Fresh start for a new year?  Let’s begin in the kitchen. This is the title of Mark Bittman’s article from early January.  I have to say that he has a lot of good advice and humor packed into this piece, and I recommend that you give it a look.  He caught me right away, because he started out with spinning my fantasy life: shopping daily in my small Umbrian village, while my reality is trying to put quick and delicious dinners on the table that satisfy many different tastes 
While I would take issue with Mark over tomato paste …read more

Have you ever wondered what the future holds for kitchen design?  Now you can find out by checking out just a few of the available videos on YouTube
Kitchens of the Future, part one
Kitchens of the Future, part two
Image: WikimediaCommons

What’s a person to do when faced with the dizzying array of “fresh” fruits and vegetables in the modern grocery store? Strawberries are now available in the middle of winter, but they also usually taste like cardboard at that time of the year! I’ve had to think through my buying habits very carefully in the last few years, since I spend most of my time and money in the produce aisle
I love to buy organic if possible, especially if it’s an item with thin skin, or an item that I know from previous experience is far superior in …read more

Six-time Grammy Award-winning singer Amy Grant has partnered with Country Crock Omega Plus to focus on the “Small Changes” families can make in the lives of their families and American families in need.
From now to the end of the year, you and your readers can visit Your Family Table to share your small changes and Country Crock Omega Plus will donate a meal to a family through Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest). It’s a free and easy way to help those in need this holiday season.
In addition, you can feed your own family with some of Amy Grant’s favorite …read more

Epicurious
And I have to say that most of the trends they spot seem like a pretty good bet to me. Epicurious is predicting trends towards more family-friendly, green, thrifty, and just plain old more practical! Especially for busy families who really have no idea what Molecular Gastronomy is, or why they should care
Read the Epicurious predictions
Check this particular prediction out, and then read my next post!
5. Ginger is the new Mint
Move over, mojitos. Ginger beers and ginger cocktails (like the Ginger Rogers, Gin Gin Mule, and Ginger Smash) are bubbling up at …read more

Jenna Pepper, at Food with Kid Appeal, told me about a poll she did recently on her blog. The results were not exactly what I would have expected. Jenna wrote,
I posted it a couple weeks ago after running a poll on the site about what parent’s biggest concerns were of feeding the family. Options were
Eats too many snacks
Doesn’t eat enough
Eats too much
Only eats a few items
I don’t know why, but I would have expected snacking too much to be the biggest concern, but instead, Jenna found that her readers were more concerned about the lack of …read more

With the economy the way it is, Bank of America and their “Keep the Change” program have teamed up with Ted Allen to help folks save a little change as we prepare for the feasts ahead. Take a look at some of Ted’s hot tips below:

Use food and other natural items for your centerpiece. Rather than buying flowers, there’s nothing prettier than a big bowl of lemons, apples, or other fruits and veggies. Other great ideas for table decoration are branches and autumn leaves, right from your own yard.

Save on soda and bottled water. Save attractive glass bottles from …read more

Guest author: Leslie McKee
McKee Organizing Services Inc.
 

Leslie used her Mom’s picture for the invitation!

I have been part of a gourmet lunch group for 12 years and we are all great friends and have basically been together through raising kids and taking care of parents and we clearly have nothing to prove in the cooking department! We have impressed the socks off each other for YEARS! This year I suggested that we just make something our mother’s made that we loved as kids. This idea has been the greatest because our mothers …read more

Guest author: Carol O’Dell
Website: Carol O’Dell

Chicken Stew (excerpt from my book, Mothering Mother: A Daughter’s Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir)
I’m making chicken stew tonight. I need something homey, for the house to smell inviting. Maybe my mother, who has Parkinson’s and isn’t doing well, will take a few sips. I put the chicken breasts, chopped onion, and garlic in Mother’s cast iron stew pot that was probably her mother’s. I throw in salt, a pinch of sugar, fresh oregano and sage. It’s just like she taught me. I crack the lid and let the mixture come to a boil. It simmers …read more

Guest author: Cynthia MacGregor
Website: Cynthia MacGregor
The Story of Yvonne’s Meatloaf
My mom’s meatloaf was spectacular and a family fave. I used to urge her to serve it to company, and when she protested that meatloaf wasn’t a company dish, I couldn’t understand it. Why not? There was surely nothing better than my mom’s meatloaf! My childhood best friend, Donald, begged to be invited over when it was meatloaf night…or if he was invited over in advance for a particular evening, he begged my mother to make meatloaf that night.
Later, as an adult, as I became a bit more proficient as a …read more