I adore hors d’oeuvres -- the variety they offer (I love sampling a little bit of everything at a meal), the artfulness, the utter cuteness of food in miniature. And to make any occasion feel special without a huge amount of work, try these elegant little mini crab cakes from Bon Appétit. They are super easy to knock together, delicious, and feel oh so fancy. I made them for a dinner party last week and they were a big hit.
Image credit: Lisa Hubbard for Bon AppétitI adore hors d’oeuvres -- the variety they offer (I love sampling a little bit of everything at a meal), the artfulness, the utter cuteness of food in miniature. And to make any occasion feel special without a huge amount of work, try these elegant little mini crab cakes from Bon Appétit. They are super easy to knock together, delicious, and feel oh so fancy. I made them for a dinner party last week and they were a big hit.
Image credit: Lisa Hubbard for Bon Appétit
Today, Sarah shares a soup recipe to satisfy the whole family:
The eternal struggle to find a meal for dinner is one of the banes of the mom’s existence. For millennia, we’ve been combining this and substituting that to discover the holy grail of a single dish that will fill hungry bellies, fuel growing bodies, tempt picky taste buds, and soothe savage budgets, all while being prepared with a minimum of fuss, prep, and time. Oh, yeah, and the same goes for tomorrow. And the day after that.
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.
Today, Heather shares a fabulous idea that simplifies gift wrapping and makes the holidays accessible for pre-readers:
“I love Christmas and all that comes with it: the music, decorating, baking, shopping, and -- my favorite part -- watching the excitement and anticipation of my four children. The one thing I do not love is gift wrapping, possibly because I come from a family where gift wrapping is considered an art form. The busier my life gets, the more stressful I find this task. Though I love the look of artfully wrapped gifts, my practical side always wonders if it is worth spending so much time on gift wrap that will be ripped off in a few seconds.
I adore Gabrielle Blair; I first met her at the inaugural Disney mom bloggers mixer where we bonded over our shared passion for design, and I have since admired and enjoyed all of the artful ideas and stories she shares via her blog Design Mom, as well as the social media smartness that stems from her work as a co-founder of Kirtsy. Gabrielle projects such grace and generosity and kindness and creativity. And for the fifteenth installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, I’m thrilled to share Gabrielle’s three super fast, surefire ways to create instant holiday mojo at home.
My respect, admiration, and affection for Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of Cool Mom Picks is multidimensional. I met them for the first time in real life at BlogHer Chicago in July, but I have “e-known” them since the early CMP days, followed their hilarious personal blogs (Mom-101 and Motherhood Uncensored, respectively), and interfaced with Kristen through Parent Bloggers Network and also via Kristen motivating me to become one of the original wave of Shredheads. Liz and Kristen are such talented, generous, and funny women, and for the thirteenth installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, I’m thrilled to share their savvy shopping tips to help you survive the last minute holiday shopping crunch.
I feel as if I've known Kristin Brandt and Erin Kane of Manic Mommies forever; in reality, I’ve known Kristin since college (well, that kind of feels like forever ago…) and Erin since the Disney mom bloggers mixer. They both are smart, hilarious, and impressive in their juggling of work and home; whenever we meet up there's a lot of laughter and also serious parsing of all things social media and family life. For the twelfth installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, I’m thrilled to welcome Kristin; read on to learn about the important lesson she learned from her mom, plus a series of holiday tips that have served Kristin well as a full-time working mom.
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 PishPosh Quick Zip. These prettily patterned, washable organizers feature seven outer pockets and five inner pockets (two elasticized + one extra zippered pocket). Simply load up the pockets, zip the pouch, drop it in your handbag du jour (this obviously won’t fly for little purses, but will fit larger handbags and totes), and go. The Quick Zip will be a lifesaver whether it’s filled with baby’s diapering essentials, a mix of preschooler snacks + your personal effects, or -- once your kid is grown and toting his/her own stuff -- just your stuff; those pretty pockets will fit cell, camera, keys, cosmetics, snacks, and a fabulous novel just fine.
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 Wicked Tasty Harvest. For the eleventh installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, April shares a highly impacting way to simplify your holidays and beyond: by thinking about local foods and considering a CSA. Included is a primer on local foods and CSAs, as well as a fantastic guide to CSAs in the Boston area.
