close button
katy rexing white icon

GET IN TOUCH

Contact

SUBSCRIBE

Get on the list and let’s become friends. Join our community of like minded women, and get all my latest recipes, finds and personal stories. I’m so happy you’re here.

Thank you for subscribing!

Main Dish

Sweet potato pad thai

Ok, so I have to admit, I kind of hated the whole “spiralized veggie” thing. I’m sort of a traditionalist at heart (plus I hate extra kitchen gadgets). If it can’t be done with a chef’s knife, I don’t like it. So I was NOT going to be buying a “spiralizer” (or an Instapot) any time soon.

But when I was at whole foods last week I spotted all of these spiralized veggies and decided it was time I put my disdain for trends to the side and give these veggies a chance. Besides, it wasn’t the sweet potatoes fault they got a perm.  In my cart they went. Now I was committed. Off to make THE BEST spiralized veggies ever (or at least the best in my house 😉

For starters, I had no idea how to cook these poor things. Do you boil them? Bake them? Turns our a saute pan and a little olive oil work great.  And even better when you add in a ton of fresh veggies and big bold flavors.  I’m kind of getting the craze now.

 Read More

Motherhood

A letter to my son

10 years ago, today, I was standing in the kitchen of our Chicago apartment, polishing off a PB&J counting down the hours until I could meet you. The date had been planned for months.  We were being induced, so I felt as though I had some sense of control over when you’d arrive.  I had everything ready.  Your cloth diapers had been folded and refolded, every crevice of your rocking chair tested so I knew the perfect spots for cuddling, and your white onesies all ironed and hanging in your closet (for the first and last time).   I was as ready as I could be, which turns out was completely not ready.

Nothing I could have done in those months leading up to your arrival would have prepared me for these past 10 years.  In fact, I still feel that same way now.  Nothing has prepared me for this new chapter with you now.  The one where you’re no longer my little baby, but rather one of my favorite people to sit and talk with.  A young man who I couldn’t be prouder to know, let alone call my son.

These past 10 years, so much of what I’ve come to know as a mother, I learned while raising you. “On the job training” I guess you could say.  Maybe that’s just the beauty and the curse of the first born.  You are my burnt pancake.  When they laid you in my arms, our very first day together, it was my first day as a mother. I had no idea what I was doing.  And as I tuck you in to bed tonight it marks my first day as a mother of a 10-year-old boy.   Still no idea what I’m doing, wondering if I’m getting any of it right. 

There are days that I’m less patient with you then I should be.  Days when after tucking in the other three kids, I feel exhausted as I climb your attic stairs wondering if you’re still awake.  Days I wish I could sit and play chess with you when you ask, or throw the football in the backyard (although you know I don’t have a chance at catching it).  Because I know those days will be gone before I’m ready, and I’m already wishing for more time.

I see you growing up.  Rushing out the car door barely needing a wave from me, let alone a good-bye hug or kiss (god forbid).  I see you standing with your friends at the bowling alley looking for their approval and acceptance, no longer needing mine, as I stand back at a distance just far enough to not be in your space.   And I realize that this is it.  These are the years with you, the little boy soon-to-be young man, that are going too fast.  And I worry, have I told you everything?  Have I taken the time to teach you what you need to know?  Have I done my job?  Am I guiding you down the right path?

 Read More

Drinks

Pomegranate & thyme vodka spritzer

This past weekend we had a few friends over to our house for a little holiday celebration and we had the best time.  I made a few yummy holiday cocktails, we ate pizza off of paper plates, and the kids ran around like wild animals.  It was perfect.  Messy, loud, warm and laid back.  My favorite kind of night.

I LOVE having people in our home.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.  But I can tell you that without a doubt entertaining in our current rental house has been challenging for me.  Mainly, because it’s pushed me to reassess how I entertain and why.

Since we’re living in a temporary rental (more on that another day), a lot of our furniture is still in storage, I have no idea where most of my serving pieces are, and let’s just say that things are a little……well, tight.  So having friends or family over doesn’t quite look the way it used to.  Think less fine china, more…..Chinet.

But as it turns out, none of that stuff really mattered.  My friends and family aren’t coming over to see how well decorated our living room is, or what Pinterest recipe I recreated.  They’re coming over to see US.  They’re coming over to share a part of our world, messy or beautiful, large or cramped.  They are just coming over to be with us.  It’s as simple as that.

I know at times we (including me) can get so caught up in wanting our homes to look a certain way, or to serve a meal that will knock everyone’s socks off.  And truth be told, there’s nothing wrong with that.  It’s ok to feel proud of your home, or wanting to create a special experience for your guests.  But the problem is when we ONLY show this side our world.

