For a long time, butternut squashes intimidated me. The size, the shape, the armor of seemingly impenetrable skin. Inspired by lovely Lucinda's suggestion in one of the comments, however, I tentatively bought a medium-sized butternut, hacked it in quarters, scooped out the seeds, sprinkled salt and pepper, and stuck it in the oven for about an hour. I admit I was a little spent after cutting the thing. It's time to get our knives sharpened, it seems. Fifty-some minutes later, gourd-shaped ... Read more

On Saturday, we had a mini early birthday celebration for one of our sweet little friends. She is turning five, and treats were in order, but she's lactose-intolerant so I searched for some dessert options that wouldn't involve any dairy. I could have gone for vegan cupcakes, but how could I pass up a chance to make healthier rice crispy treats? And how cute are they stacked high with candles on top? I love that she's trying to blow out the candles from as far away as possible. I used ... Read more

Now that I've gotten the whole criticism thing out of my system, let's talk faux burgers. "Yay, I love black bean burgers!" That's what K actually says when I make these black bean patties. She doesn't realize that under the ooey gooey cheese, there's a chockfull of healthiness. As you can see, I'm continuing my theme of unattractive foodstuffs from last week, and I've gained a whole new level of respect for food bloggers and photographers wrestling with these homely dishes. I've made ... Read more

My health is still a little touch and go these days, though positively on the mend. Combined with K's orthodontic situation, soups have been my go-to meals. I used to be so intimidated by soups back in my singleton days of living in a tiny studio apartment. I rarely cooked at home, and I remember being in awe when my neighbor told me about all the soups she liked to make. Despite her claims otherwise, I imagined having to slave over the stove for hours, endlessly tweaking and adding ... Read more

It seems ironic. Here I am, trying my hardest to eat better than I ever have before and (sob) to reduce my sugar intake, but I am constantly catching one cold after another. I must be doing something wrong - is there such a thing as too much kale? I appear to have turned a corner, though, and I am crediting my near full-recovery from what has to be the longest bout of sniffles/coughing fits to this powerful soup. I was browsing my backlogged blog reader a few days ago, and via DesignSponge, I ... Read more