• Okinawan sweet potato pie

    Okinawan sweet potato pie

    One of the things I was most excited about when we found out we were moving to Okinawa was the purple sweet potatoes, or beni imo. Then, mainly because I am foolish and was only shopping at the commissary and the local grocery store closest to our house, instead of going to farmer’s markets, I […]

  • The best pecan pie

    best pecan pie

    To really understand how important pecan pie is in my life, I need to tell you a story about the first time I went to Afghanistan, in 2008. As soon as I got off the plane at Kandahar Air Field, my friend Kelly (who was the public affairs officer for the unit I was embedding […]

  • What to bake (and cook) for Christmas

    I am totally not ready for Christmas. Toby and I were both traveling for work, and I have baked a TON of cookies for various events and other people, but the only thing we have in our house right now is some peppermint bark I made yesterday. I obviously need to get on the ball, […]

  • Thanksgiving prep!

    pumpkin pie

    Are you ready for Thanksgiving? It’s still 80 degrees here, so it doesn’t quite feel like late November, but I’ve been testing pumpkin pie recipes (my favorite is this one by Ina Garten) and working on a menu for a Friendsgiving brunch we’re hosting on Saturday. I’m hoping to get a new recipe posted before Thursday, […]

  • Gluten-free Derby trifle

    chocolate bourbon pecan trifle

    Are you Team Pie or Team Cake? I’ve always been more of a Team Pie girl myself, so, of course, I thought about making something akin to a Derby pie for the Kentucky Derby. But there are a few problems. First: Derby pie is copyrighted, and the recipe is closely guarded. Second: One of our friends — […]

  • 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 […]

  • How to make pie crust like a boss

    pie crust by hand

    Pie crust can be pretty intimidating. A tasteless or overly dense crust can ruin a pie, and unlike cake, you can’t just cover it with frosting if it looks a little wonky. But you can totally make a good one. Seriously. How do I know? Well, I’ve tried roughly a zillion different recipes and determined that this […]

  • Raspberry pie

    raspberry pie 2

    I have a confession: I prefer pie to cake. I know, I know. Cakes are prettier, and they usually feed more people, and they are definitely a much better vehicle for rainbow sprinkles. And ice cream cake is obviously amazing. But there’s just something about a piece of key lime pie, or cherry pie with vanilla […]

  • Purple sweet potato pie bars

    Thanksgiving is full of browns and oranges, with the occasional pop of red. But if you’re looking for a shock of color to wake up the dessert table, these tropical pie bars with bright purple filling and creamy coconut topping may be just the thing. It’s certainly not the traditional option; I’m pretty sure the […]

  • Brown sugar buttermilk pie with bourbon brown sugar sauce

    Pie is a must-have for Thanksgiving, but you don’t necessarily have to stick with pumpkin, pecan or apple… or limit yourself to one. This brown sugar buttermilk concoction is a little non-traditional, but with the custardy consistency of pumpkin pie and a bourbon-brown sugar sauce reminiscent of pecan pie, it would make a perfect addition […]