A bit dramatic you say, let me tell the story. Last year I posted about a meatball recipe and received a comment from Patty in Seattle that would forever change our lives. Well, at least how we spice our food and cook our meatballs, which is really changing our lives because we do one everyday […]

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That’s the way we like our Chinese food. Last night’s dinner featured Hot Hunan Shrimp and Dan Dan Noodles, and let me tell you, it was OUTSTANDING. My food photography sucks, I Photoshop’ed it so you’re not scared away. You really have to try these. This meal is the first entry on our Best of […]

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Warm cookies for Nick, aka the best school bus driver on Bainbridge Island, using this recipe.
My good friend Martha Stewart supplied the packaging. Form and function, very impressive.
The trivet was Plan A for family gifts. I’m working Plan C at the moment. It failed due to time constraints. It’s very lovely with a layer of […]

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My monthly American Sewing Guild meeting was on Thursday. We celebrated the holidays with a potluck brunch and the unveiling of projects made from our orphaned fabric exchange. I took a batch of my Mom’s Thumbprint Cookies filled with raspberry jam. Yum.
In July, each member brought 2 yards of orphaned fabric from the stash. We […]

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I grew up eating strawberry jello salad at Thanksgiving. My kids are doing the same. I remember some early years where that was all they ate for the T-day feast and I’d think “Thank God for the jello salad”. I love the palate satisfying world my mother’s holiday recipes evoke. True comfort food. Kathy mentioned […]

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Hope you all had a fabulous turkey day with people you love. The girls were so helpful in the kitchen this year, I was completely blown away. Their excited company and the half-peeled potatoes are always more than enough for me. Seeing them open cans, assemble dishes, peel ALL the potatoes, making the pies and […]

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Ladies’ Fingers, a recipe by Martha Stewart. I make them every year and we eat them all.

A young Jaina Solo. I made this for Caitlin two years ago. Simplicity 4426. I’m scheming on how to alter the linen kimono jacket for myself.

Caitlin stayed home. Too much of a ‘tween to want to dress up. Boo […]

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Something new I’m trying around here: spending at least one day of the weekend doing a project around my house.
The kitchen curtains kicked off the idea. In the last month I’ve painted the powder room, installed light fixtures in the girls bedrooms, and hung curtains in our bedroom. The light fixture boxes had mailing dates […]

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Raspberry.

More jam. Strawberry.

The raspberries and strawberries at Suyematsu Farm got together and decided to ripen at the same time this year. I use berries, sugar, pectin and a 5 minute upside-down flip. A detailed chronicle of last year’s process. We’ve been eating a lot of toast around here.
: : […]

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Greg celebrated a birthday shortly after we started dating in 1989. I made him a Wacky Cake.

The ritual in our family goes something like this:
“What type of cake do you want for your birthday?”
“A Wacky Cake.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to try something new and different?”
“Oh no, I want a Wacky Cake.”
That conversation has […]

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