Important note: This is NOT a Passover recipe!  This is an incredibly delicious recipe that HAPPENS to be kosher for Passover.  Don’t run away! Why the warning?  Passover desserts are generally not good.  For those who choose to observe Passover by eliminating all leavened foods for the eight-day holiday, you know that making baked goods …

April is Autism Awareness Month.  Everyone needs to be aware of autism.  The facts and statistics are alarming and overwhelming. Every 20 minutes a child is diagnosed with autism, a lifelong condition. Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN tweeted:  “BREAKING:  CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reports dramatic rise in autism rates. 1 in 88 …

Gather ‘round, gather ‘round!  I’m going to tell you my abridged version of the Passover story.  This is not the complete version… if I left out your favorite part, add it in the comments so others can see! Long long ago, even before any of my parents were born (pause for gasps), there was a …

With Spring Break this week, we decided to do a week-long staycation in Chicago and explore our own city. Boy, have we been busy! From the movies (to see The Lorax) to the Lincoln Park Zoo to a marshmallow playdate, the beginning of the week was packed. We couldn’t stop there so yesterday we headed …

Stromboli is something my mother-in-law makes every New Years Day. It’s something I will always equate with her and my husbands family. If you’ve never had it before, Stromboli is an Italian stuffed bread filled with anything from vegetables and cheese to meat. It’s crazy simple to make and the possibilities are endless when it …

Keeping with my quinoa theme, I thought I would look a little outside the box.  As I said in my last post, quinoa is like a blank canvas.  So blank, in fact, that you can easily turn this tiny seed which is most often used in salads into… a burger.  Yes indeed. This recipe has …

It’s Spring Break this week and that means playdates galore. I have been trying to think of activities to keep these kids busy and today was all about marshmallows. The kids were super excited about making Marshmallows on a Stick. Talk about super easy and this activity leaves everyone with a snack at that end. …

Let’s head to the Lincoln Park Zoo! Looking for a great place to take the kids this summer? You should really consider Chicago. It is beautiful in the summer. In the winter? Eh, not so much. But that’s another story – let’s stick to summer! In the Spring and Summer Chicago is packed with things …

It’s time for another decadent dessert – Pretzel Crusted Double Chocolate Caramel Cookies. With all my baking lately, my family is starting to get in on the action. Before they were all about the eating, but now they are helping me choose what to come up with next. While I was visiting my family last …

Let’s talk about quinoa.  I’m sure you’ve heard of it, but I’m also sure many of you have walked right past it in the grocery store thinking it is 1) too intimidating to attempt or 2) looks too much like bird seed to please your meat and potatoes family.  So let’s address those issues… First, …

As a new mom of my toddler, I always felt like a magician of sorts in trying to come up with ideas for fun places to go near me that we could do together that wouldn’t a) break my bank or b) bore her (or me) to death. But with time and some creativity, I …

Let me start by saying, I’m a boxed cake kind of gal!  Actually when it comes to cakes and brownies, I rarely make ’em from scratch. A boxed mix is just too easy! After seeing this Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Cream Frosting from Bon Appetit, I thought I would venture outside of my comfortable cake …