I try to savor this time of year — it seems like it goes by so fast and before we know it it’s already winter and fall was just a blip on the radar. Fall in my particular region is especially short-lived, going from intensely hot summer to really chilly within the span of weeks.

To help stretch things out a bit and in an effort to appreciate it more, I love using pumpkin in as many dishes as I can. It’s the pefect tie-in for the season, and something I really look forward to, even in spring and summer. This …read more

During the cooler months I like to spend a bit more time on my kids’ breakfast. That’s not to say they don’t still get the “quicker” breakfasts like cereal or a bagel — especially on a school day — but on the mornings that I know I’ll have a few extra minutes I’ll fire up the oven and pull out a casserole dish.

Thankfully, my kids all like oatmeal, and though they’ll eat it with a little bit of brown sugar and milk, I like to surprise them every so often by adding fruit or baking it, like this baked apple …read more

Tasty drinks don’t end when summer does! In fact, autumn is my favorite time of year for fun beverages, especially when it comes to curling up on the couch with my husband and a good movie (ok, and probably some popcorn too!).

Since most afternoons are still a little on the warm side, even the cooler iced drinks are still a treat, whether it’s an iced coffee or a yummy fruit shake. So for this week’s link round-up, I kept an eye out for all of the above, and found a lot of great, creative drink recipes to try out:
~ Eggnog …read more

October isn’t just about candy, apples and pumpkins! It’s also packed with food holidays and awareness days, from the aforementioned apple day, to awareness about eating better and healthier.

October is:
National Apple Month
~ Apple Recipes
~ Old Fashioned Apple Cakes
~ Apple Almond Tart
~ Granny Smith Apple Pie
~ Apple Crisp
National Apple Jack Month
~ Apple Jack Recipe
~ Apple Jack Pound Cake
~ Apple Jack Cocktail Recipe
~ Apple Jack Brandy Recipes
National Caramel Month
~ Caramel Sauce Recipe
~ Caramel Apples
~ Caramel Apple Cookies
~ Caramel Banana Cream Pie
~ Homemade Caramel Corn
National Chili Month
~ Turkey Chili in the Slow Cooker
~ Beef Chili
~ Vegetarian Chili
~ Healthy Chili (video)
~ Ten Tips for …read more

A well-cooked burger patty is divine, but toppings have a lot to do with how phenomenal a burger can taste too! Here are eleven toppings ideas to build a better burger:

Salsa. Top a patty with spoonfuls of bottled salsa, or better yet create your own! Mix together chopped red tomatoes, onions, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Refreshing!
Cheese. All kinds of cheese! Grate cheddar over your patty. Melt some Brie. Crumble Feta. How about some Mozzarella? A layer of cream cheese.
Hot, hot, hot! Jalapenos. Roasted red peppers. Chili flakes. Wasabi. Homemade chili. Spice that burger up!
Greens galore. …read more

For this week’s link roundup I thought I’d keep an eye out for foods and recipes that involve fish and other seafood as I visited my favorite blogs and links.

Now, truth be told, I’m actually not a big fan of seafood. I didn’t grow up with it as a regular dish at home and never really seemed to develop a taste for it otherwise. I’m still experimenting and exploring, though, and haven’t written it off! What are your favorite seafood dishes?
~ Grilled Cuttlefish from Nyonya Food
~ Greek Salad with Char-Grilled Salmon at Living Tastefully
~ Lobster Salad at Rue le Sel
~ …read more

Gardening is often promoted as an inexpensive activity, but in truth it’s not always easy to garden on the cheap. That said there are some areas where you can cut gardening costs big time.

Save your old seeds (check to see if they still work).
Compost for homemade soil – even if your yard is small you can compost. In fact, you can compost indoors if you want.
Don’t buy new – garden tools, gardening books, pots, and so on. Most gardening supplies can be easily found at thrift stores. You can also borrow from or share garden tools with friends. It’s also …read more

Last week I talked a bit about finding other food blogs online and that one of my favorite resources to find new links are food photography sites like Food Gawker and Taste Spotting.
It got me thinking about food photography in general and how much I’ve learned about it over the last two years. I found the above video about a food photographer who doesn’t mind sharing his behind the scenes tricks to capture the perfect shot for his clients.
He talks about how he got his first taste of food photography as a child when he watched his friend’s dad developing …read more

For this week’s blog link round-up I thought I’d look specifically for dishes and meals that have their focus on meat. After all, this is the last big barbecue and grilling weekend of the year with Labor Day on Monday, so why not dig up a few ideas to toss around?

Not all the recipes are for the grill, but they do all look very yummy, and worth the effort!
~ Grilled Mushroom and Swiss Burgers at Cully’s Kitchen
~ Easy Eggplant Kebab with Meatballs from Give Recipe
~ Salmon en Papillote at Suzie the Foodie
~ Chicken Sandwich with Yogurt Dill Sauce from Life’s …read more

It took me a long time to really get into Facebook. It seemed pretty boring and aside from the possibility of getting in touch with old friends (even though many weren’t on it either yet), I didn’t give it much thought. About a year ago one of my sisters re-sent me an invitation and I checked it out again and signed up. I decided to put a little more time into seeing if it was worth it this time around before abandoning ship altogether, and that’s when I stumbled upon the Facebook applications.
Farm Town
The applications that interest me the most …read more