Happy Friday! December is my crazy month and I’ve been trying to not let it get to me…but yesterday I had my breaking moment. So, it’s time to refocus, breathe, breathe, and breathe some more. I’m tempted to simply buy everyone goats for Christmas so that at least I don’t have to worry about Christmas shopping. Seems like a good plan to me!

Okay, food links! I have just two this week:

• Remember last summer how Cate was in charge of dinner for a week? The article that she and I worked on for Babble just published! Be sure to check it out! My 10-Year-Old Was in Charge of Dinner for a Week…and it was brilliant!
• On Cool Mom Eats: Weekend Toast: Hot buttered rum recipe, with or without booze, to keep everyone cozy this winter.

That’s all I’ve got this week. Short and sweet! As usual, please feel free to share whatever you like in the comments for Show and Tell!

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! I hope you are all sufficiently stuffed. I know I am. Before we get on with this week’s Show and Tell, I need to tell you about my turkey this year. I spatchcocked it. And dry brined it. And roasted it in mayo. And it was PERFECT. So perfect, in fact, I am going to do a whole post about the process. In related news, I was so inspired by my podcast interview with Kate Lebo earlier this week I ended up making all of our pies from scratch. And it was good. So good. Anyway, more posts to come on all of that, but for today how about some links and TV shows?

First off, food links. For Cool Mom Eats I dug up some really delicious turkey leftover recipes, perfect for this weekend! And, on Babble this month, I kinda went crazy with the kids’ food art.

• For Cool Mom Eats: How to use leftover turkey in the most delicious ways.
• For Babble: Toy Story Food Art: Wheezy Cheese and Crackers
• For Babble: Rainbow Fraggle Rock Cupcakes

As I mentioned before, I’m wiped out after cooking all week, so we’re just gonna relax today. Much of that relaxing is going to involve getting caught up on The Voice and watching Netflix. Nate and I started Jessica Jones last night after the kids went to bed. We keep hearing how awesome that show is and, one episode in, I think it just might live up to the hype. Oh, and one more fun Netflix thing! ‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving…when a big box of funny goodies from Netflix arrived on our doorstep celebrating the new Care Bears & Cousins series. (The package included scrunchies. I don’t know if I can forgive Netflix for introducing scrunchies to my girls. Anna hasn’t stopped wearing them since Wednesday. Oh my.) I totally loved Care Bears as a kid (I had the Cheer Bear plush toy!), so it will be fun to watch it with the kids. Hug it out! 🙂

That’s it! Go eat some leftovers. And more pie. And, as always, comment with your own show and tell!

I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team, which means they send me cool stuff from time to time. For the record, I would be addicted to Netflix in spite of said cool stuff.

Happy Friday, everyone! Before we get to the usual Show and Tell portion of our program, I have to tell you about my friend’s new book!

Amy Mascott (my friend!) and Allison McDonald are just published their new book Raising a Rock-Star Reader and it’s wonderful! I received an advanced copy and it is filled with all kinds of wonderful tips, recommendations and resources for getting your children to be great readers. Years I ago I had the chance to hear a lecture from a UC Berkeley professor who specialized in early education. She talked at length about why it is so beneficial to read to children from a very early age – the very act of hearing varied language and many words helps children’s brains develop in tremendous ways. It was fascinating and something I’ve thought about a lot as we’ve raised our children.

Anna and Cate are both rock-star readers (I am grateful every day for this) and will probably be as excited to read Amy and Allison’s book as I am. Owen is still a wee thing and the tips in this book are fabulous. I can’t wait to start implementing the ideas with all three of our kids!

Of course you know I love giveaways! So, let’s give away a copy of Amy and Allison’s book! To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment telling us your most favorite children’s book. That’s it! Comments must be posted by Midnight PT 11/13/15 and prize must be shipped within the U.S.

Congratulations to Amy and Allison for a job very well done on their wonderful book! Here’s to happy readers!

And, since it’s Friday, a few links to share!

• On Cool Mom Eats: Scrumptious side dishes made with frozen vegetables to make life easy.
• On Babble: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes that are amaaaaaazing.

One last thing! Nate and I discovered Les Revenants (The Returned) on Netflix and it’s AWESOME. I’m always looking out for your TV watching. It’s because I care.

Okay, so, be sure to leave a comment to enter the giveaway above! And, as always, feel free to share whatever you want for Show and Tell!

I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team, which means they send me cool stuff from time to time. For the record, I would be addicted to Netflix in spite of said cool stuff.

