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.
Fudging Through a New Tradition
Every December, various family members bake large batches of gingerbread cookies, fruitcakes, and buckeye balls to share and mail. But not once, in all of my sugary Christmas seasons, can I remember a single relative sending fudge our way. We surely didn’t make our own—the chocolate would have disappeared before Mom pulled out the recipe!—so any fudge came from the store or a neighbor. Continue reading for recipe.
Sprinkle A Little Cheer
I dragged my mom out to Ross in the afternoon on Black Friday, well after the early-morning shoppers had collapsed into their beds for a long nap. As we strode past the perfumes and workout gear, a Christmas display called out my name.
Not one to resist a little holiday cheer, I doubled back to gaze at the goods. As I turned away from the stockings and candles, a muffin pan swayed on the hanging rack as another customer walked past.
This wasn’t just any old muffin pan. No, this was a bright green silicon muffin pan with cups shaped like gingerbread men, stockings, and Christmas trees. Continue reading for recipe.
He Knows If You’ve Been Bad Or Good!
My popcorn kernels, peanut butter, and nutella all bully each other around on their crowded shelf in my pantry. When I pull the peanut butter down, he knocks the nutella over, and when I grab the popcorn kernels, they push the peanut butter off of the ledge. They just won’t play nicely or give each other any personal space!
When I mentioned the predicament to Rebecca at Crave, she encouraged me to create a snack that combined all three. Although tempted to stick them in hour-long timeouts in separate corners of the kitchen, I decided to try her suggestion and get the three to cooperate after all. Continue reading for recipe.
Bending the Rules
I’m not allowed to keep bags of popcorn kernels in the house. It’s a safety-comes-first type of rule. The temptation is just too great to pour them into a pot, heat it uncovered on the stove, and watch as the fluffy white morsels explode out and rain down on the kitchen floor.
Instead, I’m required to have adult supervision whenever I make a popcorn snack. No picking super small pots or hiding all of the lids. (Yes, I’ve tried…) 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.
Death By Flour (And Chocolatey Nutella)
My mother nearly killed me a few weeks ago. She drove up to visit, and as I munched on my afternoon snack, she dropped this on me: “I’m giving up flour!”
Choking on my carrot, I barely spluttered out, “W-w-what?” as I reached for my water glass.
“I’m giving up flour,” she repeated.
“Forever?” My mind was racing… How could my mother, my one and only mother, omit flour from her diet when her daughter dreams of becoming a baker??
She reassured me that no, this was a temporary diet-change-for-weight-loss thing, and she still enjoyed the occasional English muffin or fudgy brownie… In moderation. Limited moderation.
(You can call the ambulance driver back; I’m not going to die from a heart attack after all.) Continue reading for recipe.
Pretty Please, With Marshmallows on Top?
Our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners taste almost exactly the same; we just swap out the platter of turkey for honey-baked ham (much to Grandma’s dismay, who is the only person every year to eat more than two “ceremonial” bites of the bird). We make homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, pecan pie, and, of course… Sweet potatoes. Continue reading for recipe.
What’s in Your Trashcan?
If I were the cookie monster, I’d stash a lot more than Oreos and Mint Milanos and double chocolate chip cookies in my tin trashcan. I’d hide brownies, cupcakes, nutella, Reese’s minis, Godiva dark chocolate truffles, and… Granola. Yes, granola. And not just for a healthier option!
I’m addicted to granola. I first munched on it back in high school, and over the years, I bounced around between Trader Joe’s, Cascadia Farms, and my own cinnamon blend. But one morning as I poured my daily breakfast bowl, I ran out. No more crumbs, no more hidden boxes, nothing.
My brain raced into overdrive. Safeway! Safeway was across the street. Maybe they carried an edible substitute… I scoured their cereal aisle and finally discovered a bag of raspberry almond clusters. Generally not a fan of nuts in my granola, I decided that something was better than nothing and hurried home. Continue reading for recipe.
I Own the Rain God
My dog is the rain god. Yes, that’s right, my 15-pound Chihuahua mix is the official rain god. When she wiggles around, chases her tail, and finishes with a satisfied lick, the sun shines. When she neglects to do her little dance, the winds howl and the raindrops splash down on our roof.
Okay, so maybe I need to check into the whole causation vs. correlation thing… Continue reading for recipe.
Foods for the Soul 