Rainy days and nights. We seem to be having a lot of rainy days in Central Iowa and lately all I’ve wanted to do when it’s raining is to sit inside and hole up under a pile of blankets. I’ve found my happy place. Rainy night and howling wind, I’m hiding under the covers while watching Gossip Girl, drinking coffee, and blogging about pie. Gluten-free Cranberry-Pear Crumble Pie at that. Disclaimer: I have very little practical knowledge of gluten-free anything. … Read More
Fruit and Nut Breakfast Muffins
Whew! After a crazy two weeks of papers, tests, and general craziness there was nothing more I wanted to do than mentally check out of school mode and into creative baking mode. Nothing even remotely related to school was allowed this past weekend, just baking and more baking. Of course, man (or woman) can not survive on decadent sweets alone. For that reason, I give you Fruit and Nut Breakfast Muffins. Truly healthy, hearty, and utterly satisfying in every sense … Read More
Too Good to Be True Banana Ice Ceam
I’m constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place, where my health-nut side battles it out with my sweet tooth’s love of ice cream. There are many sweets I could do without, but when it comes to ice cream, I’m hopeless. Something about the cool, creamy goodness draws me in, no matter the season. But even low-fat and reduced-sugar varieties of ice cream can hardly be considered healthy, so alas, ice cream remains a treat rather than a dietary … Read More
Broccoli Pesto
Alice in Wonderland. I think the Disney character that best personifies me at this point would be Alice in Wonderland, falling, tumbling into a rabbit’s hole and disappearing from the world. Substitute the rabbit’s hole for work, classrooms, and the small nook where my desk and computer live and there you have it, my reasons for disappearing from the known world, as well as the blogging world. Lately, my cooking has been more utilitarian and droll than exciting and adventurous, … Read More
Sweet Mistakes
I am posting today in keeping with my promise to share both triumphs and failures in the kitchen. While I hope the balance remains heavily on the triumphs side of the scale, today’s post might best be classified as a failure. But, as is often the case with baking disasters, something quite delicious and unexpected can often come from a botched attempt at something else. Herein lies the story of these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles with Pecans. While at … Read More
Southern Comfort
Think about the foods that make you feel like you’re home. What are they? Cookies, lasagna, a favorite pie, or maybe a soup. A few things come to mind when I think about home-cooking. My mom’s meatballs, beef stew with biscuits, and a fresh garden salad with poppyseed-balsamic dressing. But really, for me, it’s all about the Southern cooking. We’re talking grits, pinto beans with ham, cornbread with butter, and rice. My dad’s side of the family comes from the … Read More
Outstanding Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Allow yourself a couple extra minutes to read this post. Settle in, kick up your feet, and take a trip to The Hamptons withme, East Hampton to be precise. We would drive up a long gravel driveway and pull up to a rather large house, which wouldn’t be all that unusual considering the neighborhood we are in. In fact, it would look much like every other house if not for an unusual structure across the yard from the main building. … Read More
Turkey Burgers with Broccoli Tomato Salad
Tired. The word of the day, week, and maybe even the month! It’s not so much the kind of tired that you feel when you had one night of bad rest, but rather, the kind of exhaustion you feel when that one night of bad rest becomes multiple nights and tasks and responsibilities pile up. I don’t have kids or a family, but I think I’m beginning to understand why so many moms resort to the help of take-out when … Read More
Chocolate Chip Pecan Scones
This morning I woke up rather groggy, wishing coffee had the power to make you look as awake as it made you feel. I had every intention of being well-rested today, going to bed early so I could catch up on a bit of much needed sleep. All was well until around midnight, when I woke up hungry. Staring at the ceiling, thinking about my midnight cravings and trying not to give in to any of them, the scones I … Read More
Pearberry Sorbet
You may have thought that after the extensive talk of the Valley Junction Farmer’s Market, I would have exhausted everything there was to say about a three-block stretch of vendors selling produce. That is, in part, correct. But while waiting for the stands to open, we ducked into a little shop on Main Street with the words COFFEE + ICE CREAM boldly emblazoned across the storefront. Coffee and ice cream…how could we not? Turns out, this little shop sold more … Read More
Zucchini Parmesan
Yesterday, I made a trip to the farmer’s market in Valley Junction. There’s something about wandering through a bustling farmer’s market that I find therapeutic. Typically I avoid large crowds like the plague. But living in Iowa, I have learned how very important it is to savor the last few weeks of warm weather before mother nature’s mood turns frosty. Weaving through the stands and trucks lining Valley Junction’s Main Street, I had the sudden urge to eat vegetables, and … Read More
Cupcakes a la Madeline
To me, the cupcake is a thing of wonder. When done correctly, it resonates of all that is right about desserts. Easier to master than an intricate layer cake, these individual cakes are more forgiving than most cakes ever dreamed of being. And if you mess one up, your entire bunch hasn’t gone to waste. Cupcakes represent the way I think cooking and entertaining ought to be. Simple, almost childish food served in a special way that makes it fit … Read More