Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

Want to  foster a dog ? Tips at the end of this post. Remember the other day when I shared that I'm a  Bernadette Peters  fan? Meet our silly goofball, Bernadette. Three dogs?! To be fair, one is only a foster dog...except we love her so much that we're adopting her!  Top: Bernadette's fearful "Before" photo, taken at the shelter Bottom: Bernadette's cheerful "After" photo, taken the day we brought her home Bernadette, originally named Tulip, had arrived at the shelter as a stray. She was so fearful that I was not able to pet her even once during the two hours we spent in her large pen at the Bernalillo County, NM shelter.  Her ears were down and her tail was tucked between her legs. She was exhausted from pacing in circles nonstop. The shelter gave us handfuls of treats to offer, but even these weren't enough to coax her to come near. Sexy Nerd and I both wondered if fostering her was a mistake. So what changed our ...

I'll start this post with a confession: back when I was an evil little girl (muah ha ha - my evil laugh), I would: Set my alarm extra-early on Easter. Get into the Easter baskets, all alone. Break my little brother's chocolate Easter bunny, just to be a jerk. Move a few pieces of his candy into my basket. Put the baskets back like nothing happened. Go back to bed. That's right, Michael. You read that right.  Muah ha ha! One more quick thing. If you're having people over for Easter brunch and need a great recipe, make a Dutch Baby . It's the only time I recommend baby-eating. If you're looking for the cutest Easter craft ever , try these Peeps nests . And if my evil laugh really spoke to you, check out my delirious  murdered Peeps . So Eastery! Okay, on to the cute identity theft: Happy Easter!

I don't know about you, but with all the craziness in the world right now, I've been feeling pretty stressed. It would be great if my response to this was to go for a run or get some extra sleep, but instead I've been turning to unhealthy coping vices, like tubs of ice cream. (So many tubs!)  When a reader emailed to suggest a guest post about how to detox , it sounded like exactly what I need right now. How to Detox (Guest Article) Cleaning is an important aspect of my life, as I'm sure it is yours. I always believed that living in a clean environment greatly predetermines my optimal health. And by a clean environment, I mean a clean home to live in and a clean bed to sleep in, but much more than that I need a clean mind and body.  As a clean external environment is very rare to find nowadays, my internal cleansing has become an important part of my self-care routine as a proper support to my physical and mental health. My body is my temple. The...

You may have seen this post and wondered if I've started homeschooling our little  Olive . With everyone quarantined inside their home (you are staying home, right?), now is an opportunity to expand your mind.  This is a comprehensive list of Free Homeschool Resources for all ages, including adults - you're never too old to learn something new! Think of your time spent sheltered from COVID-19 as time spent transforming inside your cocoon.  When things return to normal (and they will) and you emerge back into daily life, you will be improved. Stay home. Let's all get through this together.  Free Homeschool Resources Whether you're homeschooling your child or yourself, there's a free resource available for any topic of interest. Bookmark this page - I'll be adding to the list as I discover new freebies. Instead of resorting to home remedies to fight COVID-19 (no, Emergen-C is not going to stop it and yes, I've actually read this on Facebook), e...

You've surely seen the coffee whipped cream , also known as dalgona coffee, that is trending. It is popular for whipping equal parts instant coffee, water, and sugar into a thick glob.  I love to use this to enhance desserts, topping ice creams, puddings, cakes, and more with a creamy jolt of coffee flavor. In addition to being tastier than plain ol' dairy whipped cream, this is convenient because the ingredients are shelf stable. Perhaps best of all, coffee whipped cream is fat free, so you can totally indulge in a 3rd parfait! Coffee Whipped Cream So, how do you make Dalgona coffee AKA coffee whipped cream? It couldn't be simpler. In a coffee mug, add equal parts instant coffee and sugar. Add a pinch of your desired seasoning. Pour in a small amount of very hot coffee*. (Example: If you used 1 Tbsp of instant coffee and 1 Tbsp of sugar, you will all 1 Tbsp of very hot coffee.) Whisk everything with the milk frother. It should come together in only about 1...

Despite our paid time off, SN and I always feel guilty taking a break from work to travel. We're clearly not the only ones - a recent study by the US Travel Association found that 55% of Americans did not use all of their vacation time in 2018. Busy professionals can find it hard to switch off. I know we struggle to reconcile leaving our responsibilities behind with the need for a bit of downtime. In competitive sectors, being out of the loop even for a few days can be tricky and even feel damaging to a career, particularly when you have an important role on your team. Making time for yourself is vital for everyone. Not only do you need to treat yourself from time to time, but having time to relax and not think about work can make you far more productive and efficient when you are back behind your desk. Time spent walking in the Adirondacks or cruising from San Diego gives you the mental space to think, about work, yes, but also about life and yourself. Vacation Planning Tip...