My Favorite Mocha Brownies
I love mailing goodies to people who aren’t expecting them (which I did on Monday as a thank you for a favor), and this Bon Appétit recipe for mocha brownies is one of my tried and true favorites, whether for general snacking, parties, or to send in the mail (they've made it to California perfectly intact). The brownies are rich and super moist and the recipe is forgiving to alterations (see below), which is handy when you’re cooking on the fly (i.e., missing an ingredient) or with a little one who might spill a little flour here and there. And best of all? While most brownie recipes call for 8” or 9” square pans, this recipe fills a 9” x 13” pan, meaning that one batch will yield plenty to gift, plus some extra for home.
Though I always remember my reusable totes when I hit the grocery store, produce bags are another story. I save plastic produce bags with the best intentions, but they never make it back to the store with me. Solution? The pretty, fabric trimmed, cinch-top produce bags by
Probably not unlike many of you, at any given moment, I'm overwhelmed by errands. In addition to the length of my laundry list, I’m short on hours, and also wheels, given that we’re a one car family and Jon has the car most weekdays. So I was thrilled to discover the excellence of
Without fail, every time we visit with our wonderful friends Anne and Michael, we pick up lovely hosting ideas. And this New Year’s Eve we learned about raclette, a dish/serving method that’s wonderfully communal and conversation inspiring. It’s also perfect for people like me who like to sample a little bit of everything at dinner, and it presents elegantly while being super simple to prepare.
I don’t typically post about contests on other sites, but I wanted to share this
Today,
I adore Gabrielle Blair; I first met her at the inaugural
There was a lot of holiday cookie talk on
My respect, admiration, and affection for Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of
I feel as if I've known Kristin Brandt and Erin Kane of
One beautiful thing about graduating from early parenting -- during which time I toted way too much stuff in an enormous diaper bag -- was the return of handbag use. Only problem? Laurel and my stuff got jumbled together and swapping handbag contents always was a nuisance, with some critical item (usually hand sanitizer) forgotten. Solution? The
April Paffrath is one of the most devoted foodies I know. No taste is too simple, no ingredient too humble. And when you read her writing, you can tell how much she relishes preparing, tasting, and writing about food. April is a regular contributor here on Boston Mamas, but today I’m thrilled to introduce her via her voice on
Jon and I are all about everyday teaching moments with Laurel, apparently even when it comes to assembling a
From our very first e-mail -- back when I was just starting out and she was very much established already -- Asha Dornfest of
As a
Marie LeBaron is a blog friend who I have yet to meet in real life, but we share a passion for crafting and food and I so admire all of the crafty awesomeness she shares on her site,
Now that December is here I’m ready to embrace the holidays, and over the years I’ve found that Christmas décor is actually really easy. Once the tree is up, a pretty tree skirt and some festive stockings go a long way in creating the mood. And if you love having these elements (and more) coordinated just so, consider
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Last week I attended a media event hosted by
Despite my clean approach to food, I still periodically long for – but abstain from – classic (i.e., preservative laden) childhood confections. So I was more than a little intrigued to learn about
Last month I guest posted about
If you’re like us, you’re overrun with Halloween candy. I subsequently was thrilled to read
In a
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Per my role as a
When first tasked to buy baby gear, it can be challenging to navigate the options; in particular the tradeoff between investing in more expensive long term solutions vs. inexpensive short term solutions. I tend to gravitate towards the former, and am particularly drawn to items (e.g., our
It’s been so long since I posted about baking with apples that I couldn’t remember whether I already posted my mom’s
Whether you've experienced data loss directly or have heard about hard drive crashes (and precious family photo and video loss...) from friends, clearly it's important to protect your files. Today,
No matter the size of one's home, I believe in maintaining a minimalist, small space mentality given that the less you have, the less overwhelmed you'll be by your stuff. (I chant the mantra "one thing in, one thing out.") In my latest
We’re still not out of the woods with Laurel’s
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Despite my attempts to simplify and streamline life, I still have plenty of errands to run. And the other week, when I couldn’t rally Laurel to get excited about the pile of returns I needed to take back to Target (tantalizing, I know...), I queried on
One of my favorite things about running Boston Mamas is learning about talented local mamapreneurs such as
