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

French macarons are meringue-like almond cookies that are filled with jams, buttercream or ganache. They come in several different flavors, and macarons happen to be the perfect virtual baby shower treat for my dear friend Amanda from {i am baker}. Lately I feel as though there must truly be something in the water, such is the number of pregnant friends I have. However, in just seven short days one of them will no longer be pregnant. Instead, she’ll join the ranks of “other moms with... more

I enjoy cooking with my kids. I believe that teaching them how to cook and bake and feed themselves is an important part of the child rearing process. So, I set out to do that this week. First, we made brownies, but not just any brownies. We made brownies with a mint cheesecake layer, and then we topped them off with a simple ganache. I mean, it was St. Patrick’s Day. What ends a meal of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and Guinness like a rich brownies with a refreshing minty kick? Nothing.... more

Finally, I share my shortbread for all the world to see. You can just add this to the list of things I have failed or fallen short at recently. It belongs right there next to purchasing pants that actually fit my growing 5-year-old and scrubbing my floor. You see, I made and photographed this shortbread late one night before I left for San Francisco. I brought the pictures with me. I even brought the cookies with me. Yet, despite my good intentions, technology interfered. Not only did it take... more

When we moved into the neighborhood over two years ago we had no idea what our neighbors were like. We had only moved a mile from our previous residence because we were determined to stay in the same elementary school. I was nervous. I’d liked the familiar, tree-lined streets of our old, 1930s Cape Cod neighborhood. I was hesitant to think I’d find much for me on the 1950s rambler-infested street we moved to, but I had an open mind. It turns out I had moved across the street from... more