Author: Chris Xaver

My love affair with cookies began decades ago. Didn’t yours? There’s nothing like a warm cookie from the oven to say, “I love you.” And making them with kids is more than making a treat, it’s about making memories. It’s no surprise then the United States is the No. 1 nation of cookie eaters and bakers. However, it might surprise you to learn the famous “Toll House” cookie recipe was created by accident. The story goes that Ruth Wakefield, who owned the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass., used to serve her guests fresh cookies at the end of their…

Some of my earliest and favorite memories feature a dog. A BIG dog—a Great Dane named Lady. Other recollections are of being pulled around the yard by Smokey on a harness attached to a sled. The rumor was that Smokey was part wolf. I was just a kid. I have no idea. Of course, he looked like a wolf to me—he was most likely just a Husky mix of some type. But to us, he was a wolf and we made up stories about his exotic existence and how he landed in our yard. You see, all of our dogs…

If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! Well that’s the way it should be, at least on Mother’s Day. Twenty-four hours, or 1,440 minutes. That’s not too much to ask from a family, is it? For all that mothers do? If you’re reading this magazine, chances are you have young ones in your life in one way or another. And if you’re a mom, you might be that sandwich generation. Not that you need to make sandwiches — which I’m sure you are making plenty! The sandwich generation is sandwiched between their children and their parents. Perhaps you’re the daughter…

Parsnips are so sweet, in Roman times they were used as currency. And in Europe they were used as a sweetener before sugar cane came along and took their crown. I love researching a food: It gives me a whole new level of appreciation for it. Let me tell you first my history with them and then I’ll share what I’ve learned. My grandmother, who died decades ago, lived in a senior housing complex in California. As one of the few people there with a car, she was very popular, and she often received thank-you gifts for rides, such as…

Round and ripe, blueberries are a ubiquitous treat in July. I always smile when I see someone make  a flag cake for a Fourth of July celebration and use blueberries in the design. The sight of blueberries takes me to my childhood, to the garden of a neighbor. I would skip around the garden nibbling blueberries off the bushes in her garden. I cannot eat a plump blueberry without going back to that time and place. I hope all kids have a garden they can skip through in the summertime, with the sun warming their skin and a fresh fruit…

Nothing is more wonderful in the midst of winter than a pot of soup simmering on the stove. In fact, that might be the only part of winter I look forward to! OK, not quite, but close. A pot of soup certainly makes it inviting when you come in from the outside. The aromas invite you in. The moisture added to the house (when the constant heat on tends to dry things out) makes the house feel more comfortable. Imagine giving that gift to someone else. That’s right, with this soup in a jar recipe you can give the gift…

The first time I heard someone say they were “hangry” I was listening to NBC’s The Today Show, and Tamron Hall said she regularly gets hangry. I sat there thinking: You’re not alone! I’ve been hangry my whole life. When my blood sugar dips, I turn from sweet to sour in seconds! When our blood sugar dips, our body panics and begins frantically searching for nutrients. That’s when we feel “hangry”: hungry and angry. Short. Impatient. I have one thing on my agenda: getting food in my mouth quickly. At that moment I am not thinking about eating healthy, I’m…

How do those little loves of ours go from being such good eaters to picky picky picky? One day they’re eating practically anything we put in front of them and the next it’s “Ewww.” “Yuck.” Or, as my girlfriend’s daughter would say, “No thank you, that is just too yummy for me.” Meaning “I am politely telling you NO.” Kids’ tastes change over time. But they also pick up cues from those around them. They may like carrots just fine at home, but if their friends at school or daycare don’t, well, there must be something wrong with those orange…

Summertime, summertime! Oh, what a glorious summer we’re going to celebrate after this past winter. And I am lucky enough to live within spitting distance of an “on your honor” blueberry patch. This place is spectacular. I love to take the grandkids there, giving them each a milk jug with the top cut off for the berries. We eat as many as we pick—at least at first. Our tongues are blue, and we make a big contest out of how many each of us can pick. Of course, the littlest one tends to pick berries that are not quite ripe…

Despite what we’ve been led to believe for way too long, eggs, in my opinion, are Mother Nature’s most perfect food. And I try to incorporate them into my life daily. However, I have to say, the kids just don’t love having eggs for breakfast every day. And since I am not a big fan of dry cereal, we get creative at my house. If asked what they want for breakfast, without fail the kids all wail, “Pancakes!,” and it’s because of the “cake” part. Well, the cake doesn’t have to be forbidden, it just has to be reworked to…