It’s been five years since I started this blog. Five years! And it’s been five years since I shared my story from Thanksgiving 2013 that recounted one of the more challenging episodes in my kitchen career. We don’t call our house Hectic Mansion without a really good reason. As I reread that blog post, I discovered all sorts of typos and poor writing…but rather than edit away … [Read more...]
Black Friday Cocoa Mix
Despite the fact that I'm not a fan of Black Friday, most of the Hectic Clan love it. Here in Kansas it's often cold...so leaving the house in the wee hours of the morning is a chilly adventure. Because I'm a great father and husband, I've developed a special cocoa mix so that my little darlings won't be so cold. With this in hand I don't feel nearly as guilty staying snug in … [Read more...]
🎄Prepping for the Holidays
The year is rapidly coming to a close. It’s kind of funny to say that, when barely 80% of the year has gone by…but there’s a feeling of urgency as we get to this time of year. Here in the US we celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s eve over the span of six weeks. I also have a birthday in the middle of that, so there are four big holidays that get crammed together in … [Read more...]
🎄Healthy Holiday Eating
So have you heard that the calories don’t count if you eat while standing up? Yeah, I wish… We’ve entered that time of year where holiday parties are common…and one of the primary things to do at these gatherings is to eat. Let’s face it, food is a great point of commonality. Uncle Fred might be a whacked-out political guy and Aunt Karen might be the worst gossip on the … [Read more...]
❓Comfort Foods
Along with the colder weather of late Fall, heading into Winter, come the doldrums. Sometimes they’re caused by the cloudy weather. Sometimes it’s the cold. Or the rain. And then there’s the whole “I’m not-quite-sick, but feeling icky” thing you get this time of year. Somehow summer allergies and colds don’t hold a candle to the crappy way I feel at times during this … [Read more...]