Laurel starts kindergarten in a couple of weeks but I haven’t been sweating the preparations due to a minimalist approach on the material side (the emotional preparation is another story...). In my latest
Given Laurel’s volume of clothing and my distaste for ironing, the fabulous no-iron clothing and shoe labels from
Some people just have a knack for assembling gifts artfully, and if you’re
Today,
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There’s something to be said for paying for an experience; say, first class airline tickets, a meal at a chic restaurant that will stow luggage while you shop (as did
I’m forgetful about plenty of things these days, but one thing I’m reliably mindful about is recycling and toting my reusable bags to market. And if you need to stock up on eco-wares, check out
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Few things in life appeal so universally as cookies do, and whether you order a batch online or visit their
My friend Nooshi is truly impressive when it comes to hosting parties (whether they’re for grownups or kids) and her birthday parties for her son always are amazing. If you’re feeling up for a challenge, or simply want to glean a few of the basic ideas, check out the below write up of her son’s recent Outer Space Party. It is -- not surprisingly -- out of this world.
Today,
My passion for color truly blossomed during my postdoctoral fellowship (where I felt rather confined within grey cinderblock walls), and whether I'm perusing clothing, paper, décor, or textiles, I gravitate towards bold, modern, and pretty patterns. So it’s no wonder I adore Boston-based
Laurel and I both agree that a little bling (OK, in her case, a lot of bling...) goes a long way in lifting one's mood and outfit. And whether you want to purchase ready-to-go, made-to-order, or personalized goods,
This past weekend our friend Rhoda introduced us to a dessert that impressively satisfied everyone’s sweet tooth while accommodating her lactose intolerance. Admittedly, though I
I’m always striving for simplicity in life and this approach definitely translates to how I operate in the kitchen. For my second
Today,
Probably due at least in part to feeling conspicuous as one of a few minority families in our town growing up, I have a residual thing about blending in when I travel. Though I don’t bat an eyelash when I see tourists out and about, you'll never catch me holding up a map at a congested intersection in an unfamiliar city. So on my recent
Although Laurel’s daycare runs year round, the summer tends to be a time for transition, and the recent departure of one of her friends reminded me of something I loved doing as a child: exchanging letters with pen pals. Laurel’s friend (or actually, her parents) left a colorful paper bag in each friend’s mail pouch with a sweet goodbye letter that included the friend's mailing address and a request to be pen pals. Also handily included: a note card and self-addressed stamped envelope to get the ball rolling.
Today
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One of the things I love about weekends is restoring a sense of order to our home after a busy (typically rather untidy) week. And purging is one of my favorite mechanisms to achieve said order. Appropriately then, for the first installment of my new
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Yesterday we enjoyed a fabulous BBQ with friends, and amidst the plates and piles of food, one simple yet elegant dish stood out as my favorite. A modern twist on traditional (sometimes unfortunately soupy) coleslaw, Bon Appétit’s
Today,
I’ll be the first to admit that cleaning is not among my top priorities these days, but hand me new eco-friendly cleaning products and I'll roll my sleeves right up to start scrubbing, hoping upon hope to discover that the eco stuff can live up to the non eco stuff. And this was, in fact, the case when I got my hands on
On Laurel’s first birthday my friend Anne gave us art supplies and a box of
If you’re like us and live amidst a landslide of kiddie artwork, here’s a clever solution to preserve and share those heartstring-tugging gems. Locally based
I’m well aware that my passion for preserving and sharing memories – via photos, videos, and on paper – is related to the fact that I have very little documentation of my own childhood (other than school photos, I have about a dozen baby pictures, all shot on the same day). And as someone who relies on technology (both for work and said memory preservation) yet desires simple spaces and clean lines, I’ve long felt defeated by the battle of cords and cables. So it’s no wonder that I am totally in love with the ridiculously easy to use, blissfully cord-free
Before it gets too hot to turn on your oven, try this bread recipe from
I’ve
I’m honored to be among a handful of moms that
One of my favorite time and energy savers these days is store-bought rotisserie chicken. I don’t need to remember to prep and bake it (perfect, since there’s no way I’m turning the oven on today…), my kitchen is saved from pan dripping smoke, and the chicken is ridiculously versatile. Today, I’m sharing our latest favorite usage of rotisserie chicken: fast and fantastically yummy chicken pesto salad.
