Thanksgiving Menu 2019

When I plan parties, especially big family dinners, I have a method. Step One: Focus Keeping the party focused helps to make everything flow most naturally. A central theme or specific inspiration helps with honing the focus in. For this year's meal, I was inspired by the multi-course Thanksgiving menu in the White House cookbook …

Bedtime: a family (ad)venture

As a mumma of four, I know bedtime. I know bedtime can be long. I know bedtime can be rough. I know bedtime can be challenging. There is a lot of tension and frustration wrapped up in all of our hearts at bedtime - grown ups as well as kids. Without good sleep, all humans …

Honoring the food of my readers: French Crêpes

Vive la France. Growing up in England, we could go to France fairly easily just across the channel. My first trip abroad was to France when I was just a tiny baby. I even learnt French in school and could still probably pick it back up if necessary. Lark's middle name is a French one …

When you’re thankful for Jesus

Happy Thanksgiving. For those of you not from America, today is supposedly a day dedicated to gratitude. I am not even going to attempt to touch on the dubious historic treatment regarding Native Americans. That could definitely be a post of its own. As with most celebrations, the primary focus has strayed and has become …

Leavenworth Christkindlmarkt

So, we did it. We almost put the trip off until next year so that we felt better prepared, but on Saturday we decided to just go for it and leave on Sunday for the day in Leavenworth to commemorate the trip that we had planned to take with my mum. Daddy Alsum was incredible. …

Pork chops with Apple and Quince sauce

If meat were to be considered seasonal, I would vote for pork as a great autumnal option. Of course, wild boar would be the "purer" version of that swiney meat, but I'll settle for a good ol' fashioned regular pig pork chop. We've been indulging ourselves with roast dinners most evenings lately. It has been …

When it rains, it pours

Our kids were dressed up head to toe in rain gear. Daddy Alsum was sweeping off and cleaning up outside in preparation for the storm that had already begun. Lark was slipping and sliding all over the soggy deck, while Hart was pretending to clear out the grooves between the planks with a screwdriver just …