Here is little Miss Greta on her 2 month birthday last week! She celebrated by gazing at her mobile, working on grasping her rattles, and rolling over during tummy time! She’s 13 pounds and 24.5 inches long and is already starting to grow out of some of her 3 month outfits because she’s so tall. Our little cutie pie is growing up so fast. I’ll be back at work in just 2 weeks, and I’m hoping I’ll still be able to find some time to» [continue]

Do they still sell those Kellogg’s Rice Krispie treats in the blue wrappers at the grocery store? Ugh, I remember they had a really strange aftertaste. I never really understood why anyone would buy them since Rice Krispies are the easiest dessert to make at home – you only need the microwave and about 10 minutes to whip up a batch! I like Rice Krispie treats well enough but never really go out of my way to make them. That might change» [continue]

I love Trader Joe’s so much that I’m always extra disappointed when I try something new there and don’t enjoy it. I have high expectations! While I really like all their yummy hummus varieties, their whole wheat pita bread is just sort of dry and flavorless. Luckily, I picked up some of their whole wheat naan bread on a whim recently instead and loved it. It was perfect with my hummus and so delicious that I started thinking about other» [continue]

I had a bit of a tough time getting an appetizing picture of today’s dish. Chili isn’t very attractive, is it? I suppose topping it with a colorful garnish would have helped a bit. Oh well. Chili does have a couple of things going for it though – it’s a very tasty one pot meal that comes together quickly. Plus, chili always tastes better the next day so the leftovers are fantastic. I’ll take those qualities over beauty any day! I» [continue]

I’ve been meaning to develop a side dish featuring Brussels sprouts inspired by the Fried Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers we devoured at Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Lolita while visiting my grandparents in Cleveland for over a year now. They were just incredible and would turn anyone into a Brussels sprouts lover. But, I found the recipe is already on the Food Network site. I’m happy I can make the real deal whenever I want them,» [continue]

The pictures of the areas badly hit by Hurricane Sandy are so surreal. I hope everyone on the East coast recovers quickly. We were very lucky and our power didn’t go out, phew. Right before the storm hit, Apolinaras went about doing some actual preparations (filling his extra beer brewing jugs with water, putting our cars on lifts in the garage in case it flooded, finding all our batteries, etc), while I roasted a couple of chickens. That�» [continue]

Today is National Pumpkin Day! This is a holiday I need to put on my calendar to celebrate every year. I’m always ready to whip up some pumpkin treats and in fact, just bought a pack of three 30-ounce cans of pumpkin puree from Costco! What do you make when you have just a little pumpkin puree left over from a recipe though? Here’s my solution. I like to bake Apolinaras his favorite oatmeal raisin bars! I call these bars and not cookie» [continue]

It’s amazing how certain flavor combinations immediately remind me of specific moments. When my dear friend Erin had her first son five years ago, I searched the internet for the perfect meal to bring when we went to meet the baby. Erin and I ended up joining the same lab and were always there for each other during all the ups and downs of getting our PhDs. I wanted to bring her and her hubby Greg something seasonal and really special, so I» [continue]

Time is flying by - Greta is somehow already 5 weeks old! She's 23.5 inches long (99%, which is no surprise since I'm 6' and Apolinaras is 6'5") and 10 pounds 10 ounces. I dressed her up in an adorable outfit on her one month birthday last week and tried to get some cute pictures, but this is the best one I got before she started to protest. I’ve learned it’s best to always have my camera within reach, because my best shots so far have» [continue]

I have a little favor to ask today! If you have a pinterest account, I’d really appreciate your pin and like for my French Onion Mac & Cheese recipe here. I’m a semi-finalist in a contest sponsored by Mobile Skillet to win my own mobile phone app featuring all my recipes! How cool would that be? Thanks everyone! Now on to today’s recipe. I’ve seen a bunch of scrumptious pumpkin pancake, waffle, scone, muffin, and French toast r» [continue]

I always strive to make several extra portions of dinner when I cook because we’re big fans of leftovers. This is especially true now that little Greta has joined our family! I do like to mix things up each day though and have something different for lunch and dinner. Today’s Indian recipe is perfect for doubling because you can enjoy the leftovers several ways. First, I made some protein-packed curried chicken quinoa cakes and served » [continue]

I almost always order hash browns or diced potatoes if they’re a side option on a brunch menu. They always win out over other carb options like toast or even pancakes. I think this is because, let’s face it, fried breakfast potatoes are pretty much French fries and I’m not one to ever pass up French fries. But, it’s also because I rarely make breakfast potatoes at home, and I like ordering things at restaurants that I don’t routinel» [continue]

It’s somehow already October, which means it’s time for pumpkin recipes! I actually found three cans of pumpkin puree in the back of my cupboard left from last year and have already used them all. I guess this means I need to go to the store soon! I knew I wanted to make pumpkin bread first. There’s nothing better than homemade quick breads. They make the house smell wonderful and are so easy to whip up. In fact, my first post-baby f» [continue]

Whenever my mom bought Neapolitan ice cream when I was little, I would only eat the chocolate and vanilla sections. And I always ate them separately, never together! Thank goodness my taste buds have grown up, and I fully enjoy Neapolitan treats the way they’re supposed to be savored now. I recently whipped up some cute little mini Neapolitan cheesecakes, which I baked in a muffin pan. They had s a rich fudgy brownie bottom chocolate lay» [continue]

Thanks so much for all your sweet comments about the arrival of our daughter. Little Greta is napping on my lap right now as I work on finishing up this post! I’m usually always all about balance when it comes to meals and automatically make sure there’s a veggie on my plate. A few weeks before my due date though, we headed over to our favorite BBQ place, Blue Ribbon, and I found myself ordering mashed potatoes and mac & cheese as » [continue]

