Butter Together: The ancient art of grit-making
When I was a child, my mom used to serve breakfast for dinner — brinner — every Christmas Eve. She did this out of necessity.
Butter Together: These peppers are bananas
Did you know that banana peppers continue to produce until the first frost? Most plants aren’t like that. Our tomato plants are long gone, and the eggplant is on its way out. But okra and peppers seem to thrive in the heat of Mississippi.
Butter Together: The rest of the plate
When I first began cooking for myself, I can remember entire meals that consisted of a large lump of beef I’d cooked in the slowcooker all day. That’s it: just a pile of beef in the middle of the plate.
Butter Together: Let them eat cake … errr, zucchini bread.
One of the positives about living under quarantine, as my family is still doing, is that we are growing and eating our own vegetables.
Butter Together: If you can’t take the heat, get out of the … nevermind. There’s nowhere to go.
This week, I’ve cut my husband’s hair — thank goodness it’s curly and doesn’t show my many mistakes. I’ve replaced the hose on the vacuum — after seven years of patching it with duct tape, it was bittersweet to discover I could replace the dang thing myself for $15 and about five minutes.
Butter Together: Squash in the morning, squash at noon … let’s eat squash with a big brown spoon
Quarantine has caused us to do all kinds of things we’ve never done before…or at least, never done regularly.
Butter Together: Biscuits? Everybody’s got time for that
First of all — and I hope this goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway just in case — I would never wish COVID-19 on anyone. I’m sorry that it’s here and I would make it go away if I could.
Butter Together: A cookie that will knock your socks off … if you were wearing any
When I told the girls I thought I’d write about this skillet cookie for this week’s food column, they cheered.
Butter Together: How to use it up
I am trying to squeeze all the life out of every crumb and scrap that comes into our home from the grocery store.
Local voices: Celebrating Easter in the era of COVID-19
I think one of the hardest parts of this quarantine is upon us: Easter. What is Easter without a big egg hunt, the church cantata, a new dress, and a basket full of jelly beans?
Butter Together: A chicken in every pot
Look, I know it’s far too warm outside to be chicken and dumplings weather. However, we all do have more time at home than usual, and groceries are a little harder to come by than usual … which means we are definitely in the midst of a chicken and dumplings season.
Local voices: Unconventional times call for unconventional learning
I read a criticism a few years ago about the ways we tend to separate children into very strict categories and classes based exclusively on their ages. Yes, of course there are developmental trends for every age, but imagine if you were assigned your job or your Sunday school class based only on your age.
Butter Together: Knead a loaf if you need a loaf
There is only one type of bread our child with allergies can safely eat, so when COVID panic began setting in and grocery store shelves began to empty, I knew that it was only a matter of time before I’d need to begin making our own bread for daily use.
Local voices: The teachers will appear
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” That’s a Buddhist proverb I’ve heard before and like. It’s been true many times for me: when I am ready to understand something, a loved one or stranger will know just the right thing to say or do.
Butter Together: Just another fake-out meal
One of the things that is really difficult about having food allergies is the fact that they make eating out less enjoyable and relaxing.
Butter Together: We love these a waffle lot
Our eldest has been experiencing conflict at her middle school.
It’s not bullying or anything like that. It’s not even the usual boy/girl drama.
Butter Together: This Valentine’s Day, give the gift of a falsified memory
I have a vivid childhood memory of my mother making beautiful red velvet cakes every Valentine’s Day. I can remember opening the refrigerator door just to get a peek at it, heart-shaped and covered in a fluffy white icing.
Butter Together: Pizza for the 47th of January
Ahh, January. The month where we are all walking that tightrope between saving time and saving money.
Butter Together: On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese
I always try to get ahead — on housework, cooking, and school prep — over the long Christmas break.
I always fail.
Butter Together: A recipe for cranberries that does not end in ‘sauce’
This recipe sounds so weird that I knew it had to be good. Or bad. But, honestly, it had to be one or the other.