To make this yummy rice salad, I thought olives, green onions, tomatoes and walnuts would be a nice combo! I mixed the chopped olives, onions, walnuts and tomatoes with the dressing to marinate while the rice was cooking. I sampled it, of course, to make sure I was on the right track…very nice!  I […]

Yum.  That’s all I have to say. I like using toasted sesame oil and reduced sodium tamari as I think they taste so good.  This is what I used for this recipe. This recipe calls for baby bok choy too, which looks like this–> I like the baby bok choy best-it’s tender and mildly delicious! […]

We joined a local community supported agriculture (CSA) program this year at Tangerini’s Farm in Millis.  There is nothing quite like the taste and nutritional value of fresh picked produce! Monday’s is our day to pick up our share of veggies!  Usually I can get one of my kids to join me for the pick […]

Every weekend, Russ and I make it a point to start our day with a run that winds up at Starbucks for a nice cold iced coffee.  It’s a good way to kick off our weekend.   This weekend was jammed packed with so many great events.   Friday night we attended our first Greek […]

With all the wonderful fresh berries I have been picking, I decided to make some fruit tarts!  Fruit tarts are a relatively easy dessert to make and truly look almost too good to eat.  My daughter and I have been having fun making different tarts.  Check out our first batch…. This recipe I found via […]

My dad, Hans Effgen immigrated to America from Germany as a very young boy. He and his mother Anna arrived in the US when she was just 28 and my dad only 1 years old. Here is the documentation of their arrival sailing from Hamburg on ship named, Reliance on May 13, 1925. Anna was […]

I love granola.  It is fabulous on top of Greek yogurt for a hearty snack or even for a quick breakfast meal.  Granola is rich in calories so should be enjoyed in moderation.  My daughter Chelsea loves my homemade granola so I try to make a batch for her to take to NYC when she’s […]

I love picking fresh berries in the summer so when I stopped by Tangerini’s farm in Millis, MA this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had red ripe raspberries ready to pick and big blueberries too! Picking raspberries is somewhat nostalgic for me as we had raspberry bushes in my yard growing […]

We headed to NYC this weekend to help my daughter, Chelsea with an upcoming move from the financial district to the Upper West Side.  It was my birthday weekend, so being in NYC was a bonus.  Friday, we walked down Wall Street toward the Seaport.   The New York Stock Exchange is always cool to […]