Our beautiful baby girl, Greta, was born just over a week ago on Tuesday, September 11 at 10:34pm! She weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces and was 21 inches long. Greta is already taking after her parents by eating like a champ, and she is very alert and curious about her surroundings when she’s awake. She especially loves staring at her black and white books and art cards. We’re tired, but everything is going really well so far. We’ve been t» [continue]

An Amsterdam Falafel Shop recently popped up in our neighborhood. They serve falafel in warm whole wheat pita bread and have a huge toppings bar with all sort of delightful fixings. I’ve been partial to the tahini sauce, hummus, roasted eggplant, and tomato cucumber salad so far, and I enjoyed the combo so much that I couldn’t help but thinking that these flavors would be lovely in a plated appetizer as well. It’s always fun when a meal» [continue]

I've mentioned before that I just loooove corn on the cob. Fresh sweet summer corn really can't be topped. I actually buy corn fairly often, but it rarely makes it into any recipes since I tend to just want to enjoy it unadorned, well except for butter, of course! I recently starting dreaming about a fresh corn risotto though and decided I must make it before corn goes out of season. I crisped up some diced pancetta in the skillet and then» [continue]

I have to admit that I’m ready for fall. This summer has just been way too hot, and I can’t wait for it to cool down so I can enjoy being outside again without immediately sweating. I also really dislike having to run the air conditioner all the time just to be comfortable. I miss fresh air! Plus, fall has always been my favorite season. The only redeeming factor about this summer has been all the lovely fresh produce – berries, peaches» [continue]

We’ve been taking belly shots in the same outfit each month and here’s my 9 month picture – our little one has come such a long way since our 5 month pics. Believe it or not, my due date is exactly one week from today (on Labor Day, haha)! Ever since I found out we were expecting, I’ve been looking forward to filling our freezer with meals in preparation for our little one’s arrival. We have stocked up on some convenience foods a» [continue]

For a couple of years, I was in the habit of buying pre-washed salad mixes. You know, the kind that come in a bag or plastic box. This lead to the donation of our OXO salad spinner to the Good Will, because it was just sitting there collecting dust and taking up precious kitchen storage space. Well, that turned out to be a big mistake, because you guessed it, shortly thereafter I started buying a greater variety of greens and cutting them up » [continue]

Today’s “recipe” is a bit of a pregnancy cliché. It all started when we were discussing the annual Boston area Fluff Fest at lunch one day. Marshmallow Fluff, also known as marshmallow crème, was invented in my town and is still made in Massachusetts. It’s probably most famous for being paired with peanut butter in fluffernutter sandwiches. I’d actually never had Fluff before, so I was very curious about it. I’m happy to rep» [continue]

Sometimes you have to milk an idea for all it's worth. My French Onion Mac & Cheese is by far the most popular recipe on my blog, so I was recently thinking about what other way I could highlight the same flavors. How about layers of flaky crispy phyllo dough piled between caramelized onions and gooey fontina and asiago cheeses? Uh huh, these French Onion Phyllo Squares are as good as they sound. Caramelized onions are really one of th» [continue]

Apolinaras is like a kid in a candy store at any establishment that sells tools or hardware stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he’s so handy and likes to do all the maintenance on our cars and tackle home improvement projects. But, the other weekend I was so painfully bored following him around the aisles of Harbor Freight Tools, that I decided to check out the store next door, Ocean State Job Lots. I’d never been there befor» [continue]

Today is Apolinaras’ birthday! He actually doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth and is one of those weirdos who will take all the frosting off his cupcake before eating it. He also prefers fruity ice creams instead of the over-the-top decadent versions I enjoy (Chubby Hubby, peanut butter and chocolate, mint Oreo, etc), so we always have to have several flavors in the fridge. The good news is that he never dips into my stash. The bad news i» [continue]

I have to admit that even though I consider myself a “foodie,” sometimes hearing about the local/organic food debate tires me out. Ideally, we’d all get all our food from farmers in our state who use no pesticides, right? But it’s not really economical for most people at this point, and for now, we’re compromising a bit so our grocery budget doesn’t get too out of control. What do you think is most important to buy local/organic? » [continue]

Who else looooves the Olympics?! I’ve been doing my best to avoid the web and twitter during the day so I don’t accidently read any spoilers before the broadcasts at night. I just love tuning in and watching all the events, and I want to cheer along and be surprised by the winners, especially in the swimming races since I grew up in the pool. In honor of the games, I decided to decorate some Team USA cupcakes with my eggless sugar cook» [continue]

During the winter months, I love to curl up on the couch with a big mug of hot chocolate. I always crave a little something sweet after dinner, but try not to have any heavy desserts on weekdays since I have a hard time resisting snacking on treats at work like those crazy addicting Trader Joe-Joe’s Vanilla Sandwich Crème Cookies. Sometimes I enjoy a bowl of sugary cereal instead, but during the summer, it’s all about a tall refreshing g» [continue]

  I thought it would be fun to share a little pregnancy update today! I’m somehow already 34 weeks along – how crazy is that? Our little girl is very active and loves to kick and squirm around, especially after dinner when I’m relaxing. Apolinaras’ voice always seems to calm her down when he’s talking or singing to my belly though. I think she stops wriggling because she’s intently listening to him, and I’m hoping this w» [continue]

I’ve been on quite the popsicle kick lately. This unbearable heat wave means our oven hasn’t been turned on in weeks, so I haven't baked any desserts. My sweet tooth still needs to be satisfied though, and popsicles are just the perfect low calorie refreshing treat! I actually can’t remember the last time I had a popsicle before this summer, but when our friend and amazing photographer Theresa offered me one after our maternity photo sh» [continue]