• Cranberry sauce with pears

    While most people look forward to Thanksgiving for the turkey, the mashed potatoes or the pie, my favorite thing about turkey day is… the cranberries. I seriously cannot get enough. Every year, I buy approximately one billion bags of cranberries to freeze and make lots and lots of cranberry sauce. And then eat it all. […]

  • Cheesy mini pretzel dogs

    There are many wondrous things available at the Amish market in Annapolis. But Toby’s favorite is the pretzel dog. We have our friend Jose to thank for that, actually, because we may never have stood in the ridiculously long line for one if he hadn’t told us about them. Anyway, we don’t live in Annapolis […]

  • Ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms

    Even though we STILL haven’t finished unpacking all the boxes and totally organizing our new house (I know, I know), we do love our new neighborhood. We’re close to a lot of awesome restaurants and shops, a gorgeous running path along the Potomac, and the one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the U.S. Like, […]

  • Puffy corn omelet

    I’ve been totally lame this summer. I haven’t been giving you nearly enough recipes for the fabulous fruits and vegetables that were bountiful at farmer’s markets and grocery stores, because I’ve been traveling and moving and working and not cooking very much. And also because the light in my new kitchen is not very good. […]

  • Fancy macaroni and cheese

    Not all macaroni and cheese is created equal. Most kinds are delicious, but some — like the type in a blue box, for instance — are more suited for a weekday dinner than a holiday table. This kind, on the other hand, is dressed up with more expensive cheese and a golden crust of buttery […]

  • Vegan vanilla chai latte

    My big sister from my sorority was really big on studying at coffee shops and diners. One of our main sisterly activities was going to Waffle House to spend a few hours studying art history (her) and Russian grammar (me). But I really, really hate Waffle House. (Sorry, everyone in the South, but it’s just […]

  • Bourbon balls

    A few years ago, I decided it would be a great idea to make bourbon balls for tailgating at the Georgia-Kentucky football game. Toby wasn’t home, so I found a recipe online — epicurious.com or foodnetwork.com, can’t remember which — and followed it. The resulting bourbon balls tasted gross and looked completely disgusting. It was […]

  • Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day

    I love Mexican food and margaritas… and mint juleps and chocolate-chip-pecan pie. So it’s problematic for me that the Kentucky Derby is on Cinco de Mayo this year. I still haven’t completely decided what I am going to do, food- and dessert-wise, but we have to go to a thing that evening so I won’t […]

  • Brussels sprouts with orange butter sauce

    Here’s the thing: If you had asked me a year or two ago to make a list of the things I could never, ever see myself cooking and blogging about, that list would look something like this. 1. Fish/shellfish 2. Mushrooms 3. Brussels sprouts And yet, here I am. With a bag of Brussels sprouts […]

  • Southwestern muffin-cup eggs

    As I was looking through my mother’s stacks of Junior League cookbooks from across the Southwest, I came across this intriguing egg recipe. The eggs are cooked in muffin cups and then topped with a fresh salsa. Yum, right? It’s super easy. I went a little overboard with the olive oil, but it’s not too […]