When I want a cookie, which is not every week or even every month, I want a substantial cookie. From a bakery case, not a cookie jar, but at my house. You know the kind. Remember Not Your Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookie or Big Fat Sugar Cookies? Measuring in at 3½” wide and 1½” tall, they share a thin exterior layer of crunch with plenty of soft cookie throughout, much like these bakery-style peanut butter cookies. I like my cookies epic, so epic they crack at the edges.
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At one of my final appointments before having Hallie, my doctor asked if I worked. I told her that I work from home designing blogs and writing one myself. She then asked if I had adequate childcare lined up. “Well…me,” I replied. She snickered and told me to line up extra care stat. She also told me how to up my dessert game with a newborn. Her secret: puff pastry. Read more
An english professor in college, who most likely passed me with flying colors because of my Cher impression, always said, “Nothing was created in a vacuum.” At the time, he was encouraging us to read period appropriate texts in order to give context to what we were reading. Admittedly, I read just enough to get by in that class (if Spark Notes counts), and I wrote my final paper on the interaction of scenery and plot in the Harry Potter films, though I would have much preferred to write about The Sixth Sense. I was a design major, worlds away from becoming a writer (or reader for that matter). But what he said stayed with me. Read more
Every year it happens. A new Christmas in a _____ is born. Though, I had to change my preposition from in to on this year. This year I give you: Christmas on a Plate. It might be the easiest and prettiest of the bunch. Read more
Dessert is an afterthought for us during winter. By afterthought I mean—we think about it once it’s too late to make anything. It’s never forgotten. We usually ditch our always-at-the-ready ice cream until the weather warms, unless Talenti is on sale. In that case, we just turn up the heat. Lately though, I’ve been filling my little ice cream bowl with granola and dark chocolate chunks just before bed. I know something’s good when Kev follows suit. (He’s been following suit). Read more
I have this strange trend of posting pudding recipes when a friend publishes a new book. And by strange I mean awesome. (See this Butterscotch Pudding for reference.) Made with chai tea pudding, this ice box cake comes from the pages of Stephanie’s new book, Easy Gourmet. You probably know Stephanie as i am a food blog—you know that blog with the crazy beautiful photos and little logos that accompany every recipe? She kills it every time. I knew after landing on her site for the first time that she was going big places. I wasn’t wrong.
If you know me well, you probably know that if you call, text, message, or email me, it may be days (or, I’m embarrassed to say, sometimes weeks) until I respond. It’s not for lack of thought. I replay the correspondence in my head a million times and search for the perfect response. In fact, I respond so many times in my head, I think I’ve actually responded. It’s a problem. Read more
