Like any other self-respecting, seasonally driven Pinterester, I’ve spent the better part of the past month searching the interwebs for fall-filled recipes and holiday décor ideas. There were the pumpkin spice latte copycat recipes, the “12 ways to decorate with gourds” kind of posts and plenty of outfits involving riding boots and scarves. And I…
Admiration and emails — and lemon cream cheese cookies
This cookie is based on a recipe that’s been saved on my computer for more than a year. It’s from Merrill Stubbs at Food52, and I remember saving it simply because I think Merrill is the cat’s pajamas. If she says it’s a hit, I believe her. Allow me to explain. For the first 16…
Chicken stoup for the snow-lovin’ soul
Jared and I are self-proclaimed winter enthusiasts. We love cold weather. We love snow. We’re mildly intrigued by the idea of staying in one of those igloo hotels. There’s a reason our electric bill takes a much-appreciated nosedive in the winter (and a not-so-lovely skyrocket in the summer). Basically, if it’s cold and frost-covered, we…
Who are you, peanut butter cookie? Who are you?
I’ve been giving this a lot of thought lately, and I’ve come to the conclusion that you can tell a lot about people by their favorite kind of cookie. There are the chocolate chip-lovers, straight-forward and classic; the snickerdoodle fans, pure and sweet; and the lemon bar enthusiasts, fresh and zingy. I actually ran through…
It’s not easy being cheesy
Yes, that is a cheesy title. No, this post is not about Cheetos (too bad, I know; they’re totally my secret guilty pleasure love o’ life). This happy Friday post is, however, about an equally cheese-infused bite that I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d bake and then so joyfully nosh. Today is all…
When life gives you limes, make ice cream
There are a lot of things you can learn about a person just by sharing a meal together. You can learn likes and dislikes, favorites and not-so-favorites, and you almost always get a glimpse at one or two of those little quirks that make that someone tick. The very first time I went to a…
Pasta and bean soup with kale
In my rather brief stint as a kale eater, I’ve learned one very important fact about this greeny, leafy vegetable: Kale is a divisive little food. It seems like one of those love-it-or-hate-it things. You love it for its vitamins and overall good-for-you-ness but wish it tasted more like lettuce or spinach than it’s noticeably…
Irish brown soda bread
My older brother has pretty mean (and by mean, I mean awesome) bread-making skills. I can’t remember when exactly he started refining his craft, but the bread-making has been a semi-annual summer and/or Christmastime event (basically every time he comes back to visit) since well before I graduated college. I’m also not quite sure what…