Yearly Archives: 2012

Cheer for Chutney + Winner Announced

Chutney, relish, conserves, and jellies have all but disappeared from most of our everyday dinner tables, but they were a fixture in days gone by, especially at times of year when fresh produce was in short supply. I think these cheery little tastes ought to be brought back to the table more often, but at […]

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5 Things You Can Do This Week for a Happy(er) Thanksgiving Next Week + Giveaway!

Thanksgiving is among my favorite holidays, but the days are long gone when all it required of me was a healthy appetite and the willingness to be kissed by various relatives. Let’s face it — Thanksgiving is a project, a large one for some and a smaller one for others, but a project that requires […]

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Make Your Voice Heard About Something Other Than the Government

You know how it is when you are almost finished with something — redecorating a room, cooking an elaborate meal, making a gift, or writing what ought to be the last installment in a blog series like Cerebral Homemaking — and your deadline looms large and at last you see that you cannot finish in […]

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Past Blast: In Other News, We’ve Got a Dog

Note: Please excuse the poor formatting on this post. I have worked and worked with it, but it remains a stubborn, disobedient post. From November, 2006: Part 1: Who: Benji What: miniature Poodle, 4 mos. old, apricot, terribly cute Where: right here at my feet When: Yesterday afternoon Why: A couple of months ago, Samuel […]

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Cerebral Homemaking, Part 9: Homemaking is So Daily

It’s totally right for the kitchen to look like this when heavy cooking is happening — the problem comes when we start to accept leaving it that way. “Life is so daily” is a common quotation of uncertain provenance, and it lends itself to endless variation. “Marriage is so daily,” “Parenting is so daily,” “Exercise […]

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Past Blast: Happy at Home

From November, 2007: “The happiest people are those who think the most interesting thoughts. Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good company, good conversation, are the happiest people in the world. And they are not only happy in themselves, they are the […]

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Family Matters: Cultivating Kindness

Recently, I ran across the following in two places, and it struck a chord with me about some ways our family could stand to improve: Showing kindness — Courteous words instead of sharp retorts. Smiles instead of blank looks. Enthusiasm instead of dullness. Response instead of indifference. Warmth instead of coldness. Understanding instead of the […]

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Past Blast: Applesauce Canning Day

October 19, 2005: Yesterday was our family’s annual (or sometimes biennial if we make enough) Applesauce Canning Day. This time, we processed 35 quarts plus kept about 7 quarts fresh in the fridge, which we decided not to can because we were pooped and it was getting late. We live right in the middle of […]

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Past Blast: Washing Machine Shopping – a field report

From November, 2007: One of my faithful servants, the washing machine, breathed its last several days ago. I assumed my handy mate would pick up the odd part, rattle around in its bowels, and keep it going for another few years, but it turns out that, as with one’s car, a ruined transmission is an […]

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The Nostalgia of Tomatoes and Culinary Tradition

Garrison Keillor said autumn is the season of nostalgia, and truer words have not been spoken. In the warm sunshine of this early October day, I worked in the yard for a couple of hours. Part of it was puttery work, and part was hot and sweaty. I pulled out the tomato vines – in […]

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  • In My Kitchen, In My Life is a place where women (and the odd male) can be encouraged, nudged, and occasionally kicked in the pants toward living their lives on a higher plane. Oh, and readers get plenty of chances to laugh at the author's foibles, which is always worth a click.

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