If ever there’s ever a s’mores dessert on a menu, I’m quick to order it. We’ve ordered a slice of s’mores tart on two separate occasions recently. And on both occasions, I bookmarked the idea for later. But it was the time it took to make marshmallows that put a halt in my home-made idea. And then I found myself with a surplus of egg whites in the fridge, an unopened box of graham crackers, a brick of chocolate, an extra 20 minutes, and a better idea. Read more
I had this whole post written about marriage. About how easy it was before we were parents. So easy we high-fived ourselves. And about how hard it’s been since becoming parents. It was about how this Balsamic Pasta (with a salad on top) saved us. A recipe I recreated from a dish we ordered on a much needed date night a couple months ago. I deleted it. Because I got to the end and realized it wasn’t the pasta dish, though so good and quick. You need to make it. It was the ping pong table from Craigslist that saved us.
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There were missed deadlines. Lots of flights and late bed times. Family gatherings. Dancing (if you can qualify our erratic movements as such). There were hamburgers, chips, and watermelon. Mouthfuls of salty water. Tiny feet splashing in waves. And wine. Plenty of wine. We lived this summer. So much so, I think our new neighbors thought this was our winter home, which is funny because we live in Minnesota. You don’t dare leave the state come summer. TSA enforced. Read more
The days of carefree summer dinners are coming to a very quick close. Meal planning is the only way I can put something other than pasta on the table every night. So if you’re anything like me, I’m planning ahead for the both of us. Here’s a couple back-to-school dinner ideas: quick and simple recipes, using summer-friendly produce. Each can be adapted for meat-eaters and vegetarians. Read more
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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If you’ve ever been to Dallas, there’s a good chance you’ve eaten at Mi Cocina. It’s my all-time favorite Mexican restaurant (next to XOCO and Frontera in Chicago). The food is excellent. I ebb and flow between splitting fajitas and hoarding the Rico Salad to myself. But if I’m being honest, it’s their margarita, specifically the Mambo Taxi, that makes this place my favorite. It’s a strong, not-too-sweet margarita wrapped in a sangria swirl. One will leave you dancing and hailing an Uber. Read more
Blueberry Breakfast Cake. Say that five times fast. I love alliteration. Almost as much as I love breakfast. And cake. And blueberry. So, when it came time to figure out what to do with some leftover summer blueberries, I decided to turn them into this iteration of a coffee cake in blueberry form. My friend Heather Hardison sent me her new book Homegrown: Illustrated Bites just before the craze of summer and our move hit. I dog-eared her Breakfast Blueberry Cake right away. Read more
There was an Italian market right around the corner from where we lived in New Haven. They sold overpriced produce and served the best sandwiches and salads I’ve ever had. Prior to frequenting there, I’d never been extremely fond of ordering a sandwich or salad out, especially when given a choice. When in New Haven, you eat pizza. But this place and their pesto sandwiches and italian salads, they changed my mind forever. Read more
