Posts by Maureen

About Maureen


Iwona’s Banana Bread

I’ve shared many banana bread recipes on this site, including Coconut Banana Bread, Zucchini Banana Bread, and Banana Bread French Toast. When I was growing up my mom often welcomed my siblings and I home from school with a warm loaf, so my affection for this most basic of quick breads must come from her. This […]


Forced From Home

This morning, after dropping the big kids off at school, the twins and I walked downtown. Clear blue skies. Birds still chirping. Passerbys sipping pumpkin spice lattes. That kind of gorgeous fall day when I recognize and feel grateful for living when and where I do. The feeling continued once we arrived at our destination: […]


Fall Ahead

This was the first official weekend of fall, and here in Chicago, the weather could not have been more glorious. Clear blue skies, warm sun, temperatures in the high 60s and 70s. Chris thought it would be a fine time to take the kids on our annual apple orchard outing to County Line Orchards, and […]


Avocado Matcha Smoothie

We go through a lot of avocados in our house. Like, three a day. It is one of the few veggies the twins will eat (they hate all fruit!), and Evie, Vivian and I could happily have avocado toast for breakfast every day. I love that something so creamy and fatty and delicious also happens […]


My Neighborhood

Last weekend, on a warm and sunny Saturday, three innocent people were shot in my Chicago neighborhood. In broad daylight. At a Peace Picnic with kids and families present. A fourth person was badly beaten. It was almost a mass shooting. To many outsiders, I’m sure our decision to remain in this neighborhood seems insane. […]


Thank You for Helping Me

Perhaps one of the greatest misconceptions of our time is that women can now, after thousands of years of toil and turmoil, “have it all.” For all the youngin’s out there, I have some breaking news: You cannot have it all. No one gets to have an amazingly fulfilling career while raising a family while […]


10! Laissez le Bon Temps Rouler!

Earlier this summer our first born turned 10. 10. A decade. To celebrate this special milestone Chris and I took her to New Orleans. Just the three of us. The original three, as we sometimes say when the other kids aren’t around. The hardest part of the trip? Finding childcare for Mack, Vivian, Ben, Elinor […]


Summer Herb Dip

Even though we live in the middle of a big city, I still like to daydream about gardening. I grew up on a small farm in the country (complete with horses, sheep, geese, dogs and too many cats), and I fondly remember my dad’s large vegetable garden. I learned as a young girl that vegetables […]


Thai Green Bean & Herb Salad

So, I’ve been MIA lately. Losers hacked my little blog and its been a slow recovery. I still have a lot of work to do to clean it up, but at least I’m able to post again! I’ve missed this hobby blog. Not only is it an easy way for me to document the comings & […]


Do Good Wednesday: Socks for the Homeless

This is the first in a new series called “Do Good Wednesday” where I’ll call attention to a cause we can all easily contribute towards. Doing good should happen all the time and it shouldn’t be hard. Do Good Wednesday will make it easy for you and your family to make the world a better […]


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