Grilled Summer Vegetable Ciabatta Sandwiches
A few weeks ago, I took a look at the amount of food I had for dinner and decided I needed some guests. I walked over to my neighbor’s house and asked if Kerry, her sister, Chris, and their kids would like to join us for dinner. “Wonderful! What’s for dinner?” Kerry asked.
“Roasted Summer Vegetable Ciabatta Sandwiches with hummus and basil,” I replied cheerily, spinning on my heel and racing for the door. “See ya in a few.”
You see, I know Kerry well enough to know that menu was going to make her nervous. She’s the Midwestern sort who likes predictable food. I knew this meal would sound a little exotic to her. Read more
The Gift of Foodlove
Have you ever considered the importance of food in the experience of life’s great moments? Wedding banquets, holiday meals and church picnics draw people together, symbolize abundance and express gratitude. Last night’s episode of Little House on the Prairie (we’re going through the series with the kids) ended with a teenaged Laura Ingalls radiating womanly pride in the privilege of cooking dinner for “Pa” and the object of her yet unrequited affections, “Manly.”
Similarly, food is a universal method of outreach to people in crisis- either good or bad. The receivers may have just become parents of quadruplets, be experiencing a health crisis or be coping with the loss of a loved one. As members of their proverbial “village,” one of the first questions we ask is, “Can we bring you some meals?” Read more
Love-ya Lasagna
Another great thing about lasagna: kids can easily get in on the act, rolling noodles, drizzling sauce or dolloping ricotta. It is wonderful thing to make your act of hospitality a family effort.
I’m not sure that I’ve ever ordered it in a restaurant- or that I ever would- but lasagna is one of my favorite foods. It isn’t about the sweet/savory taste and cacophony of textures, though a bite of great lasagna is incomparably satisfying. It is a love thing. I’ve yet to discover another food that captures affection on a fork the way that lasagna does.
Lasagna is my go-to food as an offering to other people. They may have just had a baby, lost a loved one or be experiencing health issues. When I need to say “I love you and want the best for you,” I forgo cheesy cards in favor of a cheesy lasagna. Read more
Shades of Green
My dear friend and neighbor, Marija, was reunited with her beloved father in heaven last Saturday after an auto accident. She was my age. Her adoring husband and two young children are bereft. I am too.
Marija was an interior designer. She loved beauty. For her, beauty was a way to give, to honor, to share- especially with her family. It was also a passion. It was her gift. She honored that gift by using it and enjoying it. She did lots of work for her extended family, in the process sharing her gift for making peaceful spaces with the people she loved. Read more
Eating for You: Guidelines for a great foodlife during the first months with a new addition to your family
Posted by Jill | July 8, 2010 | Filed under: Home, Organization
- When grandma comes in for a new baby’s birth, she gets carte blanche to frost cakes with store-bought frosting.
okay Jill! time to call in the experts…you! HOW DO I HANDLE TWO CHILDREN AND COOK SUPPER…HELP!
This message was posted on my Facebook wall a few weeks ago by my friend Holly, who lives in South Carolina. She just had her second baby. So I’m donning my super-hero spandex body-suit and I’m here to help! Read more
