I have a friend who’s been obsessed with French macarons (it’s okay to pronounce it “macaroon” here in the States) since she went to Paris with her family last spring. Unfortunately it seems that macarons are one of those baked goods that are sensitive to elevation and humidity. Most macaron recipes are written to work at sea-level sorts … [Read more…]
We are well into camping season in Colorado! As with anything, camping food can be as complex or simple as you want it to be. My mom loves to cook and grows her own produce, so when we camp together it is not uncommon for her meals to be more robust than the ones I … [Read more…]
My family moved out of the Colorado suburbs to a more rural area when I was 14 and I was thrilled about it. Although it was nice to walk to school in the suburbs and to live in a neighborhood with lots of kids my age and a rec center with swimming pools in cycling … [Read more…]
I got up early to walk this morning after a 6-week hiatus (I was overdoing it and hurt my knee*) and realized that my morning walk is a lot more important to my ability to be kind during the day than I ever knew before! Apparently my demons of impatience and general misanthropy can only be … [Read more…]
School is out in Colorado! As always, I have grand plans for the 2-1/2 months ahead – including some food-related learning for the kids: How to make scrambled eggs How to make eggs over-easy Pancakes 101 The last two winters I conducted “baking class” for the kids on weekends – they may not know how … [Read more…]
Yesterday morning along Colorado’s Front Range many of us woke up to a couple of inches of snow. This was especially peculiar as the day before, I spent the morning at the Denver Botanic Gardens with a group of second-graders, all of us in tennies and short-sleeved shirts and blue skies, blossoms and bees all … [Read more…]
About an hour northwest of Denver, Lyons, Colorado is a small town at the base of the foothills on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park. In 2013 Lyons was ravaged by a hundred year flood. Most of the downtown area and many homes were under water — the city had to shut down the water treatment … [Read more…]
My favorite meal to eat at home, or at a restaurant or to host for friends and family is definitely brunch. Brunch seems to invite more opportunities for baked goods, which are my favorite. Also people are more fresh for conversation in the morning, the kids are usually better behaved, and after everyone leaves I still … [Read more…]
Last weekend I enjoyed a treat: my first solo trip since having kids (my oldest will be ten this summer!). Once the plane landed safely in San Diego, I was able to take a deep breath and enjoy myself. I was lucky to have a friend at my destination. My cousin, leadership coach Jenny Jacobs, … [Read more…]
The best recipes are the ones that people tell you about from their own experience because they’ve been tried and tested. One afternoon years ago when I was collecting my kids from preschool, I got into a brief conversation with the classroom aide helping the kids into the car. I can’t remember how we got to … [Read more…]