Monday, December 24, 2012

(Yet Another) Hearty & Healthy Winter Stew: Chicken Meatball meets Tuscan Kale


I have a feeling I'll be making a lot of soup this season.














I don't think I touch soup half the year, but when the weather turns cold, there's nothing so comforting as a steaming, fragrant bowl of it for lunch or dinner.

(By the way, if anyone could explain the difference between soup and stew to me, please do!)

Anyway, another joy of soups and stews is that it's so easy to make them healthy without taking out any of the things that make them filling and satisfying...

Saturday, December 22, 2012

After the Solstice...



















Get cozy folks, it's getting cold.

So, first my apologies for neglecting this blog for the last few weeks, but I've been preoccupied with this and that, and then when I was finally ready to write again, last week's tragedy in Connecticut hit and I just had no heart to write about recipes, decorating, or the trivia of parenting.

We actually were on vacation last weekend, and in a way that saved us from hearing the brunt  of the news reports, and I was spared from seeing the terrible events unfold on television.  We have this unspoken rule in our family that while on vacation that we try not to be on the internet or email, not to talk work or watch the news, but rather to be in the moment, isolated in our happiness.  We didn't find out about the shooting until later, and by then, discussions had already switched to coping, rather than coverage.

Anyway, nothing can be said that makes any of what happened ok.  My thoughts are with those people who are suffering.

Meanwhile, winter is unfolding itself here in Brooklyn.  The temperature is dropping, and my focus is switching to indoor-focused activities.  Last year we were very lucky that the winter was so warm, and we were able to be outside quite a bit.  Plus, the Little One was still napping in the stroller, so there was little time for indoor hobbies.  I have a feeling that that won't be the case this year.  So welcome back readers, get ready for toddler craft projects, winter recipes, and other random musings.

Grab a blanket and stay tuned.