important. She was so sweet as she recounted everything I missed, silencing my tears and calming me in the process.

On Friday, as I walked away from the horror with Will and Paige, a friend texted me asking if I could find someone. Our daughters’ former teacher, a dear friend of my family, was worried about her sister, Anne Marie Murphy. We turned around immediately and went back. As much as I wanted to run far away, I couldn’t leave knowing that our friend was so worried. I asked Will’s teachers, then two more teachers, a police officer. No one had seen her. One said she thought (or perhaps hoped? prayed?) that Anne Marie had stayed home that day. Through the day, we prayed. We hoped against hope that our friend’s family would be spared this loss. But in the middle of the night, they received confirmation that she didn’t make it.

And then there are the children. The beautiful children.  My heart aches knowing that 20 little children didn’t get reunited with their parents last Friday. I can’t begin to explain the complex pain that comes with having so much life lost in a place that’s a second home to your kids.

My heart aches. The innocence and belief in safety was shattered on Friday morning. Our school had excellent safety measures in place, but none of that could stop this. Still, amid all this, I am struck by the heroic actions of our teachers. Their actions, words and quick thinking saved so many. Over the last few days, I have been overwhelmed with the love, support and prayers of my family, friends, colleagues, and so many others — people I don’t know from all over the world. Every note, every kind word, every email has touched my heart and helped my family feel a little less alone in the aftermath of this awful event. It’s been a great buoy in a sea of helpless, hopeless, horrific days.

As I stood in our town on Saturday, surrounded by news vans and curious onlookers and shocked families, a woman stepped over and gently said “excuse me.” I smiled, that weak smile I’ve had to dig deep to find this past few days.

“I have sandwiches and water for the first responders, but it looks like the road to the firehouse is closed. Do you know if I can get up there?” she asked. I could have cried or hugged her, because the simple gesture of bringing food for the men and women who helped our children on Friday is so generous. So kind. Instead, I told her to walk and that police who were guarding the road blocks would help get it there.

On Sunday, as our school community gathered for an interfaith service, families hugged each other and shed tears together as we remembered the Sandy Hook 26 — 20 children, 6 adults, all taken too soon. President Barack Obama joined with our local clergy to deliver a respectful, impassioned service that really honors all those who we lost.

Today, our small New England town will begin the raw process of burying the victims of December 14. In the days that come, we will ready a new school and try to regain some thread of normalcy in our lives. But no matter how many days pass, we will also remember the tragedy of last Friday and be bound by our collective panic, grief and devastation. We are shattered. But we will find a way to go on.

———————————————

Many bloggers have declared today a Day of Silence in honor of our school. It is a small gesture that means so much. As much as I wanted to partake, it just didn’t feel right. Instead, I wanted everyone to know about the extraordinary people that Sandy Hook lost last Friday. Thank you for reading.

Sarah’s Cucina Bella is going to have a little silence of its own now. I’ll be taking some time off to be with my kids over the next few days. Sometime later this week, I have two food-related posts that will run. Thanks for your support and understanding.

The post The Blessing of Extraordinary People appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

(Those of you reading via email or feed reader should totally click through today!)

The Pink Pear logo has served me well over the years since it was created five years ago. Back then, Paige was an infant and Will was a toddler. I was in that early motherhood stage and the logo captured the fun, friendly, sweet look I wanted. When it was created, my husband Shawn, Cate and I all poured through the options my designer gave me and agreed that this was the one.

I loved it. Heck, I even wore it (yep, I have a few promotional t-shirts … and a grocery sack).

But after five years, it’s time to retire the old girl. She’s been a fabulous companion — something familiar and pretty. But, as with anything, things change. People change.

My children are both in school now. My work has grown and adapted and blossomed. And me? I am a little older and, I hope, a little wiser. So, over the summer, I made the decision that Sarah’s Cucina Bella would get an overhaul.

And by overhaul, I mean complete cosmetic change.

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably noticed the color palette that I shared earlier this week. It’s the basis for everything on the new design — and I hope you love it as much as I do.

In addition to the new logo and look, there is a fresh Recipe index — with pictures! Be sure to check it out — I think the photos make it so much more useful. Now, you can pop in and scan the photos for something that looks tasty in any of the (many) categories.

There are a few new features that are forthcoming for the site — like a recipe box and menu planner.

