• books,  food,  kitchen

    Julia Child on Obeying Your Whims

    Kickass women, from any period in history, never cease to inspire. Julia Child was one of those women, which is why multi-published author Karen Karbo chose to write about her for the latest book in the Kickass Women series, Julia Child Rules.  Other subjects in Karbo’s series—which are one part biography, one part humor essay, with a dash of motivational speaking tossed in—include Katherine Hepburn, Georgia O’Keefe, and Coco Chanel. Hmmm. Art, fashion, film, and food? Why have we never had lunch, Ms. Karbo? Oh, because you live in Portland. Each chapter of Karbo’s book, Julia Child Rules, lays out a truism that Julia preached and practiced in her life.…

  • beer,  cooking,  kitchen,  moms,  parenting,  peanut butter,  recipes

    Crock Pot Recipe: West African Spicy Peanut Stew

    I love to cook, but lately finding the time between work, writing and parenting has been a challenge. Enter, crock pot.  I’ve been trying out a lot of crock pot recipes lately for weeknight dinners. I prep the ingredients the night before, after my son is in bed, and stick them in a ziplock bag in the fridge overnight. Then, the next morning, I dump the bag into the crock pot, turn it on the “low” setting, and leave for work. When I get home, it’s ready to eat and there’s no need to hem and haw over what to make for dinner. This spicy vegetarian West African-style recipe is…

  • cooking,  food,  humor,  imperfection,  kitchen,  parenting,  perfectionism

    Last night I set my dinner on fire

    Yes, it’s true. I debated whether or not to tell you. After all, I publish recipes on this site. But, as someone who battles perfectionism, I think it’s important to share imperfections. So there it is. Some days I interview pastry chefs. Some days I visit award-winning artisanal farms. Some days I spend 8 hours making pesto or canning pickles. And some days, I put a carton of Trader Joe’s Mojito Salmon in the oven and forget about it until there is smoke wafting from the oven. I’m not kidding about the flames. I had to toss the whole damn thing outside in a snow bank to keep the smoke…