I love tea.
Part of the reason tea charms me so is the power it possesses to transport me to another place or time.  Whatever the stress, boredom or weariness is that hangs over me, it falls away in the time-honoured ritual of brewing and sipping a cup of tea.  In the best circumstances this is [...]

Now that I have the attention of the entire state of Minnesota, please allow me to expound.

This is one of the most clever ideas I’ve seen out of the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Circle lately.  (And they’re no creative slouches over at King Arthur.)  In the most recent e-newsletter* from their test kitchen they included [...]

It’s time to get cozy.
~~  ~~
The air has progressed past crisp to chilly and will soon be downright cold. The leaves have finally given up their tenuous grasp on the trees and -with one final gust of nearly winter wind- fallen to insulate the grass and ground against the coming snow.
~~  ~~
Thanksgiving and the feast [...]

A few weeks ago, my mom made the trek out to Michigan to visit her sisters (my aunties) and my Grandma.
One night while Mom and my baby sister were out there, the Shaffer girls (because that’s what they become when they’re all together again) and Grandma gathered around the kitchen table to talk food and [...]

Boston Coolers are an iconic Michigan dessert.  Yes.  I am aware it’s called a Boston cooler but its origins and popularity have nothing whatsoever to do with Boston, Massachusetts.  This perfect combination of Vernor’s Ginger Ale and vanilla ice cream hails from the Boston Boulevard area of Detroit, Michigan; another Michigan icon.  And since that [...]

Yesterday, I mentioned that we’d been experiencing some of life’s less pleasant moments.  One of those less pleasant moments was a biggie, folks.  As in a life changing biggie…
*Fair warning:  I am about to use the following words; breast, cancer, breasts, self-exam and self-check.  If any of those words bother you, tune out until I [...]

I need to remember that no matter how weird things get around here they can always, and probably will, get weirder.  Unfortunately, the last couple weeks have been peppered with some of life’s less pleasant moments.  One of them, I will share with you in a future post.* The other two things I’m going to [...]

For a multitude of reasons I don’t buy soda.   Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not going all judgy-judgerton on soda.  It’s just that over the years, I have gotten to where I don’t really like most of it.  It’s just too derned sweet for me.  Once a year or so I’ll grab a [...]

It is simply gorgeous outside here today.  And for that reason, I will not be long winded here.  (And there was much rejoicing…)  My kids are standing on the porch, pressing their faces against the window asking me when I’ll be out.  They’re also waiting for their smoothies so I have to make like a bird [...]

Several years ago I got into the Aubrey/Maturin series of books by Patrick O’Brian.  And by ‘got into’ I mean that I obsessively read all twenty one books (including the unfinished one)  back to back so quickly that I can’t remember what happened in which novel.  There was hardly a moment when one of O’Brian’s books left [...]