Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

This morning I was enjoying my daily commute. I say enjoying because it’s one of my favorite times of year, October. The mornings feel fresh and cool. The colors on the trees are warm and soothing. With this in mind as I readied to face another hectic day, I flipped through my issue of RealContinue reading “Lists & the Things I Love”

Real Simple slideshow “A Month of Easy Dinners” – What working mom wouldn’t be attracted to that cover story? The headline is from this month’s Real Simple magazine. I don’t have a subscription, yet. But I’ve long admired the magazine and pick it up from time to time, usually around the holidays when I haveContinue reading “The Promise of 'No-Stress Meals' — I'm In”

Magnolia Bakery treats. Maybe in my life, but probably not on my waistline. On second thought, I’ll find a way to make room for both Bleeding Heart Bakery and Magnolia Bakery. While both specialize in cupcakes, their styles and flavorings couldn’t be more different. When I’m in the mood for creative, sometimes daring flavors andContinue reading “Is There Room in My Life for 2 Favorite Cupcake Joints?”

Ever since my son saw the movie “Because of Winn Dixie,” he’s been wanting to make his own fresh-squeezed orange juice. We needed to use up some aging oranges, so the opportunity was ripe this morning. He had fun discovering a few things: No. 1: It takes a lot of muscle power to squeeze allContinue reading “4 Oranges = 1 Cup of OJ & 1 Happy Boy”

For beets and veggie lovers, this is a not-to-miss column from my foodie friend and culinary inspiration Melissa Elsmo. She does what I’d love to see every chef do when they come to the Farmers Market to do a food demonstration on Saturdays: scouts out the market, buy what’s in season and whip up aContinue reading “Sensual Tour of the Farmers Market”

There’s one thing I treasure more than anything else we inherited from my mother-in-law’s estate. She had some lovely things. And we ended up with several really nice pieces from her home after she passed away in 2007. But somehow we also ended up with her everyday Pfaltzgraff platter. It’s chipped and doesn’t match anything.Continue reading “An Omi Plate Kind of Evening”

We had a much-too-short visit from the Playful Spirit Potter last week. It was a Hell week of sorts and she was a godsend during a particularly busy period. I barely got to spend time with her, but she was there for the kids and they all enjoyed those moments. This was her goodbye note,Continue reading “Food Expression”

Check out the steam rising off that tomato. It’s been a long few days and it’s not over yet. But this is the first semi-normal night of the week. I know this is a close-to-normal evening because I’ve actually had some time to look at the food I have in the house. When I lookedContinue reading “Fresh Roasted Supper”

Can’t resist the Angry Birds cake. For my daughter’s 8th birthday, she couldn’t quite settle on a single theme. She’s currently fascinated by Webkinz (she and her brother have an embarrassing number in their collection) and Angry Birds. They’re both games you can play online. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. So meldingContinue reading “Only 8 Once: Webkinz v. Angry Birds, Plus Pastapalooza”

One recipe at a time, I’m overcoming my fears. I have yet to give canning a try. But I’m well on my way to small-scale pickling on a regular basis. It’s so amazingly easy, especially if you’re planning to eat what you make within a week or so. I got over my pickling fear becauseContinue reading “What Can I Pickle Next?”