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! […]

  Just a quick post today.  Busy gearing up for vacation! Looking forward to a break from working and spending quality time with my three kids and husband! Yeah! But I did want to share this really yummy burger recipe before I head out to the beach! I never really have enjoyed ground beef.  Even […]

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 making up a nice appetizer plate for entertaining or sometimes just because.  Yesterday while shopping at Whole Foods Market in Bellingham, Massachusetts, I stumbled upon an outdoor farmer’s market.  Love that! I ran into Brittany, the farm manager of Medway Community Farm selling some great produce.  I couldn’t resist the basil and kale […]

This weekend Russ and I were invited to a wedding in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. It was a beautiful wedding, the bride looked radiant and the ceremony was followed by fabulous reception that ended with a bonfire!  We reserved a room at the Currier’s House, a small B & B, down the road from the reception. […]