Give the gift of cookies that they can enjoy whenever the mood strikes them. An easy gingerbread cookie mix in a jar makes a great teacher gift this Christmas and holiday season. Christmas is right around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: Run through the mall scanning the shelves for random gifts to throw into your cart for all those people you still have left to buy for, right? Okay, so I try to avoid the mall at all cost this time of year. I haven’t even stepped foot inside one... more

Gingerbread cookies are the quintessential Christmas treat. People from all over enjoy variations of them come Christmastime. Here are a few variations you could try with just one simple gingerbread cookie recipe. I’ve been sitting quietly for a long time thinking about what to write in this space. I had set out to show you the versatility of gingerbread cookies, and I thought I might entertain you with a story. I’d weave a tale of childlike fantasy of a gingerbread boy and the amazing... more

A creamy vanilla and buttermilk custard envelopes a pile of perfectly plump pears, all baked off in an all-butter pie crust. Yesterday my husband and I packed up our car. Not the family car that fits all the kids securely in their car seats, us in the front, but the small commuter vehicle he drives to work every day. We roused Kjell from his bed before the other children were moving in their rooms and drove across the state to visit the Mayo Clinic. As we made our way between the oil refinery, the... more

An easy, all-butter pie crust recipe to impress your friends and family with a flaky, homemade crust this holiday season or any season. Grab a shortening crust recipe from me over at TidyMom. I recently had the opportunity to make pie at J.M. Smucker’s in Ohio, (did you know they have both Pillsbury and the White Lily flour?) but before that even, I have been putting the finishing touches on the pie chapter in my book. There has been a lot of pie around these parts as of late, and I’d... more

Summer peaches and iced tea turn into sweet popsicles just in time for Labor Day and the end of summer. I’ve been quite melancholy as of late. Far too busy for my own good and saddened at the thought of missing another summer. They always seem to fly by, taking with them the warm air and flowering plants, and leaving me in the cool, brisk wind waiting for the world around me to catch fire with autumn and then fade to gray and be blanketed with white. I feel as though I cannot possibly move... more

This peanut butter pie is creamy, chocolatey and everything you’d expect from a peanut butter pie. Made specifically for Mikey Perillo, as requested by his wife, Jennie, it will forever serve as a reminder to hold those closest to you daily and tell them how much you love them. I’ve been staring at the screen since Monday, unable to find the words. Writer’s block isn’t necessarily a new thing, but that’s not what I’m suffering from. Instead, there is only a heart,... more

A sweet and tangy watermelon lime sorbet is a great way to cool off in the summer. As a bonus, this recipe is frozen back in the watermelon rind and cut off into slices. It’s hot. The type of heat where when you step outside the door and your skin is wet before the door swings shut behind you. It’s a hot that hangs in the air, letting you breathe it in, that is cured only by two things: being completely immersed in water or hiding indoors, the air conditioning cranked as far as it... more