It’s FRIDAY! WOOHOO!

I have just one food link for you today. If you’re looking for a good cocktail for fall, well, I’ve got you covered. Be sure to check out this recipe for an Autumn Stone Wall on Babble! The origin of this cocktail dates back to Colonial times, so, you know, you should totally drink it in the name of history.

Okay, so Nate and I went a little crazy this week. We went to three concerts, all on school nights. And I am feeling it today. Actually, I was feeling it yesterday when we still had one more concert to go, which I think makes me officially an old lady. But it was TOTALLY WORTH IT. All three concerts rocked (pun intended) so I have to tell you about them!

• alt-j: I wasn’t so sure how the band alt-j would sound live since their music has a very electronic feel, but they were amazing! Really, so impressive. Their music is layered and complicated and different in a very good way. Such a great show, I highly recommend catching them live if you are a fan of the band.
• Florence and the Machine: We knew Florence’s voice would blow pretty much everything out of the water and we were right. Her voice is unreal. And she is BANANAS, running and jumping and spinning like a crazy person the entire concert. She must work out a LOT because WOW. Also, she is unbelievably endearing and sweet. At one point she got choked up and confessed that she hadn’t wanted to do the show that night as her beloved uncle had passed away less than 24 hours prior, but that she was glad she had done the show anyway. I don’t know how she pulled herself together after that. Anyway, she rocks. Go see her show if you ever get the chance.
• Hozier: This guy. I mean, we all know he has a great voice (and it’s even better live), but he is also a phenomenal guitarist who can JAM. And his songs are all great. Oh, and he is SO nice, with just a really positive vibe. He not only introduced the band members but the entire crew, including the bus drivers. At the close of the show he linked arms with his bandmates for a big bow, which was adorable, and he kept plugging the other musicians in the nicest most un-annoying way, including the opening band Little Green Cars (who were really good, btw). Basically, we love him. I also highly recommend going to one of his shows if you ever can.

If you visit my Instagram feed, you can watch little video snippets from each show. They’re pretty sweet.

That’s it for me today. As usual, please share your own stuff in the comments! That’s what Show and Tell is for!

Happy Friday!

Before I get to today’s show and tell links, I am so excited to give you an update on one of the farmers I met in Malawi last May when traveling with ONE and Heifer International. Rhoda invited us to her home on the last day of our visit. She was in the process of preparing a pen to receive a cow distributed by Heifer under the Malawian government’s FDIP program. When we met the delightful and beautiful Rhoda, her pen was in the middle of being built. Here is a picture of Rhoda back in May, getting ready to receive her livestock.

We learned this week from our friend Mwai, a Heifer employee in Malawi who traveled with us, that Rhoda along with 43 other families in the southern district of Thoylo received their animals! Rhoda’s cow is from South Africa and she has named it Favor. Rhoda said that she feels it is by God’s favor that she received this animal from Heifer International. I’m certain I wasn’t the only one to tear up upon reading the great news. I can’t tell you how awesome it is to see her with her long-awaited cow!

Today I have two recipes to share with you that I created for Babble. I am really happy with how they both came out!

• Tandoori Tacos: I couldn’t help myself, Indian Burritos were too fun…so now, Tandoori Tacos! They taste awesome and they are beautiful, too.

• Brown Butter Gnocchi with Butternut Squash: This perfect-for-Fall dish would make for a good vegetarian dinner or even a fancy side dish. And you only need 1 skillet to make it!

Before we go, if you are looking ways to send help and support to the people of South Carolina as they deal with disastrous flooding, my friend Shani Gilchrist, a writer from South Carolina, shared the following links. In addition to donations, let’s send lots of love/happy vibes/prayers their way!

• United Way Association of South Carolina
• Water Missions International: Current Disasters Response: This organization is in Charleston helping to provide water purification systems. Citizens in Columbia are still without clean water. Citizens and volunteers are at risk of becoming ill by drinking or coming in contact with contaminated water due to contaminants picked up during the flood and backed up sewer lines.
• The Heart Knot
• American Red Cross of the Palmetto SC Region

As you all know, Show and Tell is for everyone, so please feel free to share links to your own discoveries/finds/recipes/blog posts/anything! 

Happy Friday! It’s kind of a fun day…it’s my birthday! Which means Nate will be getting me the Viking cake from Extraordinary Desserts. Life is good.

I have SO MUCH TO SHARE TODAY. It’s my birthday so I can do what I want, right? Here we go!

