If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you may know my sister Emily and I share much alike, especially in our quest for food zen. One area where we differ, however, is our children's affinity and influence with food.
Read MoreIf you have been following our recipes all week, you will have noticed a trend: serving a group of people with “Bar” food. It’s basically an elegant all you can eat buffet type hosting. Which gets a really bad rep, I think. A create your own meal means no one can complain. I hate complainers when it comes to food (are you listening, adorable children?) So if I can do what I can to provide options to my guests, I will.
Read MoreI’ll never forget the first time I experienced a yogurt bar (because that is something no one forgets, right? One for the baby books for sure.) My boyfriend, now husband, and I were in London visiting my sister. We had stayed in her tiny little dorm room all week because we were poor and pretending we weren’t by flying to Europe, accept we still kind of were, so a free room seemed like a good way to balance that. Only this was a DORM room, so tiny. And stinky, because maybe when you study abroad you don’t have time to shower, or wash sheets.
Read MoreOnce upon a time, my fellow Hey Sis sister and I lived in Chicago, a part of our story you have heard many times before. We had this adorable life where we could throw parties together with our dearest friends, stay up late, and drink ourselves silly (Responsibly, of course. We certainly never imbibed so much as to neglect the burning candles on the dining room table and starting the fire alarm while also receiving a scolding by the spouse. Absolutely not.) The food and beverages were always classy and creative but accessible and affordable. We made a great team and guests always left happy (again, I stress, responsibly happy.)
Read MoreYou know what kids like?
A big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.
You know what I like?
A big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.
Read MoreOh. Hey you. Yes you. With your head behind a screen. Siting on the couch. I remember you.
You were that guy that used to go for long walks with me in that spring we fell in love, where we took walks with no purpose or destination but to wonder and hold hands and talk until the sun went down.
Read MoreHappy birthday, sis! If we didn't live a million miles apart, I'm almost certain we would be cheers-ing another birthday by sipping this cocktail while our husbands handle dinner and bedtime with the kiddos. Cheers!
Read MoreLamenting back in May with my sister, we discussed our frustration with letting this joint blog fall to the wayside. It was such a great concept. We still shared food and photos and ideas back and forth. We were proud of our work so far. But we let life get in the way. Ish happens. We had valid excuses. Three really cute ones actually.
Read More"Meal planning this week. Any suggestions?" I check my texts messages. It's my sister.
"How about starting off with a big roast chicken. Then you can have leftover chicken for lunches or a big caesar salad for dinner." I say. We're having roast chicken for dinner that night ourselves so it wasn't a stretch for me to come up with this.
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving! So you forgot to thaw your turkey? Burned your rolls? Have gummy under seasoned mashed potatoes? Might I suggest you burn a little caramel, toss it in a rocks glass with a shake of bitters and a couple ounces of high-proof bourbon, stir until cold and humbly accept praise from your friends and family for saving the day.
Read MoreDid you know that the word "Friendsgiving" is in the Urban dictionary? Accurately defined as "the celebration of Thanksgiving dinner with your friends." But I believe it should actually be defined as "the celebration invented by the blogging community for the use of advanced preparation and artfully photographed Thanksgiving recipes in order to better time them to post on your blog without feeling the need to cook your said Thanksgiving dishes more than once." In other words, it would be ideal for a food blog to have posted fantastic seasonal recipes for their adoring fans to add to their upcoming menus in time before, say Monday of Thanksgiving week. But we are no ordinary blog here folks.
Read MoreAround this time last year was when Rachel and I started brainstorming about starting this blog. I had recently finished my masters thesis and was rich with free time for the first time in three years. I was energized by this new creative outlet and poured over my favorite food photography trying to find a style of my own. And then one Wednesday night in December we learned our lives were about to change in a major way.
Read MoreThe digging through the basket of random recipe cards and email print outs and magazine tear outs for that one specific recipe. The roasting and chopping and measuring. The stirring and sizzling. The smells. Oh the smells. In just a few simple steps, you go back. Every single time.
Read MoreI blame the butternut squash.
Read MoreWhen you cook for others, let's say for a dinner party or cocktail party, the recommendation is don't make something you haven't prepared before. I suppose this is so you are certain you know how to properly prepare the dish and that you know the flavors are right. I don't follow this advice. In fact, I see unique cooking opportunities outside of my nightly meals as a chance to try something different, stretch my creativity, impress my guests as well as myself. You might say I like living on the edge. In no other circumstance is that true. But in the kitchen, I like to take risks. Sometimes they work, sometimes they bomb. That's what keeps it interesting, right?
Read MoreRemember that spring salad I made and photographed over a month ago? I blame the pregnant brain (that evidently has no scientific basis) for my inability to sit down and write a blog post lately. Cooking the food and taking the photos happens effortlessly, but writing in general has been a struggle. Crafting an email? Takes all afternoon. Working on my scientific publication? Forget it. Writing always came easy to me before this cute little endoparasite took over my body, so hopefully after Smalls is born I will be refreshed and back to normal. I mean I won't have anything else to worry about, right?
Read MoreI secretly wish that I was Italian (I also secretly wish I was Jewish because I'm jealous of the food they serve at holidays, but we'll save that discussion for a different post). My Italian family would be large, boisterous, and pf course, amazing cooks. Uncle Fabio would make the wine, Uncle Antonio would make the sopressata, Aunt Angela would press the olives, and grandma would make the pasta. Our Sunday afternoons would be spent shucking fava beans, drinking wine and stewing tomatoes. We would spend hours around the table telling stories of the mother land and all of our meals would be eaten in courses. I mean, who wouldn't want this? Flash back to reality, my family is small and we are all German/Irish/English mutts. Yes we love to eat, and drink wine, and we are pretty awesome cooks, but I couldn't help but think that my only hope is to marry into an Italian family. My married name is Wojtowicz, so you can see how that worked out for me.
Read MoreAsk any runner and I would say at least half of them run so they can eat well. You like good food? You want an excuse to eat carbs? You should be a runner. The best part of any long training schedule is the taper week right before a race when you are instructed and encouraged to "carbo-load." That is a technical term meaning to eat pasta as frequently as possible as a legal performance enhancer.
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