Top

The Raw and The Cooked

Simple Meals + Honest Book Reviews + Practical Living

Episode 199: Children of the Book — A Memoir Full of the Bible, Motherhood & 92 Children’s Book Recommendations

📚 How This Book Landed in My Lap

This book, Children of the Book; a Memoir of Reading Together by Ilana Kurshan, came to me as a gift from my mother-in-law. She described it simply: a memoir of a woman in Jerusalem, raising five children, who loves reading aloud and recommends tons of books throughout her story. That was enough for me.

It arrived in the mail, and I’m actually so glad it was my own copy — because I promptly highlighted, marked up, scribbled in margins, and basically treated it like a personal workbook.

…

View the Post

Genesis 25:19 – 28:9 | Toldot | “Generations”

Chapter 25:19-25:34

Rebecca, like Sarah, is also infertile. Rebecca and Isaac cry out to God for twenty years before God hears them, and divinely intervenes. Rebeccas pregnancy is tumultuous, with twins wrestling inside her, and when she cries out about it 25:22 But the children struggled in her womb, and she said, ‘If so, why am I thus?’ And she went to inquire of the Lord, When Rebecca cries, “why am I even alive?” I feel that line land in my bones. Motherhood is so many of those moments — the long nights, the early mornings, the never ending whining, the bewildering phases (looking at you, 15-month-old, Sophia) — where we, too, cry out and ask the exact same question. At least I do.

…

View the Post

Episode 198: My Simple Laundry System for a Big Family

Laundry might not be the most glamorous topic 🧺— but it is one of those never-ending parts of running a family home. And the bigger the family, the bigger those piles seem to get.

I’m sharing the super simple laundry system that keeps things under control around here. No marathon laundry days, no mountain of clothes staring me down from the couch, and no spending hours each week sorting, folding, or playing catch-up.

…

View the Post

Quick Chickpea-Spinach-Curry Over Rice

This is one of those really flavorful meals that comes together very, very quickly with a handful of simple, fresh ingredients. I almost always have these ingredients on hand, I bet you do too, and tend to reserve for a weeknight that has gone off the rails. Like tonight, for example, with the sudden on-set of our 14 month olds HFMD. She’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine. It’s fine. [insert dog + house on fire meme]

…

View the Post

Banana-Nut-Chocolate Chip Muffins

Bananas are just one of those foods that if it’s not consumed within X days, it’s a lost cause, and unfortunately for me, the smell of overripe bananas makes me gag. However, super overripe bananas happen to make excellent muffins. So here’s a relatively quick and easy recipe for when you find yourself staring at a bunch of bananas with more brown than yellow, as I was this morning.

…

View the Post