Happy Mother’s Day! Aren’t moms the best? My mom certainly is! Last week she came to help out with the kiddos: she took over breakfasts with Jake so I could sleep in with the baby, and sent me off to take naps in the middle of the afternoon, and cheerfully ate soup from a can […]
I can remember the first time my mother ever added chocolate chips to pancake batter. It was basically the best thing that ever happened to Sunday morning breakfast, as far as I was concerned! In the intervening years, I have eaten more than my fair share of chocolate chip pancakes, and my conclusion is that […]
It’s almost Easter! For several months now, Jake’s favorite “book” has been a Wilton cupcake decorating magazine. He found it on the cookbook shelf and immediately started asking me to “read” it to him, naming and describing all of the cupcakes from bubble-gum machines to bouncing babies to Christmas penguins. Now the poor cupcake magazine […]
Can you believe it has been FOUR YEARS since Smells Like Brownies was born? Four years of delicious treats and meals (and some disasters), four years of learning to take food photos and learning new tricks in the kitchen. Time flies. Now, as many of you may know, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of […]
I have a grand tradition of making a deeply chocolatey dessert each year for Valentine’s Day. Because Valentine’s Day really is all about chocolate. Chocolate and more chocolate. Which is exactly what you get if you make a chocolate lava cake! A tender, dark chocolate cake surrounding a gooey, fudgy center that flows out and […]
Before Jake was born, several of my well-meaning friends told me to say goodbye to homemade cookies and from-scratch dinners. Wish my kitchen well and move on. I both scoffed and worried about that advice. Was it really true that I wouldn’t be able to spend time cooking and baking the way I really like […]
Here’s some big news: We are expecting our second baby this coming spring! A little girl! Jake is very excited to become a big brother. It’s so cute to see the things that stand out to him: he is sure that “Baby Nugget” spends all her time swimming (and she may or may not also […]
Oatmeal Energy Bites
Does this ever happen to you?: Some time in September—because you are planning ahead—you diligently buy two bags of candy to give out at Halloween. (Naturally, you buy the good kinds, the chocolate kinds you actually like, because last year only four children and one group of ridiculous teenagers came to your door…and if there’s […]
I heard a terrible, terrible rumor a few weeks ago: apparently, we are about to experience a worldwide shortage of hazelnuts! Gasp! The horror! Before you run out and buy every jar of Nutella in the store (and don’t think I haven’t contemplated that), let’s try a healthier yet equally delicious version of the incomparable […]