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That shortcake biscuit was supposed to be heart-shaped…. I don’t watch the show “Parks & Recreation,” starring “SNL” alum Amy Poehler. It’s not because I don’t think that I would like the show. It’s simply because my television dance card is full with “30 Rock,” “Top Chef,” and of course, the obligatory “Downton Abbey.” But [...] By the way, "JAR" are my son's initials. I don't love jars that much. Gingerbread is a very traditional sweet. Long before the Conquistadors stumbled across chocolate in the New World, Europeans were marking special occasions with sweet-and-spicy gingerbread. In fact, even Shakespeare mentions gingerbread in his play Love’s Labor’s Lost: “Had I but one [...] Half empty jar of sorghum syrup January is a funny time of year for a Farmers’ Market Find post. The only farmers’ market that I have been to in the past three months is the Saturday morning farmers’ market in Naples, Florida, which is actually quite fun. Zuzu likes it for the freshly made kettle [...] Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There’s no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com. This weekend we are hosting a small gathering of friends to celebrate Hanukkah, which starts on the night of December 20. The traditional food [...] Mums at the Oak Park Farmers Market The Oak Park Farmers’ Market ended last Saturday, October 29. I’m always so sad to see the market end for the season. Not only does it mean the end of my Saturday mornings spent browsing beautiful, locally grown fruits and vegetables, but also it is a sure sign [...] Dessert pizza by the slice Three people in my life are cherry enthusiasts: my dad, my husband and my daughter. Those three dream all year long of the few weeks in July when the cherries are really ripe and exquisite. All three could sit down with a bowl of cherries and eat until they had a [...] In my personal life, I crave stability. You could count the number of serious boyfriends I’ve had on one hand. (Actually, Rahm Emmanual could count the number of serious boyfriends I’ve had on one hand.) I’ve lived in the same metropolitan area for the past ten years. After my judicial clerkships, I’ve had exactly one [...] Yogurt cake with lime zest and strawberries A few months back there was an article in The New Yorker about food allergies called “The Peanut Puzzle” by medical writer Jerome Groopman. Needless to say, my husband and I read the article with avid interest and at least a dozen friends and relatives called or emailed to [...] The key to a man's heart maybe lean, juicy flank steak. Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and everyone was talking, in real life and on the Internet, about their plans: whether it was reservations at a fancy restaurant or a romantic meal at home, or even just another chaotic family dinner. (Some of you may remember my guest post [...] For me, grocery shopping is a race against the clock. I have to get everything in my cart and check out before either 1) the child riding in the cart turns into Damien or 2) it is time to pick up said child from preschool. As a result, my basic M.O. is to grab stuff off the shelves and run, and occasionally [...] It all started with the Meyer lemons. I was doing my just-buy-the-necessities-because-we-are-leaving-town shopping trip last week when a display of vibrant yellow Meyer lemons caught my eye. I cannot resist Meyer lemons, which are bigger and sweeter than typical lemons with an especially shiny smooth rind, because they make an exceptional lemon curd. (For the lemon curd recipe, go [...] Pepperkakor with crystallized ginger When cooking and baking for a family member with a tree-nut allergy, the cook has three options. One, avoid recipes with nuts. Two, make recipes containing nuts but simply omit the nuts. And three, make recipes calling for nuts and substitute another ingredient. I use all three of these options at [...] Leaf pile! As most of my friends know, I feel constantly conflicted about my decision to step away from the full-time practice of law to take care of my family. I was one of those creatures, rarer than unicorns, who loved practicing law and I miss it. I had good reasons for making the decision, and I [...] Homemade herb-onion bread On Yom Kippur, I invited a new family from our temple to join us for our break-fast. They arrived bearing a homemade loaf of challah that was tastier than any store-bought version I have found in these parts. I asked my new friend, Genevieve, for her recipe and she confessed that she uses [...] My maternal grandmother, whom I called Nome (“no-me”) was a wonderful woman. She adored children and could not get enough of them: indeed, after raising six (!) of her own kids, she worked in a nursery school. She was the kind of grandmother who knew the name of every shell on the beach and every wildflower in the field. She knitted [...] |
  
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