At Thanksgiving, at least some of the Michigan segment of Eli’s family (which is most of it) travels to wherever his brother Ted is living. The past two years, that has been in Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Eli and I have spent the past two Thanksgiving holidays exploring D.C. and hanging out with Ted,…
I’m really enjoying the whole weekend soup thing – there is something elemental about sitting down at the table, confronted with a bowl of steaming soup and a hunk of warm bread or a hearty salad. Soup is nurturing, fortifying, comforting. I look forward to my now-weekly pot of soup with great anticipation. This Zesty…
Mexican. Lasagna. Mexican. Lasagna. Mexican…Lasagna? On their own, these words respectively conjure comfort and satisfaction. What could possibly be wrong with a dish that combines them? Mexican and Tex-Mex foods are among my favorites. I love a good Mexican restaurant, but just as much, I love to make my own Mexican food at home. It’s…
Grand Rapids is full of good breakfast eateries, but my favorite is the Real Food Cafe in the Alger Heights neighborhood. Their menu is anything but ordinary – popular dishes include the Veggie Hash (a delectably meatless combo of potatoes, bell peppers, fresh spinach, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese, topped with two eggs cooked to order),…
I remember the first time I ever encountered the word “popover” (goodness knows why, but in some ways, my memory is akin to a bear trap). Of course, it was in a novel. I was probably about twelve years old. Plainly, the word made an impression, because I don’t recall anything else from said novel with such clarity….
When I decided to make Eli a jar of homemade hot cocoa mix for Christmas, my friend and colleague Tonya suggested I also try homemade marshmallows. She makes them (she refuses to buy the corn syrup-filled variety available at the grocery store) and willingly shared her recipe. Of course, since I claim to believe that…