A Mother’s Magic Touch
Quick reminder: the homemade cookie giveaway ends this Friday! Post a comment on my new URL to enter!
I tried mixing up a batch of just-like-Mom’s blueberry pancakes last week. After burning the first plate and chucking it in the trash, I realized I really should have paid closer attention to Mom’s cooking in the kitchen as a 5-year-old instead of banging on pots and pans with a wooden spoon…
But I was just too picky of an eater! The moment that Mom flipped my plain pancakes onto my plate, I’d smother them in syrup and happily munch away, completely ignoring Mom as she stirred fresh blueberries into the remaining batter. (I hated things mixed into my pancakes. No fruit, no nuts, no oats… Well, I might’ve been okay with chocolate chips or sprinkles.) (more…)
Sweet Hearts
Every Valentine’s Day, my brother and I would stumble into the kitchen. After rubbing the sleep from our eyes, we’d sort through the little piles of chocolate kisses and conversations hearts on the table that Cupid’s fairies dropped off during the night. (If Christmas has Santa and Easter has the Bunny, why wouldn’t Valentine’s Day have its own candy-carrying character?)
Then Mom would sigh and reluctantly allow us each to eat one sweet treat before making us a special breakfast. She usually whipped up pancakes, waffles, or cinnamon sugar toast — practically a dessert itself! As soon as she set our plates in front of us, we’d inhale the food before rushing off to school.
But if February 14th fell on a weekend, we’d enjoy a more leisurely breakfast. Mom would bake Pillsbury croissants or even homemade muffins, if we promised not to sneak extra chocolates while the pastries cooled on the counter. And with such festive muffins waiting for us, we readily agreed! Continue reading for recipe.
Pink is For…
There must have been something in the water last year… Two weeks ago, the stork dropped off a bundle of joy to two different ladies at work! My boss and his wife received the little girl, and I was so tempted to decorate their doors with bright pink balloons and crêpe paper…
But that didn’t quite seem appropriate for our drab hallways and professional environment. (Probably a safety and productivity hazard too, with all of the attention it would attract!) So I settled on making them celebratory treats instead. Continue reading for recipe.
Sweet and Sneaky Ways to Eat Your Veggies: Onions
aka “Sweet Machine Malfunctions”
A year ago, my friend and I stood glaring at the SPR machine. (Surface Plasmon Resonance, in case you were wondering.) In theory, we could twiddle a few knobs and punch a few buttons to calibrate the monster. In actuality, it hiccuped and laughed in our faces.
So we ignored it to talk about food. Continue reading for recipe.
Sweet and Sneaky Ways to Eat Your Veggies: Carrots
aka “Earning Desserts as a Five-Year-Old”
I always ate my three daily servings of fruit as a kid. I drank my “crazy drink” (OJ + fizzy water) through a straw at breakfast, munched on apple slices at lunch, and popped grapes like candy as an after school snack. But vegetables?
Totally different story. Continue reading for recipe.
Sweets for the Sweet
On Christmas Eve when my man set my wrapped gift under the tree, he placed another present down with it. Although I had only met her once, his grandmother sent me a set of four glittery red boxes filled with saltwater taffy, caramel corn, and peanut brittle. How sweet! (No pun intended…) Continue reading for recipe.
The Farkle Risk
While waiting for the ball to drop on New Year’s Eve, we watched four five reruns of Big Bang Theory, ate leftover Oreo Dream cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, and played Farkle. Despite my staunch chocolate and cookie addictions, the last part was the highlight of the night. Continue reading for recipe.
Best Meals of 2012
I know, the logical order would have been to start with my favorite meals of the year and finish with desserts… But I love sweets so much that I couldn’t wait to share those with you! I promise I didn’t forget about my top breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes though: here they are! Continue reading for recipes.
The 100-Mile Miracle
A very suspicious package appeared under the tree on Christmas Eve. To every other family member, it resembled an unremarkable square box, but my Santa-senses started tingling when I spied my name on the gift tag. Continue reading for recipe.
I Should’ve Been a Boy Scout…
When I mentioned to my guy that I had never attempted to make a cobbler, he replied, “Oh, it’s really easy!” Pause, rewind… WHAT? My man, who avoids baking like the bubonic plague, has made cobbler before me??
After I nearly went into anaphylactic shock, he finally explained that he baked cobblers in Boy Scouts. They emptied canned peaches into a Dutch oven, dumped a boxed biscuit mix on top, and heated in over the fire until their stomachs growled and the fruit juices bubbled.
Well then. Continue reading for recipe.
Foods for the Soul 