• Sweet potato-pecan pie (with gluten-free crust!)

    sweet potato pecan pie slice

    Turkey gets all the attention, and you know I love me some cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. But if we’re being honest, pie is really the best thing about Thanksgiving, right?   I’m definitely in the “a little of each” camp when it comes to pie — I can’t choose between pumpkin and pecan, and […]

  • Best-ever Thanksgiving sweet potatoes (with marshmallows)

    best thanksgiving sweet potatoes

    My mom makes the best Thanksgiving sweet potatoes ever. How do I know? Besides the fact that I have eaten them since (probably) infancy, every person I have ever served them to loves them — and usually asks for the recipe. Obviously this don’t have to only be made for Thanksgiving, but I’m not sure […]

  • Peach-pecan upside-down cake

    peach pecan upside down cake

    A couple of years ago, I learned that my friend Dan’s favorite dessert is pineapple upside-down cake. I had never made (or even eaten!) pineapple upside-down cake, but it sounded pretty good, so I figured I’d try it. Long story short: It was delicious and really easy to make. Anyway, I saw this recipe when […]

  • Slow-cooker veggie chili

    veggie chili

    After I graduated from college and moved to South Carolina, my dinners generally came from a can, a box, the freezer, or a restaurant. I baked cookies and cakes and muffins occasionally, but I really didn’t know how to cook “real” (non-sugary) food, particularly meals that could go from stove (or microwave) to my tiny table in about […]

  • Guacamole salad

    guacamole salad

    When I was in elementary school (probably around second grade?), my family went to Kansas to visit some relatives. The first night, we stayed in Witchita, and my dad uttered a sentence none of us have ever forgotten: “When we’re on vacation, you can order whatever you want.” I had a giant bowl of guacamole […]

  • Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin

    bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin

    Do you guys remember those “Pork: The Other White Meat” commercials from the 80s? Apparently they worked pretty well, because every time I see the word “pork” — even in regard to wasteful spending in Washington — I think of that phrase. But I didn’t really eat a ton of pork as a child, I […]

  • Pumpkin-gingerbread trifle

    pumpkin trifle

    Despite the unseasonably warm temperatures in southern California, it’s October and therefore pumpkin season. I do like a pumpkin spice latte on occasion, but I prefer pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and other things that actually contain pumpkin. So when Toby suggested I make a trifle, my mind immediately went to pumpkin. I thought about doing […]

  • Macaroni and cheese (no béchamel required)

    macaroni and cheese with cheez its

    I think we can all agree that homemade macaroni and cheese is awesome. But it can be a bit of a pain (and a mess) to make. This recipe gives you the deliciousness of homemade mac and cheese, with significantly less work, less mess and less stress than a version that involves making a huge […]

  • Tea at the Aubrey Rose Tea Room

    tea pots

    I’m sure you’ve noticed that I am a certified tea fanatic, and going somewhere for afternoon tea is my favorite. Thank goodness I have friends and family who will indulge my tea and scone addiction, or I would just be stuck drinking a pot of tea by myself in my house every day (like usual). […]

  • Banana bread oatmeal

    banana bread oatmeal

    Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but I have never been very good at eating it. Besides the fact that I am rarely hungry in the morning, I also disliked nearly every breakfast food you can imagine when I was growing up. I was a pleasure to deal with, I’m sure. […]