This recipe for molten dark chocolate lava cakes with a creamy chocolate center is seasoned with the zest of a Christmas orange and a bit of Christmas spirit(s) for a divine dessert in a jar. Let’s discuss what makes a good holiday meal. It begins with an email from the host. Subject line: It’s Time to Prepare the Feast. The night starts with appetizers and bloody marys, shrimp dips and weenies on toothpicks, baked brie, and an assortment of canapés. Dinner comes next. There are few... more

A recipe for yogurt and olive oil cupcakes lightly flavored with lime and topped with brilliant pomegranate arils and buttercream or just a simple pomegranate honey syrup. “Is anyone this girl’s mom?” the salesperson asked, staring around the shoe store. He was referring, of course, to my daughter, who at this moment was standing, hands on her hips, in front of a display of TOMS shoes, eying the ones that sparkled and shone. On her head was a bright blue bomber hat to accent the... more

All natural and unprocessed vegan scones with chocolate chips and cacao nibs make an excellent breakfast option with this easy recipe. “Mom, can we bake? Mom. Mom, I want to bake. Mom, bake. Bake.” After a long flight last Friday I headed straight towards the kids’ elementary school to volunteer. When I finally arrived home later that evening, I was tired. Exhausted. Wishing it was later so that the kids wanted to curl up in bed rather than demand dinner followed by popcorn for... more

The classic seasonings and brown sugar flavors of Biscoff speculoos cookies are baked inside biscotti and begging to be dipped into your favorite seasonal latte. I’m sitting on the counter swinging my bare feet, the floor two feet away. It’s summer, and I’m in shorts, my legs sticking to the counter when I shift my weight so that I have to peel them off like a bandaid, only less painful. On the counter next to me is a goldenrod mixer. Just past the mixer are the plastic gallon... more

Deep purple mulberries grace the top of this almond cream frangipane tart. Best served warm with a drizzle of honey, it’s a recipe for contentment wherever you may be. Home. I walked to the baggage carousel last night, and just as I approached there were squeals from their small bodies as they barreled towards me, their sun-streaked hair flopping around on their tanned heads. I smiled as they hit my knees, wrapping small arms around and hugging them tightly with grins spread wide across cherub-like... more

This red, white and blue pie is begging to be served at your Fourth of July barbecue. With layers of sweetened lime yogurt, fresh blueberries, and plenty of the season’s freshest strawberries, it’s a patriotic pie you can’t resist. We pulled into our driveway last night to a sweltering house. After a week in the Boundary Waters on the Canadian border with sunny skies and cool nights, the change in temperature (and humidity) is a bit stifling. Before setting foot in the house, though,... more

Lemon kisses the crust, but leaves this bar-style cheesecake rich and creamy, then appears again in a sweet sauce that covers the strawberries on this springtime dessert. My grandma would have us over for Sunday dinners often. When my family up and moved away from the city, his brother followed, buying the house two doors down. His parents, my grandparents, would keep a respectable distance of 1/4 mile when they moved, too, so as not to crowd the boys. Only my aunt, with her world-traveling ways,... more