There’s a kitchen battle waging in our house lately, reoccurring like clockwork at noon and 6 p.m. each day, and ironically, the instigator is the littlest among us. Our 14-month-old daughter, whose expanding palate and mighty will we find both glorious and challenging at the same time, has wholeheartedly embraced her culinary preferences as means…
We will be morning people: Cinnamon pumpkin oatmeal
Years from now, when we’re 30-something grownups with real(er) jobs, our own house and a hopping household, I envision our mornings going something like this: 6 a.m.: The alarm clock rings. Jared and I awaken, alert and well rested after eight (yes, eight!) consecutive hours of sleep. 6-7 a.m.: I go for a run, Jared…
Voice for the misunderstood: Prune coffee cake
Consider the following correspondence, unearthed from an archive of never-been-printed-but-could-have-changed-the-culinary-world-as-we-know-it advice columns: Dear Abby, Lately we’ve been feeling quite misunderstood. Every time we try to make new friends, we’re met with crinkled noses and rejection. Is it us? Are we not sweet enough? Not pretty enough? People love our smaller cousins; they’re always invited to…
Delicious muffins and other weighty matters
Oh, how I love a new kitchen gadget. Oh, how I love a beautiful baked good. And oh, how I love whenever the two shall meet. A few Christmases ago, my brother and sister-in-law gifted me with a collection of Avoca cookbooks, filled with recipes for all sorts of delicious things that the two of…
Lessons from a do-over: Banana tea muffins
I’ve learned a lot of lessons in the kitchen over the past few years. No. 1: Wait until the immersion blender is in the soup before turning it on. No. 2: Serrated knives are great for cutting chocolate. No. 3: Never underestimate the power of parchment paper. And No. 4: Don’t freak out when it…
Call it a blueberry morning
Is it just me, or do Saturday mornings get sweeter the older you get? Sure, when you’re a little kid they’re amazing because you get to laze around in your jammies all morning, watch hours of cartoons and eat cereal on the floor of the living room, but once you reach adulthood, I think you…
And the baking returns! Cranberry orange scones
We’ve all heard the old adage: A baby changes everything. Three weeks into this parenting thing, and I can indeed confirm that our tiny bundle has made a mountain-sized impact on life as we knew it. Although the Bean’s birth hasn’t literally changed everything — there’s still work to do, school to attend, holidays to…
It’s the Great Pumpkin Muffin, Charlie Brown!
Happy belated Halloween! I hope everyone had a spooky, wonderful holiday full of tricks, treats and enough sugary bliss to last until the turkeys thaw for Thanksgiving! I love Halloween for a lot of reasons, but I think I love it most because it’s the official kickoff to my favorite time of year. Yahoo, holiday…
Fall favorites: Spice-filled scones, oatmeal and cookies galore!
Last night while clicking through baby-related inspiration on Pinterest, I came across a recipe for labor cookies. Have you heard of those? Apparently, whipping up and consuming a batch of these puppies is a surefire way (notice the use of the word “apparently”) to meet your new baby bean before the week is over. Of…
Challah, you’re the flavor I was missing
From the time I was in first grade through third grade, my family lived in Germany, and during that first year overseas, we lived in Egelsbach, a little German town near the Air Force base where my dad was stationed. I have a lot of great memories from our time there — spaghetti ice from…