It’s much harder to get things done these days. More often than not, I find myself one handed. My other arm is stuck in a new posture—curved and wrapped tightly around my growing belly. Ever since the kicks started, I havent been able to let go. Even as I type, my computer makes the tiniest of hops. She’s kicking it too.

Did you catch that? I just threw in a pronoun. We’re having a little girl! Yesterday morning we saw her on the big screen—hands in front of her face, wiggling around, opening her mouth, and holding her foot. It was completely magical, and she’s since stolen my every thought. Twenty more weeks until she’s in our arms, and I can’t wait to teach her how to cut butter into flour, roll the perfect pie crust, ball our favorite cookie, and stir the creamiest risotto.

I’m a thousand steps ahead of myself. For now, I should probably just focus on making sure she has a place to sleep when she arrives, and maybe share this creamy spring whole grain pea risotto recipe with you. First things first.

For the recipe, head over to Mint Design Blog.

Easter is coming. Another big meal around the dinner table with friends and family.

Chaos will ensue in the kitchen. There will be no time for homemade rolls. At least that’s what Mom says.

I beg to differ. There’s always time for homemade rolls. Especially now that the recipe can be prepared the day before.

With orange honey butter. Tell me there’s not time to make these.

Especially when they have the taste of an old favorite, Parker House Rolls, without all the rolling and folding.

You may want to make two batches of these. Just warning you. Leftover and warmed with a little butter and jam the next day makes breakfast a little brighter.

But I’ll let you decide what to stack in the middle of these. Do tell. Happy Easter and belated Passover, my friends!

I’m sharing this recipe over at Mint today. 

Looking for other easter ideas? Check out my carrot cake, green bean casserole, bird’s nest macaroons, balsamic vinaigrette, or yogurt mashed potato recipe.

PS—I recommend investing in SAF Active Yeast. It’s been nearly fool proof for me and doesn’t take activation to work, although I still allow it to proof sometimes to calm my nerves. Also, for more information on the different types of yeast and how they work, check out The Kitchn. 

For years, I’ve walked around with soggy french toast syndrome (SFTS). I thought it was me. I’m sure a good part of it was. But after I had my mother-in-law’s challah french toast and that italian style french toast from the cafe down the street, the light bulb went off. 

It’s all in the bread. And my sandwich loaf just wasn’t cutting it. Soaking up the egg mixture like a sponge. And ending up on the breakfast plate still a sponge. Eww. If you also suffer from SFTS, join with me in trying a crusty loaf of bread next time you make french toast. It’s the only cure out there.

I’m sharing my new and improved recipe over at Mint today. 

I don’t know much about football although I grew up in a football watching family. But I do know that the Super Bowl is always the first weekend in February. Right? And that food, lots of food is consumed. And maybe beer too although I never jumped on that bandwagon. I’m a wine girl. A cheap wine girl. Sorry Dad.   

I also know that my mom may make the best Seven Layer Dip this side of the Mississippi. And since she lives on the other side of the Mississippi from me, I think that means we have the continent covered. I’m being overdramatic. I know. But believe me when I tell you her secret ingredient will blow your football-watching, chip-dipping, crowd-cheering mind.

You’ll have to head over to Mint for the recipe. Taco seasoning is involved. Oops, there went the secret.

The turkey’s in the oven filled with cranberry walnut stuffing. I snuck in some kale. Shhh, don’t tell. The green bean casserole is prepped. Cranberries are crackling on the stove. The rolls are rising. And my dad is smoking the other turkey outside in the Texas snow. You read that right. Texas snow! It’s a Christmas miracle no doubt. 

I’m off to finish cooking and soak up as much time with my family as possible. And maybe make a cup or two of this homemade hot chocolate I’m sharing over at Mint today. I hope your day is merry, bright, and filled with food that makes your pants too tight. Just the way it’s supposed to be. Merry Christmas my friends!

PS—marshmallows highly recommended with this.

We made it to Maryland late last night after a 40 mile detour and 15 minutes of stopage time. Our GPS froze and a light went out on the back of our car. A nice cop let us know. Did I mention Starbucks closed 5 minutes before closing time. It was a long night. But at 2 am we pulled up to my grandmas house. She greeted us with curlers fresh out of her hair and a sandwich and cookies. I can only hope to be half the woman she is at 80.

I’m off to launch rockets, fix the internet, and create a Facebook profile for my grandma. I hope you all have a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving! If your find yourself with leftover turkey and cranberry sauce, I have the perfect recipe for you.

PS—I’m doing a “one-day cyber Monday” giveaway. Stay tuned.

Where do you find your worth? Last night thoughts of high school flooded my memory. With them came a slight pang in my stomach. I pictured my 16 year old self, wandering around, hoping someone would notice me. Really—hoping a cute boy would notice me. Awkwardness. Uncertainty. Ample mascara. And a spray of Gap’s perfume  Dream. Those were not the days.

And then sometimes I think I’m not so different from that 16 year old girl. There are days where I’m full of confidence. Invincible. Glass over-flowingly half full. And then there are days of wandering and wondering. Days of comparison. Days of stat checking. Thinking that somehow those numbers will make me a better person. Days of incessantly checking my email. Hoping one in there says I noticed you.

My site and email have been down some this week. And somewhere along the way my spirit went down with them. I think I lost myself for a second.

I used to be a soccer player. I quit playing my freshman year of college after a second knee surgery. And with it I lost part of my identity. I did some wandering and found myself again. I was, in fact, more than a soccer player. And for a brief moment this week, I found myself at the same crossroad. With my blog aside, who am I?

I have to remind myself that I’m more. More than a blog post. More than the number of Pinterest repins my recipe gets or doesn’t get. More than the number of Instagram and Twitter followers. More than that addicting real-time google analytics graph that’s running in the background of my computer screen.

I’ll wake up tomorrow. Put on ample mascara. And a spray of my grown-up scent knowing that some things never change. Knowing that there’s uncertainty and awkwardness ahead. But also knowing that I’m more. And in case you’re anything like me—please know—you’re more too. Don’t let a bar graph tell you otherwise.

PS—I’m posting over at Mint today. Head on over for the Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal recipe and check out her pretty new site. Drool worthy.

I don’t care much for baby carrots anymore. I ate them nearly every day at lunch for a solid year. Pretty sure it was the longest year of my life. Have you ever chewed one of those baby carrots? It takes about 5 minutes per carrot. And I always seemed to pack at least 10. That must equal about 4 whole carrots. Those little guys are deceptively dense and far more compact than any normal carrot. And their shape—it’s just a little too perfect. My hands used to turn orange during that time. It all makes sense now. I was eating wayyyy too many carrots.

After a two year hiatus, I started buying whole carrots, peeling them, and chopping to a normal width. I like carrots again. I eat them with my lunch, and it only takes me 5 minutes total. I’m not sure why I’m telling you this. Maybe it’s for the person forcing themselves to eat dense carrots. Be set free! Or maybe I’ve been writing far too much over the last couple of days to have anything substantial to say.

To hear more about my #lunchproblems, check out my post over at Mint today. It comes with a solution—a Turkey Balsamic Wrap recipe.

Site update: The Fauxmartha is getting a facelift and switching platforms. If you are currently an email subscriber, I’m taking you with me. You’ll continue to receive email notifications when a new post goes live. But, if you are a wordpress.com subscriber, I’ll lose you. I would love to take you with me, so be sure to sign up to receive email notification before October 10.