But don’t worry, the site’s makeover is cosmetic only. The core of the site remains the same — it’s still a blog about home cooking and raising a healthy family.

Thanks so much for reading! My readers are so special to me and I love seeing your comments, emails, Facebook messages and tweets come through. It means so much. So again, thank you!

Now, tell me what you think!

The post A Fresh, New Look for Sarah’s Cucina Bella appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

The BlogHer 2012 Conference was held in New York at the Hilton. The stage was a vision in purples and blues — nicely done!

This is where my journey started, hours earlier. I took the train from Connecticut at a time when normally I would still be in bed. But the early wake up was so worth it!

The last time I was at BlogHer, I skipped the milk mustache photo taking. But this time? Well, how could I resist these adorable milkmen? This booth was for The Breakfast Project.

I snapped this pic after being wowed by the size of this cheese wheel and Instagrammed it right away. Later, when I met friends for drinks, their first question was “What kind of cheese was that?!?” I’m pretty sure it was parmigiano reggiano pecorino romano (cough, it says so on the side of the wheel).

I sang Call Me Maybe out loud at the Hasbro party. There were all sorts of games and activities there and lots of lovely ladies (and gents!). Thanks to Hasbro for inviting me!

Ahh, Saturday morning. I woke up to this view. Nice, right?

Dannon was kind enough to invite me for their Healthy Start Breakfast. It involved a lot of yogurt, which is a great and healthy breakfast food. My kids love the Dannon Danimals line.

At the Dannon Healthy Start Breakfast, Chef Amanda Cook showed us how to make a few of her yogurt recipes — including some amazing muffins.

We also got to try the new Activia Breakfast Blends. Mmm!

Paula Gregorowicz moderated the When It’s Time To Spend Money to Market Your Work Panel, which I spoke on with Lyz Lenz and Alli Worthington. So glad I was asked to speak about this topic!

The kids and I loved The Lorax movie, so I just had to snap a pic with him. Can’t wait to buy the movie so that we can watch it again (and again and again and again).

When I saw the Kikkoman bottle walk by, I had to get a photo. I thought for a minute and then took off after her so I could get my picture taken. So, yes, I stalked the Kikkoman bottle. Fun.

Lisa Stone of BlogHer had the privilege of interviewing Katie Couric at lunch on Saturday. She was amazing, and spoke about motherhood, career, grief and so much more.

The big screens let everyone have a clear view of Katie Couric as she spoke. She truly has a smile that lights up a room. Someday, I would love to interview Katie Couric myself.

I captured this photo while waiting for the How to Price and Value Your Services session to start, and I feel like it really captured the feeling of the conference. There was so much love and generosity going on. This is Ana Lydia Ochoa-Monaco and Monica Barnett with someone who was really excited to see them.

Do you know Jenny from The NY Melrose Family? If not, check her out. She’s a creative teacher mama who isn’t afraid to wield fondant. (Little known fact: she and I went to high school together.) It was really fun seeing her.

I had the privilege of interviewing Liz Vaccariello, editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest and author of The Digest Diet. More on that later this week.

I didn’t really plan to drop by the Hillshire Farm’s booth, but their creations smelled so good I couldn’t resist. Chefs were whipping up made to order stirfry dishes using Hillshire Farm’s sausages. I tried the Chicken and Apple one and it was delicious with tri-colored peppers and onions over wild rice.

This is the chef who whipped up my dish. I failed to ask his name, but he was telling me about his experiences cooking for large groups — including cooking rice for thousands. Loved to hear that Hillshire Farm brought in real chefs for the event.

The last thing I did at BlogHer was board a bonafide school bus to go to the Lands’ End Back to School Event (check out Sarah by the Sea for more on that). This bus brought back such memories.

There was a little cooking demo at the Lands’ End event where a celeb chef whipped up some creative lunchbox dishes (loved the avocado salad he made). But who was this?

Why, it’s Sam Talbot from Top Chef! He was very nice and happily answered any questions thrown his way. MomTrends did a lovely job with this event.

The post BlogHer 2012 Conference in Pictures appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

A few months back, Rachel from Rachel Cooks! asked me to participate in Pancake Party, a month-long event celebrating (you guessed it!) pancakes. Since pancakes verge on phenomenon status in our house, I said yes and suggested Banana Split Pancakes.

