Breakfast

Thumbnail image for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

January 3, 2012

When I was a senior in high school, our varsity basketball team lost every single game. Following previous undefeated seasons, the 0-20 record was especially hard for the seniors on the team to swallow and a topic that no one especially liked talking about. At this time, I worked on the school newspaper, where I [...]

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Thumbnail image for Mexican Style Baked Eggs

Mexican Style Baked Eggs

November 17, 2011

If you look in my refrigerator on any given day, you’ll always find plenty of condiments, but not a whole lot of predictability. Though some people have standby foods that they eat day in and day out, I get bored quickly. Even so, the one item that you’ll almost always find on my shelves is [...]

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Thumbnail image for Easy Entertaining: Girls’ Fall-Themed Brunch [Pumpkin Pancakes]

Easy Entertaining: Girls’ Fall-Themed Brunch [Pumpkin Pancakes]

October 30, 2011

Two serendipitous things happened this month: Angie emailed a group of us girls and basically insisted that we have a brunch party at which brandy-spiked apple cider and pumpkin pancakes were both present. Soon after, Eggland’s Best contacted me and invited me to join their “Eggland’s Best Double Dozen” event to support breast cancer awareness. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Why I Write [Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal Recipe]

Why I Write [Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal Recipe]

September 11, 2011

Two weeks ago I wrote two posts in in which I mentioned that I recently lost a job and felt uninspired to blog. After a few days, my mother, an avid reader here, suggested I remove the “depressing posts” in case prospective employers or clients were reading my blog. Though I certainly don’t want to [...]

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Thumbnail image for Easy Entertaining: How to Host Brunch and Still Sleep ’til Noon

Easy Entertaining: How to Host Brunch and Still Sleep ’til Noon

August 20, 2011

If there is one thing I could change about my apartment it would be my kitchen. My small kitchen, to be more specific. So you can imagine why I was pleased to discover that I’m not the only one who struggles with semi-adequate counter space and less-than-desirable storage for my kitchen gadgets and ingredients. Today [...]

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Thumbnail image for Easy Homemade Blueberry Jam

Easy Homemade Blueberry Jam

August 16, 2011

Guest Post by Esther Reisinger Do you feel like lately there has been a return to our homemade roots? Do you even know what I mean by homemade roots? I make up phrases. Let me explain: I feel that I’m seeing so much more from our modern kitchens made the old-fashioned way: from scratch. We’re [...]

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Thumbnail image for Weekend Brunch for One or Two: Zucchini Omelet

Weekend Brunch for One or Two: Zucchini Omelet

August 6, 2011

I wish I had a garden, it would be so lovely. Here’s what I do have though: Two beautiful, large garden pots, one in front and one in back of my townhouse, in which I planted hosta bulbs, only to later discover holes in the dirt instead of small green baby hosta shoots. Apparently squirrels [...]

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Thumbnail image for Cooking for Two: Southwestern Breakfast Burrito

Cooking for Two: Southwestern Breakfast Burrito

June 26, 2011

Today’s guest post is by Marnely Rodriguez of the food blog, Cooking with Books. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, she has worked as an overnight bread baker in Colorado, a chocolate maker in Virginia as well as a pastry cook on Martha’s Vineyard…just to name a few. She currently resides in Santo [...]

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Thumbnail image for Weekend Brunch for One: Caprese Eggs Benedict

Weekend Brunch for One: Caprese Eggs Benedict

June 11, 2011

It’s funny how our taste buds mature. It’s great how our taste buds mature. Imagine going through life only eating chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, PB&J, pancakes, and ice cream. Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad. But it might not be so healthy. But I love that as we grow up and our palates expand, [...]

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Thumbnail image for Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

May 21, 2011

Growing up, it was a real treat in my house if one of my parents had gotten up early on a weekend to pick up donuts or bagels for breakfast. Obviously, this was before I had any cognizance of calories or the fact that donuts would one day land firmly on the no-fun side of [...]

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Thumbnail image for Peach Mango Smoothie

Peach Mango Smoothie

March 17, 2011

If you watch the weather channel in Chicago, I know what you’re thinking. “One sunny day all year and she’s already making smoothies?” Well, yes. And with good reason. You see, I spent last weekend visiting the lovely Dana of Dana Treat fame which I well tell you more about later, but in a nutshell: [...]

