Velvety Chocolate Cake on one of my favorite depression glass plates

We’re on vacation at my husband’s family cottage in New Hampshire on Lake Winnipesaukee. (I can finally spell that without having to look it up.) The amenities are basic, the cottage is shared with a number of family members and is only used during the summertime. The mixing options are an ancient Waring blender with a glass carafe and hard plastic lid that doesn’t seal (I LOVE this blender on an aesthetic level, but it’s not the most effective appliance I’ve ever used), and a hand mixer. Never to shy away from a challenge, I wanted a new treat that I could eat without paying for with my health. It’s nice to have time to tinker in the kitchen.
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I wrote this article a few years back, and posted it on the old blog. It’s timely! So many of us are traveling sometime over the summer. Here it is, edited and updated. Enjoy.

The posy my youngest picked for his teacher on the last day of school.

Some helpful hints on traveling with diets outside the cultural norm. A little planning can go a LONG way.

Here are some things that work for my family when we’re on the go.
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Freshly harvested nettles – three bags full.

It’s been a long time since I posted – time to get back on the horse. In the interest of keeping it simple and therefore possible, this is just an announcement and some pretty pictures. More articles will be coming, as I can. Step by step, my energy is returning, matching the return of the light. And the flowers! The greenery!

Life is good.

And, the potlucks have been growing in so many ways – more regular potluckers, more fun, great conversations, and my older boy is even doing a little child care to keep the younglings occupied. I surprise myself by having a better time every month!
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My mother passed away on August 23rd. I know some of you may be wondering. I’m slowly coming out of a fog of grief and exhaustion. I know I’ll be writing more soon, but all I can seem to muster so far is a recipe. I’m so grateful for cooking, it’s very healing.

I’ve been trying to figure out a clever name for this, but “Caulummus”, or “Humiflower” don’t quite work for me. Actually, “Hummiflower” is kinda cute, but I don’t think anyone would know what I mean.

Kalamata-cauliflower hummus with garden picked tomato and lemon cucumbers

As I was scrolling posts on Facebook a few weeks ago, my heart broke. A friend shared the new method she’d been using to get her child to sleep on her own. It was a pretty standard sleep-training method: leave the child alone for gradually longer periods of time, periodic reassuring, tolerate the whining or crying a bit….

But it generated an extremely polarized conversation. In the one camp, “kids need to be trained to be independent,” and the other, “kids need to sleep with their parents as long as they exhibit the need; they will learn to be independent by having their needs met.”
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A shorter version of this article was published in my kids’ school newsletter. Here it is in it’s full gory glory.

The cry is nearly universal. “What can I send with my child for lunch that is healthy, but won’t be ignored or dumped in the trash?”

Add on top of that, “And is free of (some combination of) gluten, dairy, soy, egg, corn, grains, sugar, nuts, …”

It’s enough to drive a mama/papa mad.

As a mama of two boys who between them avoid gluten, dairy, grains, sugar (honey excepted), artificial additives, and salicylates (say that ten times fast!), I’ve been mad. In all senses of the word.

Then I feel lucky. After all, they can still have eggs and nuts. And soy, if I liked (which I don’t).
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