What happened next was one of those serendipitous moments where all good things come together. And one of my editors was talking to me about possibly doing some food writing for a new site. But she was concerned about my photos. She needed something to sway her decision. I send over this photo and asked if it might convince her to hire me. It did.

You can check out my fun, easy recipes on allParenting every Monday.

But today? Today is the day that my Banana Split Pancake recipe is appearing on Rachel Cooks! Please head over there and show me a little love.

The post Pancake Party! Banana Split Pancakes appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Tasting cups ... different brew methods.

Coffee and I? We’re old buddies. I grew up in a coffee-drinking family, who gathered every weekend day for a leisurely cup. In summer, we’d all sit on the sun porch — even before I started drinking coffee myself — and chat, sometimes inviting neighbors in with a friendly call out the window. Sometimes, we still do that.

My first cup of coffee was had at age 10. We were in Florida for Thanksgiving, and my vacation friend (she and I were always there at the same time every year) and I decided to be a little rebellious and have a cup from the free coffee bar. My family didn’t bat an eye, and I’ve been drinking coffee ever since. By the time I hit sophomore year of high school, I had my own gigantic travel mug that accompanied me to school every morning until I lost it in college.

Eventually, I cut back on my consumption. I mean, really, brewing a whole pot just for me? That’s a little too much. These days, I usually have one to two cups a day. Sometimes I have three, if I end up at the coffee shop to get some work done. Turns out, all the coffee drinking is a healthy move. My husband is now up to two to three cups a day himself, something supported by recent research that drinking a couple cups a day can lower the risk of prostate cancer in men. (Ladies, good news for you too: female coffee drinkers also have a lowered risk of developing breast cancer.)

A Starbucks in Seattle

But coffee drinking is more than a health move or a morning ritual: it’s a social thing. Coffee brings people together — neighbors over a morning cup, spouses at the kitchen table, co-workers in the latte line. There’s no secret why the term coffee klatch came into existence. Coffee is naturally friendly.

When was the last time you lingered over a cup, talking about whatever was on your mind? For me, it was this morning. When was the last time you and a friend met at a coffee shop for a quick chat – planned or unplanned? When was the last time you put on a pot of coffee to share?

If you haven’t done these things lately, you should. It’s worth it.

Given my love of coffee, you can imagine how excited I was about a recent adventure. A couple months back, I received an incredible invitation to attend Starbucks Coffee College in Seattle. It’s a once-a-year program where Starbucks invites a handful of writers and journalists to go behind the scenes at their company, seeing how they make coffee from procuring the beans to roasting to serving customers. I could barely contain my excitement as I lined up childcare for the kids and prepared to go (I may or may not have referred to it as “the mothership calling me home”).

Cate, enjoying a cup of coffee

Not only did I get to take this amazing trip and learn so much about coffee making, but I got to do it with my good friend Cate from Sweetnicks. (I mentioned this trip briefly when I returned, promising a few more details.)

As a journalist, this trip wasn’t just about fun though — it was about research and learning, both of which happened in droves. I came home with incredible amounts of information to fuel a year’s worth of coffee-related assignments. I have a notebook filled with pitch ideas for the websites and publications that I work for — and a ton of background information to get me started. That’s incredibly valuable, and I cannot wait to write them all — whether right here or for other publications.

Hands on a French Press

In the meantime, think about the socialness of coffee. Plan a coffee date, invite a neighbor in for a cup or just chill with your family over a freshly brewed pot. With our busy, technology filled lives today, it can be easy to forget about connecting on a personal, face-to-face level with people in real-life. But it’s important, and you should. Whatever you do, enjoy that time and have a lovely weekend.

In the meantime, who do you share your coffee experience with?

Disclosure: Starbucks provided me with transportation, lodging, food and training during my Starbucks Coffee College experience. They didn’t require me to write about them or do anything more than attend and follow their schedule. Anything I write here or anywhere else regarding the experience is my own personal opinion and not impacted by the free trip.

The post Coffee Brings People Together (And Starbucks Coffee College) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

When someone does something amazing for you — whether it’s helping you shift the furniture in your house, helping you dig out from a massive snowstorm or something more subtle — it’s important to say thank you. And really, it’s a circumstance where words just aren’t enough. Actions mean more.

Cookies mean more.

