Top Ten Family Games, Part 1
Family activities are important ways to spend time together and although a family member or two may be reluctant to play a game that’s not on a screen, the attitude usually changes once the game gets underway, especially if television and the internet are not options In our home and especially during the summer after dinner, we gather around a big circular table and often play one of the following games: Read more 
Quinoa, Black Bean and Avocado Salad
On a sunny Spring afternoon, I came home to find a bowl of Quinoa, Black Bean and Avocado Salad on the countertop. My daughter, a devout vegan decided to create one of her favorite lunch dishes with quinoa – a grain like seed that contains high quantities of the B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc and lysine (an amino acid) – vegetables (California avocado, sweet red peppers), fruit (sweet grape tomatoes, lime juice), legumes (black beans), herbs and spices (cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper), and a small amount of olive oil. The result is a refreshing colorful salad that has the perfect balance of flavors: Read more
“My Father’s Tears”
He was taller than I, though I was not short, and I realized, his hand warm in mine while he tried to smile, that he had a different perspective than I. I was going somewhere, and he was seeing me go. I was growing in my own sense of myself, and to him I was getting smaller. He had loved me, it came to me as never before. It was something that had not needed to be said before, and now his tears were saying it. Read more
Spelt Flour
Flour isn’t a product most people get excited about because the threshed or hulled grains are not exactly eye candy but if looks are deceiving, flour is at the top of the list because flour is the staff of life and the key ingredient in so many of the foods we rely on every day for nourishment. Read more
Jade Pearl Rice Pudding
Rice pudding is one of those old-fashioned desserts that can always be made in a pinch because most people have rice, sugar, vanilla, and milk on hand. A creamy and delicious comfort food, rice pudding is easy to make and can be dressed up with berries, nuts, or plump juicy raisins. But when a member of the family is vegan and milk is no longer an option, the challenge is to figure out a way to make this much-loved dessert just as flavorful and creamy as the traditional version but without the dairy ingredients. With plant-based “milk” – soy, almond, rice, and coconut – widely available at grocery stores, making vegan rice pudding is not only possible but easy and convenient. Read more
Will Ferrell and Diane Savino on Equal Rights
Over the past week the country has been preoccupied with two cases before the Supreme Court regarding the equal rights of gays and lesbians to wed. In the first case, the Court is considering a challenge to Proposition 8, the California Constitutional Amendment which eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry; and in the second case, the court is hearing a challenge to DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) that authorized states not to recognize same-sex marriages. Read more
Dorset Cereals
Dorset Cereals hail from Poundbury, a small village on the southern coast of England in the county of Dorset. “Honest, Tasty, and Real” is how the company describes their muesli cereals made with simple ingredients: oats, flakes, fruit, nuts, and seeds. Wholesome, delicious, and true is how I would describe these special breakfast cereals. Blending natural and wholesome ingredients together results in a tasty cereal full of whole grains high in fiber and protein. With no added sugar or salt, Dorset Cereals are a nutritious and delicious breakfast served with milk, yogurt, or fruit juice. Read more
“How to Breathe Underwater”
….before I have a chance to really feel like her daughter again, we’re already saying goodbye.
How to Breathe Underwater is a collection of nine short stories written by Julie Orringer. Published in 2003, the book was dedicated in memory to the author’s mother, Agnes Tibor Orringer who died at the age of 46 in 1994 of cancer. Born in Hungary, Agnes Tibor was educated in the United States and grew up to be a doctor, wife, and mother. The author – 21 at the time of her mother’s death – was deeply impacted by her mother’s illness and although the stories are classified as fiction, the reader can’t help but think the author writes from experience.
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Kakawa Chocolate House
On a local street that winds around the historic district of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a small chocolate store called the Kakawa Chocolate House – an ode to all things chocolate and Santa Fe. Well known in warm drink circles as the place to go for hot chocolate, the store serves a variety of this rich intense elixir made from recipes that date back hundreds of years.Equally famous for their chocolates – truffles, caramels, mediants, and Chili d’Arbols, Kakawa is also known as an artisanal chocolate source where the chocolatiers make their own blend of 80% dark chocolate. Nary a milk chocolate in site, which is how the artisans dedicated to balancing tradition with cutting edge want it. Read more
Don’t Blame CVS For Mandatory Health Screening
This past week, Rhode Island based CVS announced its 200,000 employees will be required to participate in a health screening or pay $600 more in annual health insurance premiums. The health screening will be paid by CVS and will assess employee weight, height, BMI (body mass index), cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels. This information will be submitted to a third-party administrator (not CVS affiliated) who will review the data and assess healthcare risks. Read more
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