Barely a month has passed since the birth of my firstborn, and already I have caught him staring in wide-eyed wonder at the television while I game. As a new parent, I have more questions than answers.

When’s the last time you walked the milk aisle at your local grocery store and looked? I mean really looked. Odds are, you’ll find just as many white liquids made from plants as you will from cows.

With a deliciously crisp exterior and tender bite, this oven roasted cauliflower will have everyone gladly eating their vegetables – and even asking for more. I’m not kidding you, from the pickiest of eaters, kids and adults alike.

For this year's Jewish Cultural Film Festival, one of the goals for organizers was to "try to not program a downer festival," said Neal Schindler, director of Spokane Area Jewish Family Services, which hosts the festival.

Even though my son Milo is attending school virtually and sporting a mask while playing hockey and just learned that his sister's graduation has been canceled, he has to be reminded that the pandemic rages on.

My son’s high school football season finally started last week – yes, that’s right, in February. COVID-19 has wrapped its annoying little spindle fingers over every part of this weirdest-of-all school years.

It took some time for author Sarah Gailey to earnestly put pen to paper, but Gailey's earliest memories were overflowing with story ideas. “I tossed around wanting to be a writer when I was a teenager," Gailey said.

As an avid vegetable gardener and a writer, my goal is to encourage everyone to grow a garden. Being able to grow at least some of your food is an important skill, and it’s not all that difficult. 

On Feb. 17, Nintendo hosted its first full-length “Nintendo Direct” in two years, and fans of first-party titles were left largely disappointed. There were no details regarding the next “The Legend of Zelda” game.

I’m an eternal optimist despite being a lifelong journalist, and I am in a hopeful mood with the positive news that has recently seasoned Spokane’s culinary scene. It’s a baby step, but I am relieved that restaurants have been allowed to reopen at 25% capacity again.

This Friday, we’re going nuts – nuts over pistachios, that is, because Feb. 26 celebrates that vibrant green nut with National Pistachio Day. A member of the cashew and mango family, pistachios originated in Central Asia.

When Dori Hillestad Butler’s adult daughter visited for the first time after adopting a cat, it was obvious her childhood dog – who still lives with Butler – noticed there was a newcomer in the family.

According to the internet, a glutton for punishment is “someone who habitually takes on burdensome or unpleasant tasks” and is “a person who continues to do things whose consequences they find difficult or unpleasant.”

A new beginning: that’s what every gardener gets when a growing season starts. We have the opportunity to try new things, avoid repeating mistakes and the chance to share what we’ve learned – or harvested – with others.

The first-person shooter has come a long way since its inception with the release of “Wolfenstein 3D” in 1992. The genre achieved mainstream success with 1993’s “Doom” to become a popular medium for telling bombastic stories.

Coming in hot – er, frozen – and ready to cure that case of the Mondays is National Margarita Day. Feb. 22 pays homage to that iconic tequila-based cocktail that has you answering one of life’s most difficult questions: Salt or no salt?

I always felt like Jack Kerouac every Presidents Day weekend since it meant that my boys and I would be on the road. One if not both of my sons would play in an ice hockey tournament, often in some far-flung city.

Happy Birthday, George: The official federal holiday is Washington's Birthday for our first president. After George Washington's death in 1799, people used his birthday – Feb. 22, 1732 – as a day of remembrance. It became a federal holiday in 1885. 

A little-known fact about me is that, in addition to being a connoisseur of grocery store-grade chocolate and an expert at wasting time online, I also fancy myself as a bit of an interior decorator.