Just Putzing Around the Kitchen

Butternut Squash Soup

Editor’s Note: Today’s blog post is brought to you by my friend Job. We met my freshman year of college when I stumbled into his fraternity house after a boat cruise. I sat down next to him on the stairs, he bit me in the leg, and a magical friendship was born. These days Job…read more »

Apple Goat Cheese Tarts

So, The Hunger Games movie premiered this week. Most. Exciting. News. Ever. I only discovered the books a few months ago but like most people I was hooked right away. I tore through the series in about a week, and I’ve re-read all the books like 4 or 5 times in the last month alone….read more »

Strawberry Crepe Cupcakes

As a general rule, I don’t love cupcakes unless they’re in carrot cake or chocolate-form. Vanilla, especially, is a very “blah” flavor for me. I would never eat a vanilla cupcake voluntarily. They’re boring, and I’ve been forced to eat far too many over-frosted, over-sugared vanilla treats at birthday parties over the years. But these cupcakes…I would eat them again,…read more »

Eggs Chesapeake

You know, I really thought that being alone with the cats for four days would be kind of boring and lonely, but so far it’s been pretty great. I’ve completely caught up on sleep, been to the movies, satisfied my craving for lobster rolls, spent an entire guilt-free afternoon shopping at Crate & Barrel and…read more »

Baked Chicken Roll-Ups with Light Mushroom Cream Sauce

So Dan has abandoned me for the snowy slopes of Tahoe this weekend. Yeah. Weather’s finally getting really awesome in Virginia and the guy voluntarily leaves all this warmth and sunshine for a place buried under six feet of snow. [Shakes head] Dan’s idea of fun may be rolling around in a big pile of snow,…read more »

Boozy Irish Cupcakes

The last time I had an Irish Car Bomb was senior year of college. As I recall, I didn’t even really want to drink it. I hate beer, and I stay away from whiskey if I can help it, but my friend Melissa told me that if I chugged the drink really quickly all the…read more »

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Remember Little Debbie Snacks? Zebra Cakes…Swiss Rolls…Nutty Bars…Oh man, those treats were the greatest part of any packed lunch back when we were kids, right? Especially the Oatmeal Creme Pies. Oh god. Those were amazing. When I was in high school, my French teacher used to bring boxes of Oatmeal Creme Pies to class and sell…read more »

Pulled Pork Sandwich

The last time I had homemade slow-cooker pulled pork was at the Summer Supper Club’s Southern Night 2 years go (holy crap, has it really been that long??). I made shrimp & grits, Karen brought over about a ton of tangy pork, and I think there were green beans, potatoes, and biscuits involved too. Yeah….read more »

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…read more »

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

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…read more »