Monthly Archives: February 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

It’s hard to believe, but the three dozen Chewy Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies I made on Friday are almost gone. I wish I were kidding, but…there are maybe 10 cookies left in the jar. Yeah. Dan and I are gross. In a last ditch effort to exercise self restraint, I have packed away the remaining cookies and will be taking them to work tomorrow. (You’re welcome, Will.) If I can’t be skinny anymore, no one else can either! Just kidding, calm down. No one is going to get fat from those cookies. They’re “healthy,” remember? Ha…ha…haha…ha. Anyway, packing away the oatmeal cookies meant that Dan and I would be snack-less during the Oscars. That would be tragic! So, in a totally logical and reasonable move, I...

OK, raise your hand if you liked oatmeal cookies when you were a kid. Anyone? No? You in the back, put your hand down, I don’t believe you. Nobody liked oatmeal cookies when they were kids. Those hard, lumpy, raisin-filled things were are always the reject cookies at kids’ birthday parties, lingering on the table long after all the chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies had disappeared. Everybody knew that oatmeal cookies were gross. At least, that’s what I used to think. Then I accidentally bit into a soft and chewy homemade oatmeal raisin cookie one day, thinking it was chocolate chip, and realized that oatmeal cookies are actually delicious. And, they’re good for you! Maybe. Aren’t oats full of fiber and good at...

So I’ve been told that today is National Banana Bread Day. This is the first time I’ve heard of this “holiday”, but I’m more than happy to celebrate. I love banana bread! It was one of the first things I learned how to bake as a kid — I still remember cutting the recipe out of my Sunday comics one day and taping it into my “recipe book”. I’m pretty sure I made that recipe a billion times between the ages of 10 and 18, but it’s still one of the things my mom’s favorite things to eat for breakfast. Who can blame her? Banana bread is delicious. I’ve said this before, but Dan and I always seem to have overripe bananas lying around. We buy really green bananas over...

Planning a meal for a dinner party is always kind of stressful for me. For one thing, I’m constantly worried there won’t be enough food, so I inevitably over-cook. I blame that on my mom – at Christmas one year she underestimated her guests’ appetites and had to resort to stealthily reheating leftovers from the previous night’s party to keep everyone from noticing all the food was gone. It was super stressful. She hasn’t been the same since. Neither have I, apparently. But even putting aside the dilemma of total food quantity, there are the actual dishes to consider — what will everyone like eating? Are there any vegetarians in the crowd? What should the main course be? Are there enough sides? Will the meal balanced? Is there enough food?!?!?!?!...

You know, I had big plans for my Valentine’s Day post. I was going to poach lobster tails for dinner and make Mini Red Velvet Trifles for dessert. Sounds delicious right? Yeah…problem was, I couldn’t find cake flour at the grocery store, and by the time dinner rolled around I was feeling too lazy and sluggish to poach anything. I did attempt to make a batch of Red Wine Truffles, but those were a complete failure. The alcohol in the chocolate batter made it almost impossible for the mixture to chill/firm up, so I ended up with a tray of ugly, sticky, vaguely spherical blobs that tasted great but were so not camera-ready. Sigh. In a fit of desperation, I ripped open a pack...

It’s T-2 hours and 11 minutes until the Superbowl, guys. I haven’t glanced at a clock in a couple hours, so how do I know that? I’ll tell you how – Dan has been counting down the hours, every hour, on the hour, out loud, since he woke up this morning. Yeah. He is really excited about this game. Can’t really blame him for being all hyped up, though. His team is in the game, and they’re playing against — from what I can tell based on Dan’s enthusiastic heckling — their mortal enemy. Dan’s from Massachusetts, so you can probably guess which team he’s rooting for. The Greatest Team the World Has Ever Seen, with the Greatest Quarterback God Ever Created. Obviously. (I’m not allowed to say...

For me, Superbowl is as much about the eating and drinking as it is about the football. Maybe more, actually. That’s why it’s always a kind of a bummer when I go to a Superbowl party and the only thing around for me to wash down all those delightfully salty, greasy, junky snacks is beer. I am so not a beer girl. So tomorrow, when Dan and the guys are throwing back brewskies and screaming at the TV, I’m going to be calmly sipping on sweet, fruity, refreshing sangria. Bottoms up! White Sangria (Inspired by the delicious sangrias served at Cities Restaurant Bar and Lounge) Ingredients: - 1 bottle white wine - 3 oz Peach Schnapps - 4 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur -...

Monthly Archives: February 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Nutty Nutella Banana Bread

Rosemary Fried Chicken

Raspberry Cream Cake…and a Giveaway!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

White Sangria

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