If we only open our hearts and our homes to people when our life is feeling “perfect”, then we’re only sharing a small part of who we are.

Real, authentic entertaining is about welcoming people into your WHOLE world, no matter what that looks like.

So for me this weekend, that meant welcoming my friends over to our little rental, where we let the kids run wild and we ate pizza off of paper plates.  We put on some great music (to drown out said wild animals ;), lit a few candles, and sat around laughing and enjoying a few cocktails together.

 Read More

Soup & Salad

Roasted cauliflower and chickpea soup

Winter has officially arrived here in Chicago, which means the only things on my menu these days are soups, stews, and maybe a few cookies (testing them out for santa of course ;).  This time of year always has me craving warm and cozy comfort food.  I want everything hot, in a bowl, and bonus points if I can eat it on my couch in my pajamas.

This silky roasted cauliflower and chickpea soup has to be one of my favorite “curl up and get cozy” kind of meals.

 Read More

Soup & Salad

Kale and brussel sprout salad

Lillian and I just returned home from a wonderful “girl’s night” in the city with my mom.  They both have birthdays that fall around Thanksgiving, so we planned a special day in the city, just the three of us, to celebrate.

It’s hard to get time away with just us “girls”.  With lots of other little ones at home, busy schedules, and a packed holiday schedule, finding time for just the three of us feels like such a treat.

We went into the city and had high tea at the Drake Hotel (which is beautifully decorated this time of year), swam in the hotel pool, and of course ordered room service for dinner in our robes (per Lillian’s request).   It was a magical 24 hours.

But now we’re back home and I’ve got one thing on my mind…..Thanksgiving! 

This year our little crew is staying local here in Chicago and going to my Aunt and Uncles for Thanksgiving dinner.  I’m in charge of bringing a salad, and I’m debating on whether or not I should bring this kale and brussel sprout salad.

It’s everything I love about a good salad; a ton of different textures (crunchy and creamy), flavors (sweet and salty) and the best part, it couldn’t be simpler put together.

 Read More

Side dish

Roasted delicata squash risotto

If you follow along with Grace in the Crumbs on Instagram, you may have read about my most recent trip to Whole Foods.  Not one of my better parenting moments.  I was headed to the store to get the ingredients for this roasted delicata squash risotto.  But as it turned out, I left with a lot more than just onions, rice and a few gourds.

I’m usually pretty good at keeping calm with my little ones.  After all, I’ve had almost ten years of practice, and this certainly wasn’t my first trip to the grocery store with kids.

In fact, I can remember when Frankie was just a newborn, and I had to run to the store with all four kids.  I’d put Frankie’s big bucket car seat in the back of the shopping cart, Sloan would ride in the front seat, and the other two would walk.  We could only buy as much as Asher and Lillian could carry, or that we could set on top of Frankie without squishing him 😉  Mom’s are the ultimate at making it work.  And you know what?  We did!  It was the ultimate game of Tetris (one that we crushed, of course ;).

So one would think that taking two toddlers to the store would feel like a piece of cake.  But I gotta tell you, it wasn’t.  And for no particular reason.  It was just a combination of lots of little things, and this momma snapped.

Sloan and Frankie were crying at my feet, refusing to ride in the cart, refusing to be held, refusing to be consoled.  And instead of making the smart decision to just leave the store – I pushed ahead, thinking that getting squash for my risotto was somehow more important then comforting my little guys.  In hindsight, I know I made the wrong choice in that moment.

Instead, I pushed our cart ahead, becoming increasingly frustrated with the kids and snapped at them in a way I don’t normally do.  And not just a little.  I lost it right there in the produce section, yelling at my two little peanuts.  By the time we left the store, we were all in tears.  And all for a few onions and delicata squash.

Later that afternoon, as I tucked my little guys in for a nap, I asked them both for forgiveness.  Of course their sweet little souls only needed a few cuddles and kisses to let the morning’s events go.  And as for me…well I did the same.  I let the mornings events go too.

I messed up.  I made a poor judgement call, was short tempered, and focused on the wrong priorities.  But I turned it around.  That’s the beauty of making mistakes.  We can fix them.  Luckily for me, it only took a few cuddles with my little guys to turn our day around.  But it was a good reminder to be gentle on myself.  To give myself forgiveness when I’m asking others to do the same.   True self forgiveness is one of the most freeing things we can do.

Ok, so back to the whole reason I was at the grocery store to begin with; this ridiculously delicious roasted delicata squash risotto.

