To all the teachers and staff at the PJCC who have been with my family for the past 6 years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Today was my last time preparing food for the teacher’s luncheon at the preschool where Son and Daughters have all attended for the past 6 years. … Read more
For all the moms who try to do it all and more…without cracking. For KY and her encouraging words. The pressure for moms to be great reaches a feverish pitch at the end of the school year. With the “wrap up” activities surrounding graduations, promotions, yearbooks, end-of-year parties, boat cruises, end-of-year teacher’s presents and juggling … Read more
For my youngest fan, JK, I know that your dreams will come true! I hear it every so often. “I read your blog.” “I love your blog.” “I really love your stories.” It’s not every day, but it’s often enough that I feel reasonably reassured that out there, in the wide, wide world, I have … Read more
EDM – now we are even. One of the most amazing things about teaching is the mastery that comes from teaching that thing that you know. I’m a better writer now than I was 20 years ago, because I’ve been teaching writing for the past 20 years. I often think back to high school and … Read more
I know inwardly you’re groaning. AGAIN Joanne? MORE KALE AGAIN? What’s with the kale? Every week, the farmer’s in my neighborhood comes by and I go and buy armloads of fresh Tuscan kale. I bring it home and spend about an hour washing, drying and shredding the kale so that I can always have a … Read more
My readers will notice I did not post much in June. That’s because June turned out to be the craziest month of all time for me with a teaching schedule that went completely haywire, with multiple school districts with different calendars letting their students out at varying times, which affects me because suddenly half of … Read more
* Names have been changed to protect the student’s identity and she has granted me full permission to use her essays. The students who most benefit from writing their application essays are those who are willing to risk it all on paper. The ones who can stare into their past histories and convert them into … Read more
I’m not usually a fan at all of lemon in pasta. Countless of recipes have been tried where lemon is the star of the pasta dish or the chicken dish, and after trying the recipe, there was always what I felt was too much lemon. It was completely overpowering, and I would have to spend … Read more
Okay, friends. I know I haven’t shared a “baked dessert” recipe yet this year – and this is supposed to be “BAKING with Blondie” hah! But as much as I love a good dessert, I want to make sure you have options to choose from. After all, we make dinner every single night, and dessert … Read more
Number 1. I haven’t been posting for a while. But I am still here, I am still crazy about super sweet pastry and I’ve missed baking so much! You have NO idea how much. It has been nearly half a year since I’ve started this blog. And as a result I’ve become really addicted to … Read more