I’m a little under the weather today, so I am not baking yet. But when I’m all better, I will be making a big, fabulous batch of cookies for my awesome neighbors. And I think it’ll be these Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies, which are mouthwatering. They were my very favorite creation of Christmas 2010.

Have a wonderful weekend.

The post Saying Thank You (With Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Homemade pasta with pesto

If there was just one carb to darken my doorway for the rest of eternity, it would be pasta. My kids request it nightly. I like it. My husband likes it. And there are endless ways to flavor and dress it. As far as versatile ingredients go, pasta is right up there.

Typically, we eat dried pasta. Heck, if you were to open my kitchen cabinets, you would find no less than five boxes of dried pasta. Go down to my basement and there is a whole tote of pasta (I stocked up during a great sale). It’s easy, and we like it.

But lately, homemade pasta has been on my brain. When I recently went to Minneapolis, I ate a delicate, tender housemade pasta that was out of this world. Every bite was creamy, silky bliss. Ever since then, I have been toying with the idea of making pasta again. The last time I made pasta was years ago, and I didn’t feel like the results were better than my favorite dried pasta, so I swore it off. But things change — skill levels, interests, desires … so this weekend, I did it again.

The recipe I used came from Vegetarian Pasta Cookbook, a cookbook that I’ve own for … a long time (and we will just leave it at that). It started like most pasta recipes do — flour and eggs. But it also had oil and water.

The dough is mixed together until it’s crumbly. Then, you turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it until the gluten breaks down and it gets smooth. It takes maybe five minutes of kneading to get it there. While I was working the dough, Paige came running in to see what I was up to. She, as is often the case, pulled up her favorite stool and stood to watch. I know she wanted to help, but being my first time, I decided to press on myself. Next time though, I would love to let both Will and Paige take a turn at knead (with just-cleaned hands, of course). It’s an interesting process to feel as the dough goes from crumbles and bits of flour between your fingers to an elastic-y ball of dough. The change in texture and composition is amazing.

In any case, one the dough is smooth, it’s stuck into a resealable plastic bag and left to sit for about a half-hour.

Once it’s all rested (and yes, that is an important step), the dough is rolled thin in a pasta roller into a sheet. Again, this could be a good place to get the kids involves — they could catch the sheets as they come out of the pasta roller and set them aside for cutting (natch, that’s the next step). I made linguine, using a pasta cutter attachment for my KitchenAid for this step as well.

Now, this is the point where I have gotten frustrated in the past — because when you are inexperienced in the art of pasta making, it all can be intimidating. But this time, I learned a few things. First, the dough needs to be relatively thin before feeding it into the roller for the first time — otherwise it will get stuck. Also, the dough that you aren’t rolling should remain covered so that it doesn’t dry out. And finally, the dough needs to be rolled thinner than you think you want it to be, because it will puff upon cooking.

In the end, the pasta was pretty good — tender, but not silky. Flavorful, but not perfect. The dough was firm — perhaps too much so — which made handling it a challenge as well.

So, no, this isn’t the perfect homemade pasta recipe, so I am not going to share it today. But I am on the hunt. One of the big things to come out of my pasta making was discovering that it’s not as intense a project as I remember it being. All in all, the pasta went from flour to plate in about an hour and a half, which isn’t bad for a lazy weekend day.

Do you make your own pasta? Have a favorite recipe? Share in the comments!

P.S. Love pasta? Johnsonville Sausage has recently launched Pastaville, a recipe contest using their Italian sausage. Head over to the site to find out how to enter — and yes, I will be entering soon too! Details on my entry to come …

The post Searching for the Perfect Homemade Pasta Recipe: Part 1 appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

I love this photo. Aren't they cute?

Every year, the kids and I (and often our friends) head to local farms for pick-you-own fun. This past weekend, that meant apple picking. The apple picking season generally starts in September and goes through early November here in Connecticut, so we are more than half-way through the season (and late by our standards). Fortunately, the day we chose was sunny, but neither too hot nor too cold.

Usually, holding the bag is a big source of contention. Everyone wants it (even though I really find it to be the worst job while picking — that bag gets seriously heavy). But, I must be getting smarter in my old age or something, because I stemmed the dispute before we even arrived at the orchard. How, you ask? Well, I told the kids the order in which we’d hold the bag … and explained the logic (the person who can hold the most weight holds it last; the person who can hold the least holds it first). As a result, passing the bag was without a single cry or screech. I can’t tell you how happy that made me.

