Friends, I just can’t accept the fact that it’s the middle of December.  I just. can. not.  How is it that there are fewer than two weeks until Christmas?  Where has the month gone?  I need for time to just slow down. Take a breather. Relax. Seriously. For one thing, it just doesn’t feel like […]

Can you believe that tomorrow is December 1? I’m kind of in denial about the whole thing – holding on to November for as long as I possibly can. Maybe it’s because I’m starting a new job on Monday. Yes, right in the middle of the holiday fray, I’m starting a new job and putting […]

As a child, I hated pecan pie.  I think it was because (as I’ve come to understand in my adult years) the filling was often overcooked to the point of being curdled. There is a delicate balance in pecan pie, a fine line that bakers walk between silky smooth custard filling and curdled eggy mess.  […]

For quite a few years, our family has had a tradition of making french toast on Christmas morning.  For the longest time we made it with Challa because of it’s rich eggy flavor and wonderful texture – perfect for soaking up all that custardy goodness. One year, though, we discovered the wonders of french toast […]

I’ve long been intimidated by decorating sugar cookies – always wanting mine to look like this, but being so scared of failure that I haven’t even tried…. …until I saw this tutorial over at PW Cooks.  They made it look so fun and easy, I just had to try it.  It took me most of […]

This recipe is one of my favorite cookie recipes ever.  It can be adapted in so many ways, and the cookies always turn out chewy and delicious.  Whether you choose to incorporate chocolate chips, tree nuts, peanuts, candied fruit, or (as in the case of this post) dried cranberries and white chocolate, the end result […]

Every year, I try to come up with interesting and flavorful homemade holiday gifts to give my friends, colleagues and family.  I usually bake a variety of cookies, cakes, shortbread and crackers, package them up and give them away in decorative tins and boxes. This year, I wanted to try something new.   Don’t get […]