Experts point to cognitive, physical and physiological benefits when families eat together.
It also just feels good to connect.
Need some inspiration or pointers to share a meal? Check this out.
Category: food and drink
I recently celebrated my birthday with a party that featured a live blues trio and the most decadent cake I could imagine.
It represented my relationship with the Divine as well as with myself.
Giving up drinking for a month helped me see the social role we give booze, and made me feel physically better. So now what?
There’s a danger when we compare our own messy real lives with our friends’ well-curated social media lives that we’ll think we’re the only ones who spill the espresso, metaphorically.
Here’s a recap of 2018’s most popular posts about living life intentionally.
My mom planned around being the Christmas island of misfit toys. If you didn’t have a place to go or if your family left you frazzled, she’d have a snack and a beer waiting.
I have come to enjoy wine and craft cocktails, and we love the social aspect of our neighborhood bars, where we know people.
But it’s time to cut down on booze to try to get my blood pressure back where it belongs.
I love salt. Given the choice between chocolate and French fries, I’ll have fries in my mouth when I answer. I have suggested that a salt lick on a necklace, like the candy necklaces of my childhood, would be an excellent invention.
But higher blood pressure points to the need to step away from the shaker.
I would rather have the kind of home where people have a good time, without fear of ruining overly precious belongings because gravity can be a challenge and we all have accidents, than to protect purchases in their pristine condition.
Few people are brave enough to own their honest story in the way Jojo did, even fewer would put it on their business website. I asked for her permission to share her story of finding happiness through trial and error and eventually getting brave enough to listen to her heart.
I’m grateful she and Rachel both said yes so I can share with you this story of loving hard.
A few years ago, I wrote a blog post wishing we had a regular local hangout but lamenting that it didn’t seem meant to be. I thought we didn’t go out often enough to cultivate regular status, and that on those occasions we did go out, we were inclined to try someplace new instead of returning someplace. Turns out we…
We’ve been invited to join one of the elaborate villages that particularly impressed me last time, Black Rock French Quarter. A collection of camps surround a structure that echoes the design of the New Orleans French Quarter, with offerings including a bakery, a farmers market, a bath house, and our camp, Golden Cafe.
Celebrating its lucky 13th year on playa, the Golden Cafe is your home for exotic cocktails and live music since 2003.
I tried my first cleanse last year and I’m giving it another go to reboot my eating habits after the indulgence of Mardi Gras and our shared birthday month.
It’s a chilly, grey November day, and summer tomatoes are long gone. But thanks to a recent day spent in the kitchen, I’m making spaghetti sauce tonight from local, late summer tomatoes. John and I began hosting monthly spaghetti suppers in September last year, and making homemade sauce is one of my jobs for the night. I’ve experimented with various…
Preparing for our three weeks of clean living, I weaned down from two cups a day to just one. Then I started mixing decaf into my morning cup to make it half-caf.
Still, I braced for sluggishness and headaches. Instead, much to my surprise, I felt great. I didn’t have that morning fog I’d experienced for years, and had always cut through with coffee immediately upon waking up.
A few years back, when I was working longer and more stressful hours at the office, I would often come home to find my husband, John, had set out a plate of olives, cheese and crackers with a glass of wine for me. It was a kind way to welcome me home, as well as a smart move of self-preservation.…
My husband and I have thrown dinner parties for years, but I always thought of them as big social occasions — a reason to haul out John’s mom’s silver, to set a proper table with fresh flowers and present a multi-course sit-down meal. We started hosting weekday spaghetti suppers late last year, inspired by our friend Pableaux’s weekly red beans…
I have a fantasy about being a regular at the perfect bar. When I walk in, I’m greeted with a big smile by a server who knows what I like. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQpL5ZLQHyw] Problem is, I’m not the kind of person who can easily cultivate regular status. I’ve read articles that give pointers on becoming a regular, with suggestions like: Go to…
Maybe you have this holiday week off, or maybe you’re just enjoying a little come down after a jam-packed month of parties, shopping, pageants or religious observances. I love the holidays — taking down the Christmas tree is one of my least favorite days of the year — but feels like many of us have let out a small sigh…
Throughout this year, several bloggers will engage in a conversation here and on their blogs — asking questions of each other and responding. Others are absolutely welcome to join the conversation, as well. Learn more about the ladies of Blogversation 2012. Amy Throndsen, on Twitter as @amyserves, likes to ask Blogversation questions timed seasons: In June, she asked what you loved…
Throughout this year, several bloggers will engage in a conversation here and on their blogs — asking questions of each other and responding. Others are absolutely welcome to join the conversation, as well. Learn more about the ladies of Blogversation 2012. Joining the Blogversation today is Mary Jean Babic, a Brooklyn-based writer and a new blogger on a Tumblr site…
Throughout this year, several bloggers will engage in a conversation here and on their blogs — asking questions of each other and responding. Others are absolutely welcome to join the conversation, as well. Learn more about the ladies of Blogversation 2012. We’re approaching the halfway point of 2012. We’ve had some great conversations so far this year as part of…