 Read More

Wellness

My favorite clean beauty products

Being healthy and feeling good in my body is more than just being mindful of what I eat.  As conscious as I am with what I put in my body, I’m equally as mindful with what I put ON my body.  Trying my hardest to only use products that are free from artificial fragrances, dyes, parabens and other toxins.

It’s taken me a few years to come up with a clean beauty regimen that I really love.  Products that I feel GOOD about using, but that also work and leave my skin and body feeling its best.

I’ve put together a roundup of some of my favorite clean beauty products over the years.  This is by no means a complete comprehensive list of everything I use, just some of my favorites (and none of these products are sponsored).  Everything from the all natural deodorant I’ve just started using, to my home made body scrub that keeps my skin feeling silky soft.

 Read More

Breakfast

Whole wheat pumpkin pancakes

If you’ve been following along with us for a while, you know that we are crazy about pancakes in this house, especially these whole wheat pumpkin pancakes.  We can’t get enough.  We have them at least once a week, and it is by far my favorite morning.  And I’ll let you in on a little secret why….

When pancakes are being made, it almost always means that I’m in bed.

You see, pancakes are JonPaul’s thing.  It started a few years ago when all of our littles were still “itty-bitty”.  I was always so tired from usually being up during the night with one or two of them, and the long week.  So JonPaul would treat me every Saturday morning by rising early and making breakfast for the kids.  Which almost always meant pancakes.

Years later, he’s still up every Saturday morning in the kitchen, and I’m (still, years later) usually lounging in bed, doing a little yoga in my room, or honestly just taking a break.  It’s a pretty magical setup we’ve got going, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

So with all of these years of “pancake-making practice”, one would think that we’d have an array of pancakes recipes.  But truth be told, we always make the same buttermilk pancakes that JonPaul and I came up with a few years ago. Our kids are crazy about them (and we secretly are too) and let’s just say that our kids are NOT huge fans of change.

However, there is ONE small amendment that can be made to the “buttermilk only” stronghold our kids seem to have going – and that’s for these pumpkin pancakes.  We only make them for about a month or so out of the year, so they’re really like a holiday treat in our house.  And for good reason too – they are downright delicious!

 Read More

Side dish

Cauliflower gratin

The fall has to be my favorite season to be in the kitchen.  I don’t know if it’s because so many of my favorite foods are in season; squash, apples, pumpkin and of course cauliflower.  Or if it’s because my oven always seems to be on and something warm and delicious is on its way.  Either way, the fall seems to always have my oven working on overdrive.  Baking breads, muffins, lasagnas, roasting veggies, or one of my new favorites; making gratins.

 Read More

Sweet treats

Vegan chocolate chip pumpkin muffins

I’d like to think that for the most part JonPaul and I have a pretty good balance in our life.  Being present as parents with our little guys, making time for friends and family, and even making sure to carve out time for each other.  But this week, man, it was a doozy and our balance was really off.  A story I’m sure so many of you can relate to.

Nothing in particular that made our shift feel so tilted to one side – but rather a combination of so many little things.  Isn’t that always the case?  It’s never just “one” thing, but rather the combination of “everything”.  Kids that were sick, over scheduled, and tired –  and two parents who pretty much felt the same.

JonPaul and I actually had a trip planned to NYC for this weekend as well, that we ended up canceling because things just felt too overwhelming at home.  We love traveling together and it’s usually a priority we can work into our schedules.  But not this time.

We were both really disappointed having to cancel our trip.  I think it just felt symbolic though of the phase we’re in.  When our little people were younger it was somehow easier to make those trips happen.  But now as they’re getting older it feels harder to get away.  Like they almost need us more the older they get.  Either way, we needed to be home.  And I’m so glad we were.

I can’t say that this weekend was smooth, or relaxing, or the NYC weekend I had envisioned.  But I’m so glad we decided not to go.  Instead of strolling the big apple in what has to be my favorite New York season, I was able to be at lacrosse tournaments, soccer games and take little people to the doctors.  Tuck kids in, wipe noses, give hugs and just be “mom”. I even managed to sneak in a little baking and recipe testing…including these delicious vegan pumpkin muffins.

And although food may not be the cure to our currently over scheduled life, or help heal sick babies, theres is something deeply comforting about freshly baked muffins, the smell of homemade bread, or even having our family gathered around the table for dinner.  Food just makes everything….well, better.  Especially when it’s something as sweet, warm and cozy as these muffins.

So while I may not have been able to find the perfect balance for JonPaul and I this weekend, I did find what I consider to be a pretty darn perfect pumpkin muffin – and I’ll take the win.

 Read More