I admit, I'm not the most with-it person sometimes. It often takes me a long time to realize that something is a "thing." For example: the sudden, disturbing resurgence of acid-wash jeans. I kept seeing girls wearing jeans similar to my 1987 favourites, and I had myself convinced that those girls were simply unique individuals, but after a while I realized: acid-wash jeans are a "thing" again. I know, I weep for humanity too.
It seems whenever I turn on the news these days, the first story is about the frigidly cold weather, followed by advice on staying warm. When the wind chill factor dips below minus thirty, there is not much that can tempt me to leave the warmth of my house, even if the fridge is almost empty and the cupboards are nearly bare.
I often get asked how I handle mealtimes, given that I’m vegetarian and my family is not. One very simple trick to satisfy everyone’s taste is to prepare meals that are vegetarian, and then cook meat on the side. Stir-fries are perfect for this, and I make one such dish at least once a week.
Have you heard the buzz that lemon is expected to be the "flavour of the year" for 2014? Lemons add refreshing zest and flavour to recipes, like a burst of sunshine on dark winter days. Lemons are also detoxifying and naturally cleansing, which is good news to those of us who may have spent December eating and drinking like debauched Roman emperors.
If you have a vegetarian in your midst, planning holiday dinners can seem tricky, especially when the focal point of the meal is largely meat based; turkey or ham with lots of gravy is the usual tradition. While most of us vegetarians are used to making meals out of side dishes on such occasions, it’s nice to have a protein-rich alternative as well.
I think we all can agree that weeknights are crazy. Whether you're trying to make dinner one-handed with a weeping toddler clinging to your leg and a baby on your hip, or if you walked in the door at 6:30 pm and need to get kids fed, homework done, bathed, and in bed at a reasonable time, or if you're just trying to get your kids off to their various activities with some semblance of nutritious food in their system, we can all unite in the fact that weeknights are hectic at the best of times, and pure chaos at the worst.
Simon and Schuster sent me a copy of the new cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, who is famous for her Deceptively Delicious cookbook, as well as for being Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld. The Can’t Cook Book is aimed at people who are inexperienced in the kitchen and are, in Seinfeld’s words “Absolutely Terrified.”.