Monthly Archives: November 2011

“People love chopping wood. In this activity one sees immediate results.” – Albert Einstein Chopping vegetables is quite possibly my favorite part of cooking. When I’m happy, I chop. I love seeing all of my vegetables in colorful, orderly little piles (it’s the small things that bring me joy, people). When I’m stressed, I chop. Continue Reading

I had so much fun making holiday cookies this year! Mostly because of a wonderful little sous-chef who helped me stir, pour, mix and mostly, sample the goods. Speaking of wonderful and little, these crescent cookies caught my eye while flipping through latest issue of Bon Appetit. I’ve always wanted to use cardamom in cookies Continue Reading

If you find yourself dreaming about a stiff vodka and tonic at 11 am, well, you may just be the mother of a toddler. Or an alcoholic. Either way, here’s an idea to take the edge off: pour the vodka into your pasta! Of course! You will never hear me complain when hard alcohol turns Continue Reading

I never used to be a waffle person. Frozen, pale, lifeless, limp, blah. That is, until my in-laws presented me with a waffle iron … for no particular reason. At first, I was puzzled by the gift. I had never expressed an interest in waffles before – or had I? In those foggy, sleepless weeks Continue Reading

Talk about first impressions. This simple and beautiful bread swept me off my feet from the start. The moment I peeked in the oven and saw the bubbling blackberry topping, I knew we were going somewhere. It’s so pretty and delicate and I love that it has it’s own personality – it is right smack Continue Reading

It’s been a long, busy day. Which means it’s a tired, eyes-crossed-just-thinking-about-cooking night. So I pulled out all the corner-cutting stops and made colorful Fall chili from a few canned items and the fresh vegetables that I had on-hand. Butternut squash and peas provide a sweet, rich base and nutmeg adds just enough brightness. Although Continue Reading

Chocolate Chip Peanut Banana Loaf 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 2 large eggs at room temperature 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas 1/3 cup milk 2 cups sifted self rising flour 1/2 cup finely chopped unsalted peanuts 3/4 cup chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease and flour a loaf pan Continue Reading