Recent Posts

I’ve always been fascinated with the events of World War II in Germany and the after years.  Probably because those were the generational stories I heard around my home.  My grandparents and parents had stories that sounded like a plot for a novel, which is why I probably gravitate to books like that as well.

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin, is a powerful retelling of the story of Esther during WWII: Blond and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin must save her people—even if she cannot save herself.

As a lot of you know, I’ve been working with eMeals for about a year now and it’s been a fantastic resource for our family.  Every week I get a shopping list and a week’s worth of supper recipes.  We’ve been using the Walmart Family Classic plan for the last year, but I am seriously considering switching to the new Kid Friendly plan.  I know, I know we don’t have any “kids” in our house anymore, but my husband…his tastedbuds are just like a kid’s.  Ask me how many times he ends up ordering off the kid’s menu when we cruise.  It’s becomes a joke with our servers by the end of the week.

When we purchased our home last spring, one of the things that appealed to me about it was this great backyard deck for entertaining.

Remember earlier this month I had the chance to taste Seattle’s Best rich, smooth and “just right” House Blend.  I told you how great their new House Blend is but wouldn’t you rather hear it from someone else? Watch five real guys named Duncan share what they think about our new blend.  You’ll have to watch the video to understand why they chose five guys named Duncan for it…

Back in January I posted a teaser trailer for Earth to Echo on my blog.  Those that commented thought it sounded interesting and someone even mentioned that they wished the trailer would have been longer.  Well ask and you shall receive!

Answer the call.  Watch the new #EarthToEcho trailer here:

I think spring has FINALLY sprung here in North Texas!  April ‘springs’ with events for us this year too.  First our 20th wedding anniversary, then Easter, and then our daughter’s 18th birthday.  And if there is anything in the world my husband and daughter can’t get enough of, it’s chocolate.  So when Good Cook sent me their new Sweet Creations Spring Bark Mold and Hop Into Spring Spatula, I immediately had anniversary treats, Easter basket goodies and birthday sweets in mind…using chocolate of course!

If you remember last week I bought a bunch of strawberries at the grocery store.  So besides the Strawberry Banana ‘Soup‘ I made, I was busy finding other uses for all these strawberries.  I ended up doing something quite simple by puréeing some of the strawberries and adding it to pancake mix for a light but fruity flavor.  It is sure to please both adult and kids alike.

We’re busy planning for Amber’s high school graduation the weekend of May 16th, and I’m both sad and glad about it!  Sad that this means that in fall she’ll be going off to college.  Glad, of course, that she’s going off to college.  I have a love hate relationship with the idea.  But for now we’ll celebrate and stress over the festivties at hand.

She has always loved color, and when Oriental Trading offered us some supplies for her party to review, I suggested the Congrats Grad Party Supplies line, and then to add some extra touches to that. She agreed!

They call it March Madness for a reason folks!  And I’ve seen PLENTY of madness going around on Facebook because of it .  One of my good friends is a Cyclone’s alum and I don’t think I’ve seen so many status updates and fan photo selfies from her, ever!  We don’t really root for any one team in these college basketball games…yet… since our daughter will be a freshman at one of the UT schools in fall, I guess that will make the Longhorns our team and burnt orange our color <–that’s not really a flattering look on me, but oh well!

Spring is always my favorite time of the year to indulge in new cookbooks and recipe trials. It’s probably because of the heady scent of local fresh fruits and vegetables that start making their way into the stores about that time.  So it was with great gusto that I opened up Chef Jon Bonnell‘s new cookbook Waters Fine Coastal Cuisine who owns a restaurant right down the highway from us in Ft. Worth, TX; Waters – Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine.