Shaina Olmanson's Blog, page 6

Monday Musings: Feeding Kids Well and the DIY Bundle Flash Sale

A look at the struggle that is family dinner, introducing the FREE Healthy Kids Virtual Summit, and the Ultimate DIY Bundle Flash Sale all happening this week.

We sat around the table at dinner last night, a pot of minestra maritata and a pan of potato rolls between us. Sighs erupted from the smaller folk, as they usually do when it’s soup for dinner, and they were quickly silenced with a reminder that we do not complain about the food we are served, even if it’s not what we would prefer. Al...

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

An easy-to-follow recipe for bakery-style chocolate chip cookies: make them large, salt the tops, and bite into the crisped edges and chewy centers.




I remember sidling up to the counter, our cream-colored KitchenAid with its head angled towards the sky, my mom pulling the ice cream buckets of sugar and flour down off the top shelf of the cupboard. I can feel her hands under my armpits as she lifted me up and plopped me directly on the counter where I could peer into the bowl.

We told sto...

Blushing Collins {Blood Orange Cocktail}

A recipe for a blood orange twist on a traditional Tom Collins cocktail, made either with the traditional gin or with vodka, plus a bonus recipe for a non-alcoholic spritzer version.








We walked into the grocery store together, a mass of arms and legs of various heights clad in puffy winter coats. The weekly shopping is done on the weekend: four kids, two parents, and a bit of chaos in our wake. We pushed our too small cart through already cramped aisles that needed no help congesting, but we s...

Roasted Carrot, Parsnip, and Thyme Soup {Brown Eggs & Jam Jars Cookbook Giveaway}

Roasted carrots and parsnips join a load of fresh thyme and a hint of ginger in this smooth and creamy soup recipe. Enter to win a copy of Brown Eggs and Jam Jars below.






My children are sitting on the living room floor busying themselves with a circuit kit, setting it up to make lights turn on and fans blow. They are killing time as they wait for me to finish working so we can head into the kitchen together to make lunch and then bake for later.

My kitchen is small, the kind of small that make...

Italian Wedding Soup: Minestra Maritata (with Meatballs and Acini di Pepe)

A rich and flavorful broth, hearty meatballs, cooked greens, and tiny pasta are married together in this simplified recipe for minestra maritata, also known as Italian wedding soup.

You have to make it happen. – Denis Diderot

Some days it’s all I can do to survive, to get from daybreak to bedtime. I go through the motions, splitting myself into more than one person, cataloging the day’s activities and needs and lists and crossing things off one by one. Before I even dress, I’m up and cooking, a...

Skin Balm for Everything: Ultimate DIY eBook Bundle

How to make a healing and soothing skin balm/salve with coconut oil, olive oil, and lanolin. This makes a wonderful gift for someone you love or for yourself. Use after washing the dishes, to sooth cuts and scrapes, to soften dehydrated winter skin.








“Mom,” the voice carries into the kitchen as she walks through the doorway. She comes to me, hands on her cheeks, bits of pink flesh peeking through beneath soft knit mittens.

“It hurts.” Reluctantly she pulls her hands away to reveal painful kisse...

School Lunches Fall-to-Winter Edition: PlanetBox

A look at packing winter produce for school lunches, and a complete PlanetBox Rover system giveaway to make packing lunch in the new year a breeze.








I’m not going to lie, one of my favorite things about the winter break from school was not having to make four school lunches every day. Today I woke up and pulled all the containers from the cupboards and the lunch bags from the front closet, laying them across the kitchen counter as I had so many times before and thought about seasonal eating.

In...

Honey and Cider Roasted Cauliflower and Butternut Squash

Cider and honey are cooked together to create a sweet and seasonal glaze for roasted cauliflower and sweet butternut squash in this holiday-ready recipe.








It is the month of November, so I must roast vegetables. I’m not sure when this became a habit, something I put on as uncomplicated as pulling my sweater from the top shelf of the closet and slipping boots on my feet when the leaves change.

Sunday I tried to make room for groceries, shifting vegetables and fruit around in my 16 cubic feet of r...

Brandied Apple Strudel {Apfelstrudel}

A recipe for classic apfelstrudel (or apple strudel, if you like) with brandied caramel apples, golden raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon spice all topped off with a brandy-spiked glaze.








Yesterday we headed out as a family to the farmers market, which has become leaner and leaner in recent weeks, especially after our temperatures dropped below freezing. There are still root vegetables, a few heads of cauliflower, and plenty of winter squash and apples up for grabs. My kids ran through the empty ma...

Winter Squash Empanadas w/ Caramelized Shallots & Goat Cheese

A recipe for homemade winter squash empanadas with sweet caramelized shallots, goat cheese, and fresh sage.

Towards the end of summer, the asters that have been growing taller and taller, higher than high as they reach for the sunshine dwarfing the other garden flowers in the process, bloom. What looked like spindly weeds the last three weeks are now adorned with daisy-like purple flowers, turning their golden centers to the sun. Their deep purple petals mirror the spring irises that sit gree...