If you love the ease of boxed cake mixes and desire all natural ingredients, fear not - you can have your cake and eat it too. Today,
Here’s a handy household tip from
As someone who likes things to be just so (yet periodically frets about permanence), I can’t help but love
Today,
I haven’t even begun to sort out Easter crafts or goodies for Laurel, but luckily some lovely other bloggers have done my homework for me. Here are some cool Easter/Passover/Spring craft and treat ideas that caught my eye around the web this week per Love These Links!, where I share clever, resourceful, thought provoking, and/or hilarious links that I think would be of interest to the fabulous readers who peruse Boston Mamas. Enjoy!
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Monday night I met up with some mama friends for a lovely evening of catching up, crafts (bring a long abandoned project to work on…), and desserts. My fabulous friend Sarah brought a plate of divine meringue cookies studded with chocolate. Sarah kindly has shared her recipe for Two-Chocolate Forgotten Cookies (pictured, the last cookie standing):
Let go of mom guilt with
During this seemingly endless winter, why not think green thoughts? And tomorrow (Thurs., March 5), you can think and learn green at
Perfectly timed for yet another snow day, today,
Now that our
Welcome to
Despite the disaster that is my inbox, clearly my mind is elsewhere on domestic matters. Here’s what caught my eye around the web this week – interesting for those who enjoy pets, baking, gardening, and/or not getting sick - per Love These Links!, where I share clever, resourceful, thought provoking, and/or hilarious links that I think would be of interest to the fabulous readers who peruse Boston Mamas. Enjoy!
Today,
I adore clever green solutions, and here’s a fabulously chic pick to encourage shopping local.
I’ve recently become obsessed with spring cleaning, and if you’re similarly ready to shake the dust from your closet, head over to
Today,
If there’s one lesson I've learned from my mom, it’s that it’s never too early to start caring for your skin. And today we offer a little something for the daddies who read this site (yes, daddies apparently read this site) and/or the women who like to gift them.
Today I’m sharing a bit of a hybrid link post; including posts that caught my eye per Love These Links! (where I share clever, resourceful, thought provoking, and/or hilarious links that I think would be of interest to the fabulous readers who peruse Boston Mamas), plus links from my style blog Weekly Web Roundup partnership. Enjoy!
'Tis the season for craft love. Here are some crafty, Valentine inspired posts that caught my eye for my 3rd edition of Love These Links! (where I share clever, resourceful, thought provoking, and/or hilarious links that I think would be of interest to the fabulous readers who peruse Boston Mamas). Enjoy! And if you have a fabulously crafty Valentine link to share, please feel free to comment in at the end of the post.
In an ideal world, I’d make everything from scratch, but often – not surprisingly – time is an issue. But the one thing I never, ever compromise on is granola. Store bought granola has never suited me (too sweet, not clumpy enough, skimpy on nuts and fruit, etc.), and the good news is that granola is super easy to make at home. I made
A couple of weeks ago Laurel and I attended a super fun
This post is a bit oddly juxtaposed to the
It’s been a crazy, crazy week, but apparently there’s always time to surf. Here’s what caught my eye around the web this week, in my 2nd edition of Love These Links!, where I share clever, resourceful, thought provoking, and/or hilarious links that I think would be of interest to the fabulous readers who peruse Boston Mamas. Enjoy!
I used to have a love-hate relationship with laundry, but these days it’s all love thanks to
I’m always looking for ways to improve our green living practices, and was pleased to see Bon Appétit’s February 2009 feature on
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And now for our weekly dose of web highlights from some of our stylish blog partners: