I say Book Club, you say...

Care to join me for the Simple Living Book Club?

You don't have to do much, just grab a book and start reading. Then join us online Thursday mornings for Q&A, discussions and inspiration.

Spearheaded by Tsh of Simple Mom, we are starting Michael Pollan's 'In Defense of Food' on May 6 and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

This book is a must read if you love food and care about your health and the health of you family.

Pollan states that the more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to be. His manifesto, written as a journalist, talks about escaping from the Western diet and offers practical and applicable advice on how to make better food choices.


Head here to read Tsh's intro to the book and details on how to join the book club

Hope to see you there!

Talking Jam on SimpleMom

I haven't really been holding out on you, it's just that I completely forgot to mention that I wrote a Jam Making 101-type of post over at SimpleMom last week.

It's definitely the season for canning and preserving summer! If you're dragging your feet at getting started, this post will reassure you that's it's not so complicated after all. I discuss Ingredients, Tools & Equipment, and a Basic Method for making jam.

Here's a sample from the post:

"My first attempt at making jam was memorable, for all the right reasons. I was a newlywed, eager to wear the old-fashioned housewife hat, and making my own jam seemed like something I would enjoy, more so than, say sewing curtains or darning socks. I had my flat of strawberries and set to work in my tiny apartment kitchen...."
...read the rest of An Introduction to Making Jam on SimpleMom


All this jam talk reminds me...




....Have you submitted your jam recipe to my virtual swap yet?

Quite Possibly the Last Dessert Post You'll Bookmark this Summer

Writing over at Simple Mom yesterday, I shared my latest sweet tooth trend with Crisp or Crumble? Baked Summer Desserts Defined. There has been an absolute line-up of simple baked fresh fruit desserts coming out of my kitchen since early June and there is no sign of them easing up anytime soon. Thank goodness for that because I think that cobblers, cakes and crisps are about the best way to showcase summer's bounty with minimal effort.

So jump on over to read the post for yourself and be tempted by the dozen or so recipe links that I highly recommend.

It just may be the last sweet post you'll need to bookmark for the rest of the summer!

Happy Earth Day

Today I am over at SimpleMom talking about eating in season. Come find out why this is important and pick up two recipes for seasonal spring tarts!

While you are over there, be inspired to do your part for Earth Day by reading SimpleMom's 40 Ways To Go Greener At Home.

Happy Earth Day!

Today On Simple Mom: Cooking with Kids

Last month I joined Tsh at Simple Mom as her food columnist and just want to say again how thrilled I am to support this emerging influential blog. You an catch me over there today discoursing about Six Ways to Thrive In the Kitchen with the Kids!

If you've cooked at all with your little ones, you know that it's not always a picnic. I've given some tips on how to organize yourself and get the most out of cooking with your children while still maintaining your sanity.

See you over there!

Coming To You From....Simple Mom

Today you can find me over at Simple Mom writing about How To Cook Up A Winning Oscar Party!

I've recently joined the Simple Mom team of Columnists and will be contributing monthly to the popular life hack blog; I'll be discoursing about food, of course!

Simple Mom is one of the fastest growing blogs online right now and has recently been named one of the top 10 emerging influential blogs of 2008. It was also nominated for a 2009 Bloggie as "Best New Weblog", so our fingers are crossed!
Needless to say I was tickled pink when SM contacted me and offered me the food columnist position and didn't have think about my answer. (Although I did for 24 hours, just to be sure it was really happening and not a mistake.)

So, lucky for you, if I'm not posting enough around here, you can get more of the same from another source! Simple Mom will rock your socks, so be sure to check out her site. I'm continually floored by how she is perpetually on the ball in every aspect of home management.

If you are a first time visitor joining us from Simple Mom, Welcome to Under the High Chair!
You can read here about who we are. Oh and this site tends to make people hungry so you might want to fix yourself a snack.

More updates anyone? Follow me on Twitter for the good, the bad and the everyday under the high chair.