Shaina Olmanson's Blog, page 19

Apple Pie French Toast Bake for Holiday Travel Made Easy

A recipe for an apple pie spiced French toast casserole, baked in the oven. This is an easy do-ahead breakfast that makes it a wonderful choice for Christmas morning or any busy day during the holiday season, and a fun Thermos Food Jar giveaway.




Christmas morning.


Dawn arrives, its first rays of light glinting through the cracks in the blinds, peeking through from the living room where the tree sits, lights left on for the whole of the night, twinkling as the blackness of light gives way to th...

Sage Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Rice

Sweet potatoes roasted with fresh sage and garlic and tossed with black rice for a comforting winter side dish recipe.




My husband and I don’t dumb down our use of language for our children. Instead, we tell them like it is, explaining fully that the little openings in the car seats where the buckles poke through lead to the great abyss from which fallen LEGOS may never return, and then giving a lesson on what the word “abyss” means to a four-year-old. Scientific terminology and processes are...

A Caffeinated Giveaway to Survive the Holidays

I’m giving away a Folgers Gourmet Selections Coffee Sampler Pack to get you through the next month of holiday madness that includes a Keurig Brewer, a Black and Decker Coffee Maker, and a selection of coffee for both.



I’m the sole coffee drinker in my family. Occasionally my baby brother, whom I have done everything in my power to lead to the dark side whenever possible, will indulge and consume the thick black substance that accompanies me at my desk daily. However, I grew up in a coffee-free...

Roasted Beet and Lacinato Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted chioggia beets top this raw lacinato kale salad, dressed with a roasted lemon vinaigrette and dotted with soft bits of creamy goat cheese. A recipe worthy of the Thanksgiving dinner table or to spoil yourself with for lunch.






Thanksgiving comes but once a year. Actually, our family is giving thanks three times this year with three separate dinners. We started back in October, gathering at Ole’s parents’ home, packed far too tightly with kids bumping into each other and the family split...

Rosemary Mint Shaving Cream: Homemade Gift Ideas

How to make homemade shaving cream with coconut oil and shea butter that smells of a delicious rosemary-mint pairing. Great for personalized Christmas gifts or just to pamper yourself.






Around the same time that I started washing my face daily with the Ginger Coconut Oil Body Scrub I had concocted in the kitchen, I also had the revelation that post body scrubbing, you could shave your legs without using shaving cream. Shaving cream and I are lifelong enemies. I have to buy some pretty expensiv...

When You’ve Gotta Gumbo: Smoked Sausage and Shrimp

A hearty, stick-to-your-ribs recipe for gumbo stew, packed full of smoked sausage, shrimp, okra, and served over rice.






There is something you should know about me. I am slowly going insane because I used “gotta” in the title above. Gotta is not an appropriate way to say anything, but “When You Have to Gumbo” is lacking the musical alliteration quality of the current title. Please overlook this grammatical foible as a form of creative license.


foi•ble, noun

: the part of a sword or foil blade be...

Guinness Poutine for the Soul

French fries and squeaky cheese curds get smothered in a dark Guinness Draught gravy for a poutine that would make any Québécois proud. I think.






Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating of curds and whey;

There came a big spider,

Who sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss Muffet away.


We replaced Miss Muffet’s whey with beer-spiked gravy and added a few french fries. It all works out.


I’m not sure why I’m writing this. Making poutine was Ole’s idea. Still, in marriage it’s strange how those posse...

Barbacoa Tacos and Bonus Chili

A smoked and slow roasted barbacoa recipe, Americanized only by the use of a smoker and a readily available chuck roast cut. A bonus chili recipe from the roasting sauce is included.






I’ve spoken before about how our family’s cooking activities have “ruined” certain convenience items for us. In many cases, the recipes or techniques that we’ve developed at home, while they may take more time, result in a product far superior than what is commercially available. Things like burgers, barbecue, pas...

Whole Foods Menu Challenge {$100 Gift Card Giveaway}

Proving you can make a weekly menu plan of 3 meals a day for $25/person at Whole Foods Market. Plus, enter to win a $100 gift card to take the challenge yourself.




I have a friend who jokingly calls Whole Foods the “Whole Paycheck.” I often agreed with her, not because I felt the prices were outrageous, but because when I’m at Whole Foods I’m often also seeking out specialty items that I can’t find in other places, so they naturally are going to cost more. So when they challenged me to do a wee...

Pomegranate and Lime Olive Oil Yogurt Cupcakes

A recipe for yogurt and olive oil cupcakes lightly flavored with lime and topped with brilliant pomegranate arils and buttercream or just a simple pomegranate honey syrup.






“Is anyone this girl’s mom?” the salesperson asked, staring around the shoe store. He was referring, of course, to my daughter, who at this moment was standing, hands on her hips, in front of a display of TOMS shoes, eying the ones that sparkled and shone.


On her head was a bright blue bomber hat to accent the brown puffy dow...