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  • Aug 28, 2022


The end of those warm Summer days is often nostalgic. Like waving farewell to those fleeting days of childhood. Carefree adventures of diving into ocean waves, sticky fingers from melting ice cream, bare feet running through the grass, or sun-kissed cheeks smooshed against the couch cushion while falling asleep well past bedtime in the clothes from the day. The golden days of life, when things are simple, sunny, and never short of memorable.


There’s a sudden urge to hold on to those moments just a little bit longer, which is met with a chilly breeze from the imminent season change. Each evening the sun sets a little earlier, calling in the bliss of childhood that much sooner each day, until suddenly, the evening is no longer an enchanted grove of chirping crickets, but a lulling cool bringing a hush over the land.


It’s a quiet shift into Autumn, undetectable until it’s already wrapped its sleepy stillness around the world. There is a moment, small, but a moment nonetheless, that holds both Summer and Autumn in its grasp. When the sun melts away the cold, and the cool brushes off the incessant heat and a spell is cast that captures that nostalgia as if frozen in time.


In that moment, the pulse of ocean waves beats against the rocky beach, the call of distant seagulls screaming in the wind, sundrops falling from heaven and melting onto sunburned cheeks, and the gentle breeze teases waving locks of hair. In that moment, Summer feels endless, preserved, and childhood takes its final dive into the depths of the sea, but only until next year when the splash of salt water once again awakens the soul of youthful good times.









Until next time,

The Maple Press
  • Jul 17, 2022



Thanks to the enchanting effect of social media and the tantalizing images of Italian cuisine, an unscratchable itch for travel was born. No thanks to a fixed income and well-kept budget, that travel bug was not going to become a reality during the present moment. Failed attempts were then made, to re-create that authentic signature taste of handmade pizza. What should have been the desired taste of flavorful sun-grown tomatoes paired with wood-fire cooked dough and melted mozzarella, turned into gas oven burned store-bought crust and canned pizza sauce that was not going to cut it. Something had to be done. One of two things needed to happen: either a change in financial circumstance, to allow for international travel, or being miraculously gifted with the pizza-making abilities of a fourth-generation Napolitano. Neither was going to take place, as harsh reality is most cruel.


As if by the grace of the gods, a stroll through the freezer section at the local Whole Foods presented a third and most needed solution to this trivial dilemma. Talia di Napoli. This was the resolution to all the obstacles. Authentic, fresh, and unequivocally exquisite pizza made in Naples, Italy, and enjoyed at home. No need to travel, and no need to learn the art of true Italian pizzaiolos. Talia di Napoli found a way (inspiration from the extraterrestrial, perhaps?) to freeze-dry their fresh pizza, known as being cryofrozen, then sustainably shipped to the United States for unfortunate American’s to enjoy.


It’s nothing like traditional American frozen pizza. The flavors marvelously wake from their frozen slumber as if they never left the bel paese (beautiful country). All the passion, heritage, tradition, and locally sourced, high-quality ingredients come together in a taste that transports. It really is what they call, “pizza with a passport”. While Southern Italy is still on the bucket list, and the travel bug still itches from time to time, this will certainly do until then.




Until next time,

The Maple Press
  • May 29, 2022


The school year has ended, which also means the end of home lunches sent to school. Each morning a quick moment was set aside to snap a photo of that day's lunch before it was hurried away to school. Some were shared in the weekly meal plans and some were created from what was on hand. Here is a lunchbox roundup of all the favorites this school year. Enjoy!



Peanut Butter + Jam Sandwich | Celery + Dip | Apple Slices | Cheesy Crackers | Granola Bar | Chocolate (the after-school report assured that every colorful sprinkle was still intact by lunchtime... SUCCESS!)



Bagel + Cream Cheese | Side Salad + Olive Oil Dressing | Yogurt + Jam | Cheesy Crackers | Granola Bar | Cookie


Antipasto Skewers + Pesto Sauce (Cheese on the side) | Carrots + Dip | Citrus | Chips | Chocolate Chunks * Meal Plan


Pasta + Cannellini Beans + Tomato Sauce | Side Salad + Olive Oil Dressing | Citrus Slices | Fruit Snacks * Meal Plan


Tuna Potato Salad | Coleslaw | Citrus Slices | Crackers | Cookie (the after-school report joyfully revealed that the Tuna Potato Salad was "sooooooooo good, mom!") * Meal Plan


Broccoli + Egg Fried Rice | Granola Bar | Yogurt + Jam | Citrus Slices. (the after-school report included a request for a second helping of the Broccoli + Egg Fried Rice... again, and again, and again!) * Meal Plan


Egg + Potato Salad (Cucumber on the side) | Crackers | Citrus Slices | Chocolate Chunks * Meal Plan


Peanut Butter + Jam Sandwich | Side Salad + Olive Oil Dressing | Sweet Peppers | Apple Slices | Watermelon


Thanks to PlanetBox, each lunch was a joy to create and a treat to use... seeing that each day the lunchbox was brought home with every tasty morsel eaten! It certainly helped that these lunches were made for a never-picky, first-grade foodie who prefers vegetables over grains most days of the week. Lunchtime will still be a wonderful part of the day during the Summer break from school, but there will always be a special kind of mealtime magic reserved for these home lunches sent to school. The idea that someday, the little hands that dive into this lunchbox won't be so little anymore, and that the owner of those squishy fingers will grow into a teenager who doesn't want mom to send them with lunch anymore, makes these moments all the more important. For now, it's worth every extra effort to thoughtfully make in those busy school day mornings.


Until next time,

The Maple Press

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