Throughout the years, my feelings regarding Valentine’s Day have run the gamut. In elementary school, I loved it: I relished getting to have a party during school hours, exchanging cards with classmates, and experiencing the general merriment sugar rush. ...
holiday
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
As a child, mint and I did not get along. I tolerated it in toothpaste, but that was about it. Mint chewing gum, mint chip ice cream, and candy canes could have disappeared off the face of the planet and I wouldn’t have shed a tear. At some point before high school, however, my taste buds reconsidered, and I began chewing mint gum by the Costco (brick-sized) pack, making up for lost time with mint ...
Easy Spiced Nuts
Confession: I feel a little silly adding “easy” to this recipe title, because I’m of the opinion that if you’re making spiced nuts that are anything but easy, you’re probably doing it wrong. But having a recipe title with only two words seemed weirdly skimpy to me, so here you have it: “easy spiced nuts”! ...
Cranberry Orange Nut Bread
Now that Thanksgiving is over, who else is ready to never cook again?! Okay, okay, I would miss being in the kitchen if I never set foot in it again, but I could certainly use a few days off right about now. To accommodate various schedules, we had Thanksgiving dinner with two different groups on two separate days this past weekend; with contributing several dishes to each dinner, whipping up ...
Fourth of July Recipe Roundup
With only a couple of days left before the Fourth of July (although the fireworks shows have already begun and Phoebe has taken permanent refuge under the bed), I thought I'd pull together a few of my favorite summery recipes from the archives. ...
White Chocolate Macadamia Shortbread Cookies
Yesterday was a day full of fail. It began when I realized that the Fourth of July is less than a week away and not, as I had somehow convinced myself, a week and a half out. I had bought ingredients to make a patriotic-themed dessert and wanted to be able share it with you, so I put my other plans for the day on hold and started making a mess in the kitchen. ...
Mimosa Coffee Cake
This post has been a long time in the making. For one thing, I had intended to make a mimosa-inspired coffeecake for New Year’s Day this past holiday season, but as is the case with many people (or so I suspect), I was overly ambitious in estimating what I’d have time/energy to do and ended up having to ignore half of my holiday to-do list. C’est la vie. Secondly, I’d been meaning to take the ...
Cranberry Orange Coconut Cookies
Well, Christmas 2014 is technically now behind us…but I hope you all are still basking in the holiday spirit, because I have another holiday cookie recipe to share with you! If you’re anything like my family, the baking doesn’t end after Christmas – we’re only just getting started! These cranberry orange coconut cookies are another of my family’s favorite Christmas cookies, along with ...
Baileys Peppermint Chocolate Cake
There’s something magical about recipes whose ingredients you always have on hand, so that when cravings strike, you can whip up something to satisfy those cravings without ever having to leave the house. Because having to the leave the house means having to put on real pants, and let’s be honest. There are days when ain’t nobody got time for that, you know? ...
Aunt Della’s Sugar Cookies
As much as I enjoy coming up with new recipes in the kitchen, I consider Christmas a time for traditions, and baking these Aunt Della’s cookies has been one of my family’s holiday traditions as far back as I can remember. We’re not exactly sure where the recipe originated at this point, but my mom got the recipe from her mom, who we think got it from a friend of hers…who either got the recipe ...