For the past… I don’t know… 3 years, I have been on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  I’ve tried everything: the recipe on the back of the Toll House Chocolate Chip bag, my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, all my favorite cooking blogs.  And I finally found one to be my [...]

Lately, I have felt really burdened to learn how to live on less.  Not just because of the economy,  but I’ve never liked wasting money on things when there is something comparable that is cheaper, or on things that are “wants” instead of “needs”.   I’ve also felt that the Lord is really putting the less-fortunate on [...]

The last dessert I made for the Progressive Dinner: Martha Stewart’s Parisian Macaroons.  I made them pink with a strawberry cream inside and it took me three tries (and my entire bag of expensive almond flour) to get them right!  I’m sure this was the Lord’s way of showing me I’ve been far too cocky about my culinary skills [...]

One of the other desserts I made for our progressive dinner was Raspberry Brie bites. Super simple. 
Raspberry Brie Bites
- 1 package of fresh raspberries
- 10 oz. of brie cheese
- 2 packages of Fillo mini shells (found in the freezer section)
Fill each Fillo shell 3/4 full with brie cheese and put a raspberry on top.  Bake at [...]

Last Sunday, we had a progressive dinner with the Frederick side of the family so that they could see our new house and Caleb & Amy’s new house, and also to celebrate Grandma Frederick’s birthday. We had some lovely appetizers and lasagna at the first stop, then had dessert at our place.  I really wanted to make pink & [...]

This weekend, my mom came up for a visit!  The last time she was here, we put her to work with all kinds of cleaning and painting and new-house craziness, so it was great to have a FUN weekend where we could just enjoy ourselves and so some summery things. 
Mom came up Friday after work, bearing [...]

Last night was the Taste of the Independents. It’s an event that features cuisine from over 40 independently owned and operated restaurants in Columbus, and it benefits the non-profit that I work for, The Buckeye Ranch. It was the most delicious food that I’ve had in a long time (probably since last year’s event)! They [...]

Tommorow is St. Patrick’s Day, and I wanted to bake something for the occasion.  I almost went with shamrock-shaped sugar cookies, but I’ve been baking so many sweets lately (and just bought some Girl Scout cookies) so I decided I should make something more traditional:
Irish Soda Bread.

On Friday, I was at Panera and noticed theirs… they [...]

I’ve been baking some kind of cookie or dessert about once or twice a week now.  Not good for my hips, but it’s good for my heart. 
Cookies can be tricky.   Sometimes the bottoms burn and the tops are doughy, or they spread out too much, or are too “cakey”.  Having a sketchy apartment oven doesn’t [...]

Today is March 1st, meaning I will turn twenty-five in twenty-nine days.  My cousin Carmen told me on Wednesday that twenty-five was her favorite year.  I hope it is mine too.  But I am a little sad that it will mean that from then on, I will be closer to thirty than to twenty. 
Funnel is [...]