Welcome to Laughing Lemon Pie, a resource for the family foodie.

The idea for this website came about in 2011 when I left my full-time job to be a full-time mom (and a part-time freelance writer).  When I got pregnant, I gave up alcohol, soft cheeses, and sushi—not to mention a salary, free time, and the capacity to cook without someone needing my attention half way through a recipe.  I had a beautiful baby girl, whom I adore completely, but there was a part of me that missed the dinners out, meeting friends for happy hour cocktails, and cooking the beautiful, elaborate meals I used to enjoy preparing.  Heck, I missed being able to get through the grocery store or a meal without someone having a meltdown (usually me).

But then I realized: there’s no reason I can’t be a foodie and a mommy.

Becoming a mom does not automatically doom me to Chuck E. Cheeze, meatloaf Mondays, and mom jeans.

I can have my local, organic, heirloom kale and get my family to eat it, too.

And it also doesn’t mean that my precious baby girl will never taste refined sugar or allow a Cheeto to pass her perfect rosy lips.  It’s all about balance, and I decided it was important to me not only to find that balance for myself, but to help other people find it as well.

Laughing Lemon Pie is a tribute to the family foodie.  It’s about bringing beautiful, healthy, delicious food to the family dinner table, while remembering that we live in the real world of working late, tight budgets, and weeknight soccer practice.  It’s about supporting local, organic, artisan, heirloom and family-owned while remembering that we’re all pinching pennies these days.

Laughing Lemon Pie is about real food and remembering our roots.  It’s about getting back to basics and remembering the skills that our mothers and grandmothers relied on so that we don’t have to rely on the chemical companies and food scientists pushing “food-like substances” to us and our kids. It’s about showing our children the joy of real foods and a family dinner time.  It’s about finding balance.

A word about me:

I don’t live in New York or LA.

I don’t shop exclusively at Whole Foods Market, but neither do I shop at Wal-Mart.

I am not a chef or a recipe developer or a cookbook author (yet!).

What I am is a writer, a wife, and a mom who just loves food.

And I want to help you remember that you can love food, too.

~*~

I can’t say enough thanks to the people who helped make this site possible.  First and foremost, thank you to Dani Gudowski who designed the logo and the beautiful theme for this page. This page would definitely not look so gorgeous and professional without her involvement.

Thank you also to Grace Boyle, Jess O’Toole and Wendy Petty, the stellar bloggesses who agreed to write essays for my ebook and lend their knowledge and words to this project.  It means the world to me, ladies!

And I would also like to thank Jennifer Smith-Daigle, Joshua McNeese and Barb Kiebel for their advice and assistance as I was getting this project going.  You guys are amazing friends!