Bedford Balabusta

A Garden Tea Party in Celebration of Friendship (Menu and Tips Included!)

One of the greatest joys of my thirties has been the new friendships that come along with being a mom. There is something so special about the bond formed over shared parenting and life experiences. I’ve been lucky to meet some amazing women over the years in Brooklyn who happen to have kids around the…

Tips and recipes for when all your 4 year old wants to do is cook HERSELF

I love that my four year old has recently discovered cooking and baking. It’s surprising to no one that her recent interest doesn’t just mean helping me prep meals but making her very OWN creations by HERSELF (all from scratch). I am trying hard to embrace her enthusiasm and view it as an opportunity to…

Makings of a perfect weekend getaway

We only had a couple of nights for a weekend getaway (sans kids) and wanted the flexibility of driving, so picked a location neither of us had been to within four hours of NYC in the Berkshires. Close friends of ours had recently visited Tourists and I was intrigued by the story of how Wilco’s…

A ‘Sip and See’ reminds me why the chance to see, even in short fleeting moments, matters.

I just returned from a very brief overnight trip to Minneapolis where I flew in with my sister to surprise our brother and sister-in-law for our new niece, Maeve’s ‘Sip and See’. My sister-in-law grew up in Minneapolis and her mom’s close friends started this wonderful tradition of hosting Sip and Sees for their children’s…

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Cashewgurt

Keeping a “Kosher style” home, I have to avoid recipes that call for any kind of meat combined with a dairy based sauce. A recipe for Lamb Meatballs recently caught my eye that involved a yogurt sauce and instead of skipping it all together, I decided to replace the regular yogurt with nondairy cashewgurt. My go…

Why Everyone Needs a Book Club

I had the pleasure of hosting my bookclub this past week. Playing host to this group of women is not a role I take lightly and hence revel in the opportunity to plan, cook and dote on my friends when it’s my turn to host. Let me be very clear though that hosting is just…

Creamy Red Lentil Soup and the case for an immersion blender

My Sunday meal prep all through the winter involves making a big batch of something delicious that the whole family will eat that can be reheated for lunch or dinner throughout the week. My kids recently discovered lentil soup and to my delight can’t seem to get enough. I have adapted several recipes and settled…

Easy Provencal Lamb: Two Meals in One

My all-time favorite leg of lamb recipe is Ina Garten’s Easy Provencal Lamb. I go back to this recipe often, it’s one of those dishes that takes about 15 minutes to prep and once it’s in the oven is completely hands off. It’s elegant enough for a dinner party and easy enough for family dinner. If…

New Traditions: A Blended Family Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Growing up my family would travel from Chicago to Tucson where my Dad’s extended family gathered around my Great Aunt Liz’s home to spend the holiday. I have such vivid memories of pulling through her gravel driveway once we arrived and walking straight through her back…

Best Darn Birthday Cake

Birthday cakes have always been a homemade affair in my family. My grandma was famous for her chocolate fudge brownie cake, my mom was known for her ice cream cakes and I’m proud to say, I can finally stake claim to my own favorite birthday cake: The Best Ever Banana Cake! My daughter turns 7…

Bedford Balabusta

Two Weeks in Italy with Two Tweens and a Toddler

Why Friendsgiving might be my favorite new tradition

This New Year – Remembering we are all refugees

Summer in a Bowl of Salad

A Tale of Two Briskets

Barcelona with two Tweens and a Toddler