Speak Up

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Hefty Basics GIVEAWAY

Although you won't normally find paper plates in my cabinets, I've come to realize even PAPER plates can be green. These new Hefty Basics are biodegradable, in-home compost friendly, and free of inks, dyes, or coatings. They even come with box top points for those with little ones at home. Hefty Basics paper plates sent me some samples and I've got FREE plates for THREE lucky readers. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email answering the following question:

Other than paper plates, what other household item would you love to turn disposable and biodegradable?

As for me, I wish baby bottles were biodegradable, they are such pain to wash!

I'll choose a winner randomly on Friday the 4th.

Good luck!

Food is Love,
Hilary

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Salt Fire

On Christmas day my sister made her 'famous' cobbler. She didn't have the one my grandmother gave her so she used one she found on the internet. Whoops. She it started to overflow and drip down into the bottom of my mom's new oven. And then it caught on fire. Well, luckily for us Erik was home in Ohio with me and he rushed over to save the day. As he's asking my mom for some salt to throw on it, she screams, "I have kosher and rock".

Really mom? I guess sometimes even a fire needs just the right ingredients.

Food is Love,
Hilary

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Just What the Doctor Ordered

A New York Chef Girlfriend emailed me this week asking about the health of the men who feed us. In my mind I don't pictures chefs being in tip top shape. How can they? They haven't got time to exercise. They eat an outrageous amount of butter just in the thousands of tasting spoons they pop in their mouths each day. They work 12 hour shifts on 5 hours of sleep. They consume late night fattening meals and drink like fish. Glamorous right?

These guys are overweight and underpaid. I've even learned of a very young, 29 year old chef who has type II diabetes. This is getting serious.

So is this a problem among chefs or just a problem among Americans? Is the industry taking a toll on the health of the chefs at the center of it?

Food is Love,
Hilary

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year, Now Let's Get Busy!

Hi Ladies! It's 1/1/11 and a new year has begun. Thousands of kisses were shared in Times Square, champagne glasses have been emptied, and our resolutions have been made. so now let's get down to business! I was sent an email today from a chef wife in need of some advice and comforting and I know you all are just terrific at creating a supportive environment.


Let's talk about sex, baby.  Well, at least the most PG rated conversations you can water down so that we can help each other while still maintaining a professional atmosphere here. Save the details and verbal images for another time, please.

Our friend writes:
I have been dealing lately with my husband having no interest in sex. As it is finding time for Sex is nearly impossible, due to his 15 plus hour work days, but we also have a child. He walks in the door around 2:00-4:00am and of course he and I are both too tired to put out. Then on his two days off we have a 3 year old around, so the few opportunities we have to have sex now he is too tired or would rather sit on the couch and watch TV. I am the sole initiator and then he just goes through the motions. There is no passion anymore. I haven't let myself go, I still look hot and make sure to shower everynight before getting in bed, you know just incase. I tell myself that he is so stressed from work he can't perform and his libido is low, but I can't help sometimes thinking that he is getting sex somewhere else. Like at 1:00am with a hostess, waitress or food runner. I would like to know what other Chef wives sex lives are like. Especially those with kids.


I know I can't be the only one facing this problem right now.


What do you think? Is this something that eventually happens in marriage, especially POST baby? Is it a chef thing? A husband thing? A wife thing? How can the spark be kindled once again if both husband and wife are exhausted and stressed? And how should these topics be brought to the attention of our spouses? After all this isn't really easy to talk about.

By the way, something really interesting I read in this wife's email:" I divorce my husband daily in my head and then I read some posts on your site and feel better." First of all, THANK YOU. I'm honored to be helpful! A second, I really like the idea of a mental divorce. I guess I've done it before, but never really put it into those words. Clever.

Food is Love,
Hilary