Magazine Articles

As I work to write this article, I am reflecting on how writing this column for ten years has flown by. January 2013, Foodie Forum debuted with a favorite pasta dish of mine called “Shrimp Vermicelli.” I have been humbled to hear kind words from our readers over the last decade. I am dedicating this month’s recipes to all the Courageous Women that I have been positively influenced by both in the kitchen and in life. My Paullina family has been making these two recipes since the ‘90s for our Christmas Eve celebration of the birth of Jesus. May you …

I am imperfect and vulnerable but I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging. –Brene Brown I am finally in a place where I can share some thoughts about my midlife shift. My friends, I reached a milestone birthday this past month. Well, it’s been a milestone year for a few years. I reflect on the past fifty years. The best, hardest, and most incredible thing I received was the opportunity to be a mother. I’d like to think I am always calm, cool, and collected. However, ask my children what it was like to have an Irish, …

Not everyone can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service… You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. –Martin Luther King, Jr. Ladies, mamas, my beautiful readers, we are all just trying to make it; the core of what really matters is that all of us are the same. Everyone wants to fulfill the highest expression of their selves. Whether a stay-at-home mom or a corporate executive, whether college educated or never finishing high school, we are all trying to make it. And none of us needs to …

There are so many recipes I have published over the years that fit into this edition’s theme "Fix It and Forget It." The first recipe of Foodie Forum was Shrimp Vermicelli, and I typically have a 9 x 12 pan of it in my freezer. I also published the spaghetti sauce my sister always made, and that can be found in a Ball jar in my freezer, as well. I seem to have determined what items freeze well to have on hand to make meal prep easier. For instance, I love to freeze ginger root, orange and lemon peel, cheese, …

As a little girl, I dreaded teachers, coaches, or camp counselors asking my peers and me to share “Fun Facts” as an icebreaker. My peers would share about vacations to Disney World, swimming with dolphins, or attending professional sporting events—all very “fun” facts. When it was my turn to share, I would freeze, then give my default answer: I have four brothers…no sisters. Numerous blank stares were often the response. Turns out the other third graders thought Disney world was more “fun.” Nevertheless, I continued sharing this fact—fun or not. Now, at 22 (somehow still finding myself in situations where …

I hope everyone is enjoying the Wisconsin warm weather months. For me, I love to be outdoors in nature, hiking and foraging. I have really enjoyed ramps and finding new ways to cook with them. I love making ramp compound butter. Ramp chowder is always a classic. I have included two recipes that utilize ramps. Please share your favorite foraging food on our Facebook page. ~Bon Apetit, Lanette BBQ Brisket Pizza INGREDIENTS 1 red onion, peeled and diced 1 pinch salt 3 jalapeños, seeded and diced 1 1/2 lb. to 2 pounds pizza dough 1/3 cup BBQ sauce 1-2 cups …

By Katie McKy When they’re strong, family ties bind us through the good times and bad, but they can be rigid and restrict our growth. An example is the mother who asserts that you’ll always be her baby, when you’re 30…and even 70. Worse, some parents treat you as if you’re still their baby, regardless of your achievements and stature. A sister can also lock you in the past, as she perpetually complains about what a brat you were when you were seven. Most friends, however, don’t remember when you were seven, and more importantly, they don’t treat you as …

The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because shit worked out. They got that way because shit went wrong, and they handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days, but they handled it. -Elizabeth Gilbert I am currently listening to the podcast We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle. This has been a season of Jen Theisen telling herself she can do hard things. I hear myself saying I can do hard things throughout the day. Some days, I am speaking in my head. On …

By Katie McKy Mother’s Day is coming and “World’s Best Mom” t-shirts and coffee mugs will sell well. Buying such a generic gift is quick and easy, but it won’t convey the depth of your gratitude. Now, unpacking your gratitude for your mom isn’t easy for several reasons. One: How do you truly thank someone for cleaning your bottom thousands of times? Then there are the long-forgotten minutiae of motherhood, like the countless times your mother wrestled your wriggling feet while she tried to adjust your socks so they were just so. Two: Revisiting all your mother did for you …

COMING HOME By Rosamunde Pilcher Book Review by Maureen Therou Don’t let the length of this novel scare you, if you pick it up to read; it is well worth the time spent. With our world in turmoil, it was wonderful for me to put myself in a very different world – an era when people took the time to spend with each other, when life was slower. The story takes place in Cornwall, England, pre- and post-WWII. It follows Judith Dunbar from the tender age of fourteen, when she attends boarding school, until adulthood. It was very interesting how …