One Sourdough Beginner to Another: 8 Tools to Buy

When you’re a sourdough beginner, reading recipes is like entering a whole new world. You’re figuring out words like autolyse, not to mention buying new tools like brotforms and scoring knives. So, since several of you have asked where to start, here’s advice, one newbie to another. Fresh from my first success (!), here’s what you actually need–and what’s only nice, not necessary, to have.

sourdough beginner

At the beginning of this week, I put my research to the test and baked (my first solo) sourdough. Using this beginner’s recipe from The Perfect Loaf (tip: bookmark this recipe!), I used all organic all-purpose flour instead of the recommended bread-wheat-rye flour combo, spent a little over 24 hours following steps and monitoring my dough and, guess what? It worked! No one was more surprised than I to find a golden crust, a soft crumb and stretchy slices I could see light through … it really was magic.Read More

6 Cookbooks for Mother’s Day (or, Cookbooks I Keep Using)

Since it’s almost May, here are six cookbooks for Mother’s Day gifts (or any occasion), worth buying for someone you love. These are the six cookbooks I legitimately keep coming back to, time and time again, organized by the moms who’d like them.

Guide guide: cookbooks for Mother's Day

When you read a story, you experience someone else’s view; likewise, when you read a cookbook, you get outside your own kitchen habits. Cookbooks expand the way we approach food. They give us new recipes and make preparing another meal more fun. They’re often pretty and inspiring and outside of the worlds in which we live. So, with that in mind, cookbooks make great gifts. For Mother’s Day, a birthday or just because, here are my six favorites and why I keep using them.Read More

Best Blog Recipes: 5 Online Dinners I Keep Making

In the 2018 Internet, it’s not hard to find a new dinner idea. But, a good one? The kind you’d want to make again? When you’re looking for fresh inspiration for what to put on the table at night, let me be the friend who hands you a list of best blog recipes. These five quick, easy, budget-friendly online recipes are dinners I keep making. (And do you have other favorites? Let me know!)


Read More

11 Kids’ Books about Food to Inspire You to the Kitchen

This roundup of 11 kids’ books about food is part of a series of articles on cooking with kids. Reading kids’ books about food with a child you love is a great way to inspire cooking projects and provide a roadmap for spending time in the kitchen together. With that in mind, here are 11 books worth exploring. If you have your own story or experience to share on the topic of cooking with kids, contact me here.

kids' books about food

As recently explored in the post, “5 Reasons to Bake Pretzels with Walter the Baker,” there are so many reasons to cook with kids, from growing life skills to educating about healthy choices. But pair this activity with books about food relating to your cooking projects, and it’s doubly valuable.

That’s because, according to Casey Byrne, Reading Recovery teacher at Glenview Elementary School in Nashville, when it comes to literacy, the more exposure you give a child to books, the better. Read More

6 Brandless Benefits Or, Why Order from the $3 Online Grocery

UPDATE December 2019: Brandless no longer sells food! I still recommend their diapers ($11), to-go beverage cups ($3) and kitchenware.

This post on Brandless benefits is the first in a series of posts examining grocery sources (see also later posts on Thrive Market and Kroger). When you want to find good food without breaking the budget, is Brandless the answer? Here’s a look.

brandless benefits review

Just launched this past July, Brandless is a new online grocery store with one unique shtick: everything is $3. Read More

A Dozen Day Dates in Nashville, TN

From business meetings to girlfriend gatherings, there’s a lot to be said for the day date. Here’s a look at a dozen great places to try in Nashville soon!

dozen day dates in nashville tn

Consider this: if you plan your day dates in Nashville, TN between the hours of, say, ten and two, you enjoy lower meal prices, cheaper babysitters, less stress and a break in routine that can lift your spirits ‘til dinnertime. What’s more, time your meal right (i.e., ahead of or just after the lunch rush) and you’ll enjoy easier parking, smaller crowds and your choice of seating options, too. Sound good? Read More