Many months ago, Laura, Rebecca and Christine, three busy friends with school aged children, found themselves at lunch. These involved, smart women, who had met when their children were toddlers, realized they needed to stay in touch as their children began going to different schools. While chit ...
Kitchen Chronicles
Save a Bundle–Make Your Own Granola
Suzy, Jackie and I are granola lovers. With a good quality granola averaging at least $4.99 a pound (Bare Naked brand) it's just too costly to buy the amount needed to feed our families. So, we regularly make it ourselves. The other day, Suzy and I set out to make granola together with what we ...
Cooking History
A few days ago, five of us gathered at my friend Amy's house to learn cake decorating from her father, Jack. Amy baked a big batch of cupcakes and we (and a pack of 11 kids hungry as wolves and very eager to ice, eat, ice, eat, repeat) stood around her kitchen table to learn. Jack grew up in the ...
Save money. Cook with a friend.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the news about escalating food prices and how it is taking its toll on our wallets and our lives. This disquieting topic has made headlines in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and even Good Morning America. So, how real is this unsettling trend? Personally, I’ve ...
Cooking Forecast
Despite the five day weather forecast, with lots of drizzle and limited sunshine, my cooking forecast for the week couldn’t be sunnier. I have plenty of scheduled cooking dates, a variety of different foods to make, an empty refrigerator just waiting to be filled and lots of friends back from Spring ...
Sit Down Together
On Monday, I became a soccer mom. In addition to music class for my 5-year-old, playgroup for my 2-year-old, a cooking date or two and a few other things, like most families, we have a lot going on this week. It's very easy to become the kind of family who cooks together but eats separately, the ...
Empty Kitchen
It’s Spring Break this week and for various reasons, my family stayed home. All of my primary cooking friends, however, are on vacation, a plane ride away. It’s a strange feeling not having a friend to cook with -- no friend to make a big batch of sauce or a week’s worth of granola. Fortunately for ...
Three Pots of Sauce
Evelyn suggested Kathy and I each bring over our own pot to her house, we'd put the three on the stovetop and make a huge batch of Basil-Marinara sauce over the course of a two-hour playdate. When you start cooking regularly with friends, things really do get easier. Kathy bought most of the ...
Making Macaroons
My friend Jackie and I got together the other day to make coconut macaroons for the Passover holiday. Having eaten (and enjoyed) the kind from the can for most of our lives, Jackie and I decided two years ago to make them together from scratch. And, I have to tell you, there’s nothing like ending a ...
Cooking for Your Lifestyle
Some people who read this blog might think Cooking With Friends is mostly for women, and even more specifically, for moms. That's what it is for us--Because Alison and I are moms of young kids, we make it fit our lifestyle--playgroups, solutions for hectic evenings, food fit for kids and adults. But ...