All in Columns
Out of all things fall, Quinn and I look forward to recipe development. Most of the recipes we share are inspired by loved ones no longer with us. Though not visible, they are very much alive in our hearts and constantly finding a way into our kitchens.
You know there are those people who as soon as it becomes October and the air gets crisp, it is pumpkin everything. The Sisters are some of those people (me mostly.. hi, Quinn here).
What happens when you mix a scaredy-cat kid with a monster who feels like a failure? You get a few good laughs and a long-lasting friendship. Mo Willems never fails to entertain children with his stories, and Leonardo the Terrible Monster is one of his best.
There was much deliberation over this chili! We had to ask ourselves, “What do we like most about chili?” – the consensus, meat. Our meat to bean ratio is 3-1. Our three meats are as follows: lean ground beef (93/7), bratwurst for fat content, and stew beef for great meaty texture.
There’s nothing quite like fall to make us appreciate and enjoy the great outdoors. The air is getting cooler, those biting pests are preparing to leave for a bit, and the colors are really starting to show their stuff.
Mama has never been the type to make the same dish twice. I’ve always admired that about her. Cooking is more than a recipe; it’s a portal of self-expression. If the recipe calls for two cups of cheese and you feel like adding four pounds of cheese – to quote cousin, Jay Quinn – don’t let a piece of paper stand in your way.
We all have our happy place, and whether it be the city, the country, the lake, or the farm, it always leaves us with memories of our best life. For Cynthia Rylant, author of this week’s pick, it was the Appalachian Mountains.
Happy October! It’s been a little while since we’ve posted a recipe, but we always get inspired by the joy the fall season brings. For us, it’s a good reason to get nice and cozy, light a candle, put on a good movie like “You’ve Got Mail” and settle in.
Lots of us have friends named Lily or Rose. Relatives named Daisy or Pansy. Even acquaintances named Violet or Iris. But Chrysanthemum? Not too many of us have ever met a Chrysanthemum before.
Some days you just wake up and want your Grandma. There are other days that you can’t get her off of your mind. I guess that’s how grief works – some days you are completely fine and then some days you feel like your loved one passed just yesterday and it’s hard to move.
All good things must come to an end. And for summer lovers everywhere, this week is officially the end of the season. But, the silver lining is … FALL is here!
The sweet, salty, meaty, pull-away-from-the-bone bite is what we seek. Grilling, like cooking, shouldn’t be intimidating. Usually, every family has that one person trusted to do all the grilling.
This week’s story is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Written with simple and straightforward language, it’s one children and adults will love for a lifetime. It’s a book for people who love boys, for people who love trees. but mostly and quite simply, for people who just love.
I was watching a television show the other day where they were talking about how keen humans’ sense of smell is and how it relates so closely to our memories.
So, maybe you’re not a fan of mice. And maybe you’re not even a fan of cats. But when Ellen Stoll Walsh puts them together along with some pots of paint, your child is sure to enjoy it!
Quinn and I spent a lot of weekends over at Grandma and Granddaddy Carlton’s house. If we were not allowed to do something at home, you best believe our imaginations were welcomed to run wild at Grandma’s.
Hello, and welcome back to “The Reading Nook” where the focus is using great stories to create special moments between caregivers and the young children they love!
There are those certain images/moments in your mind that you picture when you’re having a bad day. Everyone has their “happy place” – the place they go in their mind when feeling anxious, unsure, the news is scary, you got a speeding ticket, or maybe it’s just one of those days you need an unwarranted smile.
When you picture Small Town USA, you probably picture a place like my hometown—a farming community with 1,600 people and three stoplights. When explaining the dynamics of rural North Carolina, I often say that it’s nothing like the movies, but in some ways, it really is.
Hello, and welcome to “The Reading Nook” where the focus is using stories to create great moments between caregivers and the young children they love!
