A month or two ago, I had the pleasure of dining at the exclusive corporate headquarters of the Hearst publishing empire. It was a private dining room on the 44th floor, and a waiter brought in a giant golden thing as big as my daughter's head and put it on...

It took me 19 years to be able to properly eulogize my father, Robert Rodale. So it doesn't feel right to take only two weeks to try and write a proper memorial for my mother, Ardie Rodale, who passed away from cancer the week before Christmas. But I...

As many of you know, my mother passed away peacefully this morning. She courageously fought a battle with cancer for more than 20 years, and while she lost the battle for her life, she won the hearts and spirits of many people along the way. She died a good death--at...

I remember loving oyster stew since I was a small girl. Frankly, it's kind of like mother's milk from the Earth and Sea. I know that sounds weird, but that's how I felt about it today when I ate three bowls right before a long nap. I actually don't like...

Here's the sad truth: By the time you read this, I'm only just starting my holiday shopping. Most of it will be done online, with a few visits to my favorite local downtowns for some in-person holiday spirit. If you're in a similar boat, here is my top-10 list of...

Last week I wrote about why I believe magazines won't die. And it's still true. But ironically, writing that made me love the Internet even more. Here's why: Within minutes of posting, I had a nice email from the editor of Garden and Gun magazine. Then, four other blogs...

It's amazing what a good, quick soup you can make from stuff you might otherwise throw out, as I was reminded last night. You don't need meat. You don't need bouillon cubes or anything fake like that. All you need is an assortment of food and a pot. And it...

I spend more time than most thinking about whether or not magazines will live or die, since my family and I own a few of them. I've been to conferences about whether or not they will survive. I am barraged by consultants trying to convince me magazines are on the...

They called for three inches, but as I write this we're easily up to 5 inches and it's still snowing. Our driveway isn't plowed, but that's OK because we are in for the night, and I am so thankful for the grace of a good snowstorm.

In case you were...

As with last year's recommendations, this is not a scientific list by any means. But I've eaten at every one of these restaurants and highly recommend them all.

1. Proof on Main, Louisville, Kentucky. Who knew such excellence, delicious food, and astounding design could be found in the middle...

When I was a kid, codfish cakes were one of my favorite winter breakfasts. I think my mom got the fish from a can. She would slice them into 1-inch circles and fry them up, and I'd gobble them down with ketchup ... Heinz 57, of course.

You can eat...

I know it's after Thanksgiving, but it's never too late to be thankful. And 2009 feels like it's been a really, really hard year. Still, I'm wondering if I can come up with a list that we can all agree on ... because it feels like there has been so...

Well, I was going to write about making pumpkin pie today, but a few of my Facebook friends have asked that I share the recipe for Cowgirl Cornbread. (You can find pumpkin pie tips, and other easy pie recipes, on Rodale.com.) Lucia found the basis of this recipe...

I grew up with my mother's favorite stuffing, which is really "potato filling." I never really liked it, and much preferred my grandmother's Pepperidge Farm stuffing--even though she would put dried apricots in it. But I never liked either stuffing enough to bother getting the recipe. Then I met my...

Generally, there are three types of people: Those who won't eat cranberry sauce at all. Those who like it cooked and gelatinous. And those who prefer their sauce raw. I fall firmly into the raw camp. It is simply not a Thanksgiving meal without that tart, sweet, fresh, palate-cleansing, and...

As Barbara Kingsolver writes so charmingly in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, turkey farming is a brutal business -- unless you can find an organic, preferably small-farm, source. My mother raises turkeys every year on her farm, and the birds are surprisingly sociable, friendly, and enjoyable to watch. It almost makes me...

If you are not hosting everyone at your house, consider yourself lucky. You don't have to clean up the whole house, manage all the expectations, or think about whether or not everything can fit in your stove at the same time. I feel lucky this year because I am...

Actually, the season is almost over. That's why we have to enjoy every second left of apple season, and with it, apple cider both cold and hot. Here in Pennsylvania the leaves have already fallen, and the frost has killed off everything in the garden except for the kale, garlic,...

November is here, and the last farmer's market of the season in Emmaus is on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This week things are already winding down. The vendors are thinning out, and the crowds are filled with hard-core regulars rather than the summertime occasional shoppers.

In the few short years...

It occurs to me that I might have found the secret formula for getting kids to read. While the media and teachers complain that kids don't read anymore, I can't get my kids to stop. Even Lucia, who is too young to read, is a voracious reader. I jokingly yell...