Click on the image above to zoom in.

First, right now the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit is meeting to adopt a new set of sustainable development goals that aim to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and combat climate change, all by 2030. It’s a tall order but an achievable goal if we get to work.

So what can we do to support the Global Goals? From now until October 1, everyone from every faith and every walk of life can participate in Prayer for Everyone. The goal is to get people talking about the goals, sharing them with their faith communities and friends. The only way to achieve the global goals is if we all actually know what they are, so let’s get talking, sharing, praying, meditating, all of it! 🙂

When I visited Malawi with ONE, who is helping to support the Prayer for Everyone cause, one of my biggest takeaways is that we need to find a path for development that is not only sustainable but different from the old path. When we visited the Liwonde National Park and saw hundreds upon hundreds of hippos living in pristine waters, my heart ached thinking how quickly development would destroy those waters. While humans can be destructive, they can also be equally as creative and innovative, and I really do believe we can find a way to develop all nations in a way that doesn’t destroy what makes those nations beautiful and unique. Needless to say I am excited about what is happening at the UN this week! Please visit the Prayer for Everyone website and the UN Global Goals website to learn more! Bono also wrote an article for Medium this week talking about the Global Goals that is excellent. Happy Reading!

To finish off today’s Show and Tell, here are a few fun things I want to share!

• I put together a roundup of savory pumpkin recipes this week for Parade’s Community Table, and it is a mighty fine looking list. Definitely check it out!
• My friends Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest, authors of Minimalist Parenting, have started a podcast called Edit Your Life. Asha and Christine are the queens of simplicity and the podcast is great! (And they just might mention a certain food blogger in Episodes 4 and 6!)
• Jenny Lawson’s second book Furiously Happy came out this week! Jenny is The Bloggess and she is hysterical and wonderful and has a way with four letter words that is quite impressive. Anyway, I loooooved her first book and can’t wait to spend the weekend reading book 2!

That’s it! Bet you thought I’d never stop talking, eh? Show and Tell is for the whole class, please share your own stuff, too! 

Hi, friends! It’s FRIDAY!

I just have one quick share with you this week! For Babble I wrote about overnight waffles and how divine they are. Plus, I created a recipe for Cranberry Apple Compote that is, well, delectable. Be sure to click over to check the recipes out!

That’s it! You know the drill, I want you to share your own stuff, too! Ready, set, go!

Happy Friday, everyone!

I just have one thing to share today and it is an extremely delicious thing. I created a summer fruit parfait recipe for Babble that uses a ricotta cream for the layers opposite the fruit. THIS CREAM. You seriously don’t need the fruit…just a spoon. And, next time, I’m going to layer it with raspberries and chocolate shavings. I have been waiting for this post to go live so I can share it with you and the day has finally arrived! Click here for the recipe!

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to share your own stuff in the comments!

Happy Friday! We are finally home from our travels and back into a normal groove. It was a fabulous trip and we wouldn’t change a thing, but it is nice to be back in our own house again. I’m especially grateful for my down pillows. 😉

I have just one thing to share today. Let’s start with a hint: Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high…

READING RAINBOW IS ON NETFLIX! Nate and I discovered this last night and the first thing I did with the kids this morning was put an episode on. Reading Rainbow is a show that I’ve always been sad my kids didn’t have to watch – it ended right before Cate was born. PBS aired episodes until 2009, but I didn’t figure it out until it was too late and our DVR series recording never produced a thing!

My kids are watching the show as I type and all three of them are mesmerized, from age 3 to age 10! And, as a parent, I think the show is even better than I remember it. I love its slower pace, how the show is educational while still fun, and that it’s filled with books, of course! I just wish that Netflix was going to air all 21 seasons (right now they have a selection of episodes on service).

Also, in case you were wondering, I DO still have every word of the song memorized. Impressive, eh? (Okay, I think probably all of us do.)

Happy Watching and Reading!

Happy Friday! I took this entire week off from work and blogging, something I haven’t done in ages and now I don’t know if I can go back to real life! 😉 Cape Cod was, as always, perfect! I do have one quick link to share today, though!

This week I have a post on Babble: How I Got My Kids to Eat Fruit for Dessert (and Enjoy It). The post includes a scrumptious recipe for poached peaches with vanilla yogurt sauce. It’s pretty heavenly and perfect for using up those ripe summer peaches!

Have a great weekend and feel free to share whatever you like in the comments for Show and Tell!