Walking into a new bakery in Everett, I looked at the baskets of bread and read over the menu chalkboard. Each day a different bread was featured and as I read down the list, my eye stopped at walnut bread...the bread for Friday.

I know I post fairly frequently about my love of Norway and almost all things Norwegian (still not a fan of lutefisk!), but I really do love many things Italian as well! I have to say I think I tasted and ate some of the best food of my life when I visited Italy with my friend Pam years ago.

Though the weather here definitely makes me feel Spring could be just around the corner, a delicious soup still sounds good on these cold, damp evenings. The rain was pouring down as I drove to a meeting at our church last night...and made me wish I had nice bowl of soup waiting for me at home.

Wasn't that crazy to wake up to see snow today? Big, huge flakes were falling here in Lake Stevens! Beautiful while it lasted...then the rains came. Perhaps Punxsutawney Phil, the famed groundhog, was right...six more weeks of winter!

One thing I love about eating something with corn in the middle of winter is that corn reminds me of summer! I love fresh corn on the cob. I look forward to the time when the freshly picked ears of corn appear at the fruit and vegetables stands late in the summer...which I admit feels a long time from now.

Is is just me, or does there seem to be more colds and flu going around than normal for this time of year? It seems like almost everyone I know is fighting a cold, just getting over a cold, or flat out in the middle of about a three week cold cycle. Uffda! Hope this all stops going around soon! 

Though I have been loving these cold, crisp days of winter, it seems like there are a lot of colds and sickness going around. Whenever I feel a cold coming on, one of my first thoughts is, "I'd better make a pot of chicken noodle soup." My mother, the RN, had a recurring mantra when we became ill as children, and even as adults...."force fluids". One of the best parts of chicken noodle soup is the broth, in my opinion.

Driving to an early morning meeting this morning, I glanced at the temperature Gage in my car and it said it was 17 degrees outside! Now, I know that is no big deal for folks in Alaska or the Midwest or the East Coast...but that's darn cold for us out here in the West. When the temperatures start to drop in the winter, my thoughts turn to comfort food like hearty soups.

Ever since my visit to Delancey, I've been wanting to experiment with recipes from A Homemade Life and Delancey. Remember I posted the recipe for Molly Wizenberg's meatloaf? So, our son's birthday was coming up and I knew he would want a chocolate cake...his favorite. 

I love comfort food...pure and simple! Perhaps this love comes from my Midwestern roots, I'm not sure, but give me a plate of meat and potatoes and I am a happy girl. Funny fact...when I was pregnant with our first son, that is exactly what I craved...meat and potatoes!

The thought of cooking dinner when the weather is unseasonably warm just does not excite me.  The past two days the temperatures have soared to the high 80's and even 90...almost unheard of for April in the Northwest. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining...I love it!

A birthday was coming up for a special young lady. Knowing she loves peanut butter and chocolate, I decided to make a chocolate cake with peanut butter butter cream icing. Having made one once before for a nurse friend at work, I knew that those flavors work wonderfully in a cake. After all, who does not love a Reese's Peanut Butter cup? 

When our sons were in grade school years ago, my husband and I would pick them up from school on wintry Friday afternoons and head for Stevens Pass Ski Resort. After a snack in the car on the drive up to the Pass, they would jump into a ski lesson at 5 o'clock or join their friends out on the slopes.

Last night was my turn to host Book Club at my house. A friend who lives up the street invited me to join this new Book club several months ago. As an added bonus, she invited us for dinner on her deck...hard to pass that up! Though most of the women were new to me, I'm always amazed by how quickly women can connect and open up, sharing stories of our lives, in a group that feels safe...and comfortable...with no need to impress.

As soon as the Fall season rolls around, I get the urge to make a good pot of soup. I love soup! I love having a container of homemade soup in the fridge in case one of my guys or a friend drops in for lunch, and it makes an ideal light supper, along with a tasty piece of bread.

Several years ago I was watching the cooking channel on TV and heard Paula Deen talking about easy, go to recipes....right up my alley! I love to bake, especially when the recipe is quick, easy to put together, and has ingredients that I usually have on hand. Of course, the most important thing is that it tastes delicious!

Growing up in Brasil, we always sang the traditional "Happy Birthday to you" song in English on our birthdays, followed by the Brasilian version in Portuguese, "Parabens A Voce." I'm not sure why, but even after we returned to live in the United States, my family continued this tradition of singing both songs (same tune, by the way!).

My mother grew up in Minnesota, the home of the "Hotdish," although folks from North Dakota might argue with me on that one. Mom was a wonderful cook and had a slew of recipes up her sleeve. Many of them were very healthy and nutritious, but once in a while, especially after she returned to work as an RN, even she resorted to the ease and versatility of a hotdish.

A friend of mine had a birthday this week. I thought and thought about what I should give her as a birthday gift. Running downstairs to my pantry closet for some almonds, I spied a jar of apricot jam she had given me. Knowing apricots are her favorite fruit, I had an inspiration! I remembered seeing a recipe made with apricot jam in one of my Norwegian cookbooks.

Meeting at my friend Becky's house to go for a run, I smelled this delicious aroma in her kitchen and was pretty sure I detected one of my all time favorite scents....can you guess? I'll give you a clue...her daughter was baking something in the oven. Does that help?