Why American Women Should Not Take Our Freedom for Granted

Has anyone else been surprised to see so many women taking to the streets in Iran, in protest of the election so obviously stolen by what’s-his-name-who’s-clearly-whacked? I am both frightened and relieved to see their covered heads, marching with fists raised…but it’s also a reminder of just how close we all are to chaos and a return to brutal oppression. All around the world women are still in trouble.

There are little girls in Pakistan who are having their schools blown up because… more

Tags: politics, Women's Rights

Cooking with Lard

I had never cooked with lard before. It just seemed gross to me. Plus, as a saturated fat it was on the list of things I didn’t need to add to my already saturated diet.

However, my elderly, ill mother specifically requested that I make one of her favorite summer meals: pasties (Cornish meat pie)…with lard. How could I deny her? In fact, she told my sister she wouldn’t even come over and eat them UNLESS I made them with lard.

So I went in search of lard. I emailed my favorite meat… more

My 5 Favorite Easy Chillin’ Summer Treats

Here in Pennsylvania, we have had torrential rain for 40 days and 40 nights, and it’s hard to believe that summer will ever come. But when it does, I’ll be ready with these 5 easy summer treats to keep my kids and myself nice and cool.

1. Frozen grapes on a stick. Get a bamboo skewer and stick some good grapes (not the yucky ones) on it, and put everything in the freezer. This is an especially good idea when you are kind of sick of eating grapes but you still have half a… more

Buy Local, Buy American

Last night I went into a Lowe’s for the first time. I needed to buy a cat door for the chicken coop I’m building (long story, I’ll save it for later!). I’d never been to Lowe’s before. It was fine. Big. It had that stinky chemical smell. I wouldn’t rush to go back for any reason. (If it’s hardware I need, I have two favorite stores that are locally owned, and so quirky and helpful I just love going to them.)

So while I was there, I thought I would pick up some knobs for a… more

Tags: Home

Campfire Cooking! My 5 Favorites

I was one of those naughty Girl Scouts who only joined the troop when it was about to go on the camping trip. I knew I would get some good food cooked over an open wood fire. I think we made some sort of hamburger stew in a tin can that was so yummy!

Now that I’m a grown-up, I’ve got my own campfire pit at my house, complete with an iron cooking grate I bought at Cabela’s. What I love about cooking over a campfire is that you can really only focus on the fire and the food, so there’s… more