It's no secret that I’m a bit obsessed with kids wearing properly fitting, comfy shoes. And what I dig about Stride Rite is that though they are a household name, they continued to push the fit and comfort envelope; most recently through their Sensory Response Technology collection. The structural support, comfort, and flexibility are evident if you handle the shoe, but the hidden coolness is that these shoes feature a built in sensory feedback system in the sole to help kids feel the ground better, which helps reduce trips and falls. Also no small matter: these shoes are super cute (I especially love the hip styling for boys) and use eco-friendly materials.
I met Amie Adams of Mamma Loves… at the Brand About Town inaugural advisory board retreat in October, during which time I was struck not only by Amie's warmth, humor, and smarts, but by her photography skills. You could almost see the wheels turning when something would attract her eye and she’d pause briefly, capture the perfect image, then resume conversation. It seemed natural and effortless; clearly a part of her creative flow. So I’m thrilled that today, for the tenth installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, Amie shares easy and fabulous tips for capturing gorgeous photos this holiday season.
From our very first e-mail -- back when I was just starting out and she was very much established already -- Asha Dornfest of Parent Hacks has always amazed me with her warmth and openness. Asha is funny and smart and clever and I just adore her; I only regret that neither of our scheduled in real life event meet ups this year have worked out. The good news is that Asha is so effective at translating her warmth and smarts online, which is what makes Parent Hacks so great (and gives me my Asha fix in absentia). I’m thrilled that today, for the eighth installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, Asha shares her favorite holiday hacks; a useful mantra plus tips for maintaining your merry and bright this holiday season.
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, Make and Takes. And though Marie and my friendship is relatively new, her enthusiasm encouraged me to sign up with her and ten other bloggers for what no doubt will be a (somewhat insane) major bonding experience: a 200-mile relay run come spring (gulp). I’m thrilled that today, for the seventh installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, Marie shares easy yet engaging holiday crafts to enjoy with your kids.
I first connected with Michelle Stern of What's Cooking two years ago, when she approached me about contributing to Boston Mamas. Though Michelle is based on the West Coast, I adore her hands on approach to cooking with kids and we walk the same green path; the geographical disparity quickly became an afterthought. It was such a pleasure to finally meet Michelle this summer, when we happened to film our segments for The Juice back to back. Just as lovely in person as she is over e-mail, though Michelle is a regular contributor to this site, given that she is one of my favorite eco-foodies, I wanted to feature her in my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series. Today, Michelle shares a few simple yet meaningful ideas for mindful holidays gifts.
Though I’m not worried about aging per se, at some point during the last decade I started listening to my mother’s advice to stop sunning and start taking better care of my skin. I’ve heard a lot of people extol the virtues of Arbonne (including a few girlfriends with lovely, creamy skin...), but it wasn’t until late in the summer that I started using Arbonne FC5 products, thanks to Michelle Lenaghan. Read on for my thoughts about Arbonne’s FC5 facial care products, as well as for information on how to get free samples and a great shopping discount.
A few weeks ago I experienced a rather unusual night of party hopping that included seeing John Ondrasik (aka. Five for Fighting) live at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. In addition to being utterly moved by the musical experience itself, I also was touched by John’s clear love for his family (exemplified when he explained the inspiration for various songs). Thanks to the lovely Barbara Jones, I met John after the show, at which time he kindly offered to pen a guest blog post on Boston Mamas. In particular, I was curious about John’s best strategies for staying connected with his family while on the road; an issue I discuss with many parents who travel for work. Read on for John's advice on this topic:
I adore Melissa Massello, not only because she’s super creative and fun (plus, we share bonds over figure skating, fashion, shredding, and all things writerly), but because I’ve seen her jump from traditional employment to fulfilling her dream of launching the online magazine Shoestring Magazine, which focuses on tips for achieving the good life for less. As the first in my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, today Melissa shares a strategy for prioritizing and planning holiday gifting that can result in major bargains, meaningful finds, and less stress.
Davis Square’s bargain retail profile recently kicked it up a notch with the addition of Buffalo Exchange (on the same block as Poor Little Rich Girl and Good Will). Giving national chain a good name, Buffalo Exchange allows for direct sale or trade of used clothing and accessories, and carries both classic pieces (such as the J. Crew print dress I scored for $23.50...sweet!) and quirkier ones. The two-level store currently offers more goods for women (including rows upon rows of shoes downstairs), though there are some racks for men. Laurel loves treasure hunting with me in Davis; she only requests that this and other stores start carrying used kid’s clothing.
Buffalo Exchange, 238 Elm Street, Somerville; 617-629-5383