HEARTh & HOME

By Betsy Bruns To what degree will food shortages plague us in 2022? So far, I’ve not had any problems finding staples and am holding a vision of plenty of good food and health abundance in the coming year. Quinoa, beans, lentils, rice, oats, nutritional yeast, condiments, and spices have …

  By Betsy Bruns Refreshing Easter Traditions Easter gatherings in our family always included two things: ham and chicken liver pâté. It was tradition. Special care was taken to secure these delicacies in advance.  The Easter ham was ordered well before the holiday and the chicken liver was bought early, …

  By Betsy Bruns Spuds – The gift of the Irish As an Irish gal, I have consumed more than my fair share of potatoes. I love them boiled, baked, mashed, plain, or seasoned – and for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I’m clearly not alone in my appreciation for the …

  By Betsy Bruns February 1st, 2022, is the Chinese Lunar New Year (LNY) commencing The Year of The Tiger. It is said that Tiger years bring times of change, this year even more so because 2022 is a Water Tiger. Water is associated with sensitivity, creativity, and openness to …

  By Betsy Bruns It’s my “veganniversary” this month, and because going vegan is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life — for health and personal peace — I encourage you to give it a try. On January 1st, 2012, my husband and I were sipping coffee …

  By Betsy Bruns It’s the most wonderful time of the year for nibbling.  Whipping up favorite family recipes, creating new foodie traditions, noshing on coffee cakes and candy canes, baking cookies, and serving appetizers are popular pastimes of the holiday season. Food can be an expression of who we …

By Betsy Bruns Nearly a decade ago, a sweeping transformation happened in my life following a 30-Day gratitude challenge. During this time, I simply began each day by writing down five things for which I was grateful.   These things didn’t need to be extravagant, though sometimes they were. More often …

  By Betsy Bruns World Vegetarian day is October 1st, and so is my birthday.  Coincidence? Probably not. Is it possible we are born to be vegetarian? I’m convinced I was born this way because even as a small child, if I just started thinking about the animal who I …

By Betsy Bruns As summer is sunsetting, my husband and I are looking forward to squeezing in a bit more Lake Michigan beach time with loved ones. Moving away from family and friends in 2021 means that gatherings are less spontaneous and occur mostly on weekend visits. The memories we …

  By Betsy Bruns Have you ever heard of the song “Peaceful Easy Feeling” by the Eagles?  I had that feeling recently when eating green rice for breakfast while gazing at our French Bulldog Buddha statue. The bully Buddha is purposefully placed across from the kitchen table to remind me …