Starchy Side Dishes

I never liked rice as a kid. Weird, right? Rice is a pretty non-threatening food. And it’s not even green. Then, I went to Russia when I was 20 and ate rice there and LOVED it. I was trying to figure out why I liked it there, but not at home growing up. Then I …

I’m not sure why I didn’t try making coconut rice in the Instant Pot before. I’ve had my pantry stocked with coconut milk for over 10 years, and it was just in the last couple years that I’ve tinkered with making coconut rice. Making coconut rice in an Instant Pot is even better. I’m not sure …

Do you know what one of my proudest parenting achievements is to date?

I imagine most of us let our hair down last night and ate ourselves silly. We did. I saw red and white heart-shaped cheese ravioli at Costco last week, and it practically jumped into my cart.

Oh, wow. This salad probably doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? But calling it “Roasted Carrot And Chickpea Salad with Feta and Walnuts and All These Fresh Herbs and This Killer Vinaigrette Holy Cow It Rocked, and I Love Carla Hall” would be a cumbersome title, dontcha think?

Are all of your heads still swimming with pie hangover? I think that’s one thing I didn’t have enough of. Potatoes? I had plenty. We went to Idaho for Thanksgiving. I think it’s an unwritten Idaho law that a giant pile of (real) mashed potatoes be on every Thanksgiving table. Something like this….

The big day is almost here! What are your plans? Traveling? Hosting? Traveling so you don’t have to host?

I only have a few short weeks before I can no longer justify eating what I want, whenever I want. (Usually that doesn’t include quinoa salad.) Bummer. *Sigh* Given the choice, I may choose this particular quinoa salad over most of the indulging things I’ve been eating lately. This little one has wanted to nurse …