Dessert

Last Thanksgiving, I didn’t cook one dish. I was in bed, resting and recovering after having Q, only meandering out of bed to eat the beautiful multicourse meal E cooked all by himself for our parents and I. Q lounged in her little Baby Bjorn rocker while we sat around the table, too little to […]

A reflection on holiday traditions. Christmas 1986. Homemade chocolate chip, shortbread, sugar and almond crescent cookies. Andes mints. Cordial cherries. Real Christmas tree. The Temptations version of “Silent Night” and Donnie Hathaway’s version of “This Christmas.”  Multiple screenings of “A Charlie Brown Christmas. Mom. Dad. Dogs. Santa. Christmas 2016. Homemade gingerbread, and chocolate chip and […]

We’re just a few weeks away from our baby’s arrival into the world. We’ve got most things covered–crib, diapers, bottles, stroller, etc.–but there’s still a few things we need to gather before we can really accept another human into this home. Like pumpkin bread. Our refrigerator and pantry looked a bit bare this weekend, so […]

(photo by Samantha Bolton for Yahoo Food) Everyone is a twitter over Patti LaBelle’s sweet potato pie, which is the biggest selling dessert this holiday season. I made Patti LaBelle’s pie earlier this week. Then I interviewed her for Yahoo Food. Basically, it’s my best Thanksgiving ever.

Days are shorter. Mornings are colder. Leaves are changing color and scattered on the ground. It’s fall, y’all. In case you haven’t noticed.

We are approaching October. Pumpkin Spice Lattes have been on sale at Starbucks for weeks.  As have pumpkin-flavored Mini-Wheats and Twinkies and donuts and a whole bunch of other artificially made foods that have no business being pumpkin-flavored (you know there are pumpkin pie Pop-Tarts? News to me!) Yet I realized that I had not […]

I did it. I finally overtook E in the 300 macaron bake off. I perfected the art of the macaron.

E totally smoked me on the 300 macaron bake off. But he cheats! Ok, he doesn’t cheat. He just worked hard. He made six batches before getting the consistency right.

E and I are working on perfecting our macaron game. Batch #3, green tea flavored. Still figuring out how to eliminate “nipples” and prevent skins from cracking. We will not be defeated.

I got a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas from my generous mom. I put it to use this weekend to make marshmallows.

For me, it’s the first day of vacation! Finally I can get into the holiday spirit!

I finally embarked on holiday activities. Shopping. Making holiday travel arrangements. Sipping on holiday themed cocktails. Martinis have olives in them. Olives are green. Green says Christmas. So, deck them halls.

I’ve learned to embrace cooking fails. They plague us all. But it’s about trying and trying again until something delicious emerges from the kitchen.

After a whole summer of work, ice cream sandwiches are still a work in progress.

Summer isn’t summer until I’ve eaten at least one peach cobbler.

Love must be in the air. First George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin. Then E and I. And then, Claire and Craig.

I spent the weekend with my parents, particular my mother, in the Midwest for Mother’s Day.

Are you watching “Cosmos”? If not, you should.

Today is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Of course, I had to take that to an extreme.

Confirmed: sweet arepas are as good as savory ones.

The first time I used my waffle machine, I made an insanely great sweet treat for my sweet.

I’m really in a great mood, and have been all week.

In honor of our appearance on the Rachael Ray show today, I made her version of pumpkin whoopie pies

This weekend was super exciting for us. E and I went to see two of our dearest friends, Jenny and Otto, and meet their new baby, Arlo.

E had to leave town this weekend to tend to family business. I stayed behind because I had to tend to work—which meant covering the MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and going out to a bevy of after parties.

This is not a sandwich. But it’s something just as special.

I’m halfway there! In the immortal words of Drake, I say, “we started from the bottom now we’re here.”

Ice cream sandwiches—using pre-made cookies and simple vanilla ice cream—were the fastest, easiest snack I could think of for E.

Ice cream sandwiches are not a Breakfast of Champions. They’re filled with sugar and offer little caffeine or protein or other nutrients (maybe dairy. But that’s really all). They’re so not the ideal breakfast for a boyfriend who just came back from CrossFit.

Nutella should not be allowed in my house. It’s too tasty, too addictive, and too accessible. And it forces me to hide a shameful secret from E.

This weekend was E’s birthday! A celebration was in order.

The regular season at Stowe, VT ended this weekend, so E and I and four friends caravaned up north to take one last snowboarding trip. The weather was spectacular, the snow was amazing and our skills had all improved so much since the beginning of the season—by Sunday, most of us were shredding in the […]

Rating: Remember I said I’m not allowed to eat sugar past 9 PM, for I turn into a hyped-up Gremlin and end up dancing and jumping around the apartment until well past E’s bedtime? Well, imagine how nutty I’ve become during the holiday season. I have eaten cookies for every meal during the twelve days […]

Rating: A holiday party in our house has a few requirements. Booze. Good food. Carefully curated guest list. A music playlist to shake your groove thang to. And a specific dress code. E and I hosted our First Annual Holiday Pajama Party, where the dress code required the same sleeping attire you wear at home […]

E and I took a road trip up to Killington, VT this weekend for some snowboarding. Finally, we got to do a sport that I was actually skilled in. I have been snowboarding for about eight years and can master my fair share of black diamonds. I’ve even weaseled my way out of some hairy […]

Our Thanksgiving is turning into one expensive holiday. It might have been cheaper to fly home to Michigan than it would have been to buy food and decor for 8…. wait a minute, E just texted me….now 11 people. We have so much to do! So many groceries to buy! How were we going to […]

Okay, I hadn’t planned on a whoopie pie follow-up so soon. But I was in a horrid mood after a tough day at work–think PMS times two with a sprinkle of “I hate everybody.” I came home expecting to have a quick dinner and then take yet another work meeting over drinks, but my mood […]

Oh. HELL. Yes. I have been waiting to make these since Labor Day. I’ve been drooling over pictures on the Web of pumpkin whoopie pies, with that spongy cake on the outside and soft creamy middle. Nom nom nom! And now, the perfect time to make them as a dessert to a perfect fall meal […]

I really should not be allowed to eat sugar past 9 PM. When I do, I turn into a Gremlin (readers over 30 will remember what Gremlins are. Those under 30, Google it). In the 1984 movie “Gremlins,” these adorable pets named mogwais are in the care of humans. But along with no sunlight and […]

Friday morning means a slow rise from bed, coffee on the balcony until right before 9 am, and plans made for the weekend. E and I planned to spend all weekend at the beach, and that got me inspired to make a breakfast sandwich that tasted like pure summer. Ricotta cheese and fruit is the […]

E and I went our separate ways this weekend. Though both of our parents live in Michigan, they live 3 hours away from each other on opposite sides of the state. Since we only had the two day weekend off from work, E and I visited our respective families separately this time. Funny thing is […]

July 4 is my birthday. I usually have cake for breakfast on my birthday, as it has been my usual bday treat to myself since I was about 3. But since I wasn’t spending my birthday with my mom, who usually cooks said cake (red white and blue Jello cake with Cool Whip frosting, to […]

E is particular about his ice cream. Plain vanilla won’t do, and he’s more partial to fruit than chocolate. I on the other hand am “coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs” crazy for chocolate. And pecans. And mint. All together! But this isn’t about me!