Maybe it’s my personality or the fact that I’m the youngest child. Maybe it’s my gender or years of social training. Perhaps it’s a little of each. Whatever the reason, the reality is I have a really hard time asking for what I want. This may sound surprising to friends and family—or to anyone who

  Note from Pam: Here’s one more of our original videos from a year ago. Here, Sharon demonstrates her Mini Classic Twice-Baked New Potatoes, another great Super Bowl finger food. Sharon says… I’m not a huge football fan, so for me, the Superbowl is all about the food. These tiny twice-baked potatoes are fun, finger-friendly,

Note from Pam: Sharon sent me her Christmas Eve sermon for preaching class at seminary. The story moved me so that I asked if we could post it here. She reluctantly agreed and wanted you all to know that the inspiration for it came from Luanne Panarotti. After reading Sharon’s sermon my assistant, Kirsty Hughan

The following is a guest post by my  fiance, Anthony Damelio… As an Italian-American, lasagna and its myriad baked pasta relatives have always been close to my heart and stomach. I adore the freedom of being able to combine whatever seasonable vegetables I might have on hand with any type of short pasta, using a

I think my fiance Anthony and I went to our first real grown-up dinner party last night. Sure, we’ve been over to friends’ houses for dinner and we’ve hosted quite a few get-togethers at our place. But this was the first time we’ve be invited to someone’s house (who we don’t know that well) to

I’ve always thought of sangria as a summer thing. Which, in most places, it is. But when I think about the fruit I usually see floating in my sangria—apples, oranges, lemons—it seems much more appropriate for fall. In truth, I think you can make it all year round. It can be cool and refreshing or

Baking pumpkin bread at our house on a crisp fall weekend is as strong a tradition as shopping for Halloween candy. For years now, my young adult daughters would just as soon enjoy a slice of pumpkin bread as eat a piece of candy. Last year Maggy reminisced about fall in her post “Ode to

The night I fell in love with England my parents dragged me (and my sister Maggy) kicking and screaming to the local “art house” movie theater. Ever committed to our cultural edification, Mom and Dad regularly mandated our attendance at plays, museums, and the occasional film not starring Leonardo DiCaprio or Freddie Prinze Jr. (much

This morning the breeze wafting through our bedroom window was a little crisper than it was last week, and Anthony and I skipped our morning run in favor of a long hike in the state park behind our place. As the trail winds through the woods and up to the summit, it provides a few

Some people have a shopping problem, some struggle with a chocolate addiction, and still others nurse a coffee habit. Anthony and I have a local produce problem. This love of local goodies is not that big a deal when we’re home. We know the little old ladies who make jam, we know the ex-businessman who

I don’t know about you, but I spend an embarrassing amount of time in February and March yearning for fresh tomatoes, corn, peaches, chard, lettuce, and summer squash. By late winter, I am sick of butternut squash, root vegetables, and braising, and I’m ready for the miraculous abundance that summer brings. But it’s almost comical

It’s that time again. Kale season. It’s growing like a weed in our gardens, it’s spilling out of baskets at the farmers’ market, and it’s piling up in our refrigerators. We’ve made soups and stews with kale, we’ve made pasta dishes featuring kale, we’ve made kale chips. We’ve sautéed it, braised it, broiled it, grilled

There are a lot of things that are great about being in grad school. Being broke is not one of them. In lieu of buying Mom a birthday present (I usually can’t top Maggy in that department anyway), Anthony and I decided to do what we do best: show up and cook. We brought freshly

I learned to love coconut cake from my southern Granny and Papa. Sweet, fluffy, and white, their cakes were always so beautiful sitting on the Formica counter. As much as I love the traditional recipe, I always wanted more of that rich yet subtle coconut flavor. In honor of my Granny’s birthday tomorrow, I’ve developed