As for the apples, usually I cook with them right away, but this time, we’ve just been eating them. Will wants to make an apple pie, which we will probably do sometime this week. But other than that, we’re snacking on them (we found some tiny apples that are the perfect size for the kids — those have been in lunchboxes all week). Turns out that I forgot how good an apple can be.

Notice Paige double fisting ... she ate so many apples.

Typically, we apple pick twice in a season (last year was an anomaly with three trips to apple orchards). I can’t say whether that will happen this year, given our late start. It’s possible that we might go again in November, if the weather is nice like last year.  But whatever ends up happening, it’s okay. The kids and I had an awesome time together at the orchard. Ultimately, that’s all that matters.

The post Apple Picking 2010: Now, With Less Stress! appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

People ask me: Why do you write about food, and eating and drinking? Why don’t you write about the struggle for power and security, and about love, the way others do?

They ask it accusingly, as if I were somehow gross, unfaithful to the honor of my craft.

The words struck me, because they are something I have pondered much over the years … and, with slightly different words, I am often asked about as well. After beginning as a newspaper reporter who focused on crime, punishment and politics, my career took a dramatic shift when I traded that for food writing. It seems like a fabulous writing prompt. So, here it goes …

Why I Write about Food and Eating

Crafting an answer to this question is much like the chicken and egg debate: which came first? My interest or my passion? My intent or the strong pull? The need or the want? It’s really hard to say.

But at its most basic level, I write about food because it’s happy, life-affirming and something enjoyed by many (myself included, of course). While food politics can polarize us in unbelievable ways, food itself brings people together — families over Sunday dinner, friends for a birthday celebration, coworkers for lunch. Food is something we need to survive, and also take pleasure in enjoying.

Of course, there is more to it than that. I began writing about food because I needed to do something other than writing about people at their lowest lows. Becoming a mother changed me, and I could no longer stomach the ins and outs of researching, interviewing and reporting on crime, punishment and politics. (And although the final one is a separate topic than the first two, it is more closely related than it appears.) Sure, I wrote plenty about urban development, an admittedly less macabre subject, but it didn’t lessen the need to find a new writing passion.

But writing about food wasn’t just an out for me — it was a whole new outlet. It allowed me to explore my craft in a way I never had before: with passion, feeling and emotion. While journalism is dry, food writing is explosive. The creative surge that comes with describing a tender, irresistible souffle was a greater pleasure than anything I’d experienced in writing before. It was, to borrow a phrase from Trent Reznor, the perfect drug. Once I started, I couldn’t imagine giving it up.

Moreover though, my passion is about the eating. More specifically, eating together. Food has, throughout my life, brought me together with my friends and family. Wings at a favorite bar. Shared platters of wat and tibs, served with warm injera. Olives eaten off fingertips. Bowls of sizzling Bi Bim Bap. Perfectly seared steaks. Creamy risottos, brimming with artichokes, herbs and olives. Food is love.

Food has its dark side too – the stories of hunger, of school lunches that fail to nourish, of waste and pollution, of life-threatening allergies … and I don’t shy from that aspect. It would be grossly unfair to write about the joys of food and eating without acknowledging the challenges and dangers too many face. Those are important and necessary pursuits in a food writing career as well.

But when I write about food, most often it’s about nourishing and the enjoyment factor. Those are, without a doubt, my favorite aspects about the pursuit. Writing about food, by extension, just makes me happy.

Readers, I am turning this back to you: If you are a food writer, why do you write about food? If you are a food writing reader, why do you read it? Share in the comments!

The post Why I Write about Food and Eating appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Do you remember what it’s like to be a child and hear the music of the ice cream truck grow louder and louder as the truck nears and passes your house? I do, because even though I am 30, I still relish in buying a little something from one of the infamous trucks.

When the ice cream truck rolled by today, I tried to resist the urge to run after it. Will really wanted to though. When it stopped nearby, idling as it served customer after customer, I tried to say no … but I wanted ice cream as much as he did. So, next thing you know, Shawn and Will were headed out the door to grab some cones.

Hey, it’s summer. And sometimes saying yes is so much better than saying no.

Have a wonderful 4th of July.

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