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baked eggs with spinach and bacon

Recipes for One: Baked Eggs with Spinach & Bacon

February 7, 2011

I write a lot here about what you can eat for dinner if you’re a spry, young single person cooking when you get home at 8pm but I seldom discuss breakfast. Yes, I have a category devoted to breakfast in my recipe index but those are mostly treat-breakfasts: homemade cinnamon buns, brioche brunch sandwiches and [...]

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quick bread recipes

Simple Hostess Gifts or Party Favors: Miniature Quick Breads

January 8, 2011

You have a party to go to and you'd really like to bring your hostess a gift but you don't want to spend money (admit it). You need a gift for that friend who has everything. You have a baking itch Tuesday afternoon but you'd rather save your cake-and-cookie calories for Saturday night. In any [...]

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new years brunch recipes

10 Perfect Recipes for New Year’s Day Brunch

December 31, 2010

You've been indulging for weeks. You might have eaten a few salads here and there as post party penance but let's be honest: most of us wait until January to kick our resolutions into high gear. With New Years Day falling on a Saturday this year, you have a double-whammy of an excuse to hit [...]

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cinnamon french toast bread pudding

Cinnamon French Toast Bread Pudding

December 30, 2010

There are a number of French toast and bread pudding recipes out there that, while I’m sure are delicious, don’t excite me. French toast, as most people know it, is bread soaked in an egg mixture rich with milk, spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg toasted in a hot frying pan. On the other hand, bread [...]

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peanut butter banana bread

Is Banana Bread Bad for You? (Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe)

October 23, 2010

The question: is banana bread bad for you? is what brings a lot of readers to this site, according to my good friends at Google Analytics. The answer: of course not. Now, I’m not saying that banana bread is health food, but that everything in moderation is A-OK. I mean, think about it. Broccoli is [...]

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Thumbnail image for Elegant Appetizer: Asparagus Tart with Prosciutto and Parmesan

Elegant Appetizer: Asparagus Tart with Prosciutto and Parmesan

May 26, 2010

Angie and I were sitting around my kitchen table on a Sunday night, chatting, sipping wine and recapping our weekends. Her infamous puppy, a mini-dachshund affectionately known as Princess Lulu was snuggled in my lap, likely positioned as such because she knows from experience that I drop food. In any event, we were enjoying the [...]

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cinnamon streusel coffee cake

People Like Cake: Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

May 20, 2010

People like cake. Now, I’m more of a cookie-and-brownie person myself, but even I understand that there’s a reason why we have birthday cake and not birthday brownies or birthday pie. People like cake. There are all kinds of cakes out there – celebration cakes, breakfast cakes – and my personal favorite, ice cream cake [...]

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quiche recipe

Crustless Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto, Swiss Chard and Broccolini

April 25, 2010

In my experience, good things are often highly underrated. Fresh sheets on your bed, the feeling of breaking in new running shoes and quiche. Yes, quiche. At first, quiche makes me think of something that my grandmother might have made at a dinner or brunch party years ago. It’s a baked dish based on a [...]

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whole wheat blueberry muffins

Feeling at Home: Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffin Recipe

April 22, 2010

When I started cooking for myself in my college apartment, I didn’t make complicated recipes. I didn’t experiment with fresh herbs or spices. Though I did conquer a pre-Thanksgiving turkey during my senior year, the other 99% of my meals were basic, simple and reflective of the meals I ate growing up: pasta with homemade [...]

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farmer's market breakfast casserole

Farmer’s Breakfast Casserole with Low-Fat Mozzarella Cheese

April 20, 2010

Something big happened here recently. Some of you may already know but I’m going to come right out and say it on this here corner of the internets. Now, before you get all excited, I didn’t get engaged (or a second date), I’m not having children and yes, I am staying put in Chicago. Oh? [...]

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cherry lime scones

Bake Sale Bounty: Cherry Lime Scones

April 13, 2010

Sometimes, ingredients just scream to me, and I’m not quite sure why. I’ll pick up a mango with no idea how I’m going to use it until it’s ripe, I’ll buy artichokes that will sit in my cabinet for months before they turn into spinach and artichoke fritatta. A few days ago when I was [...]

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apricot mini muffin scones

The Breakfast Rules: Apricot Mini-Muffin Cream Scones

March 18, 2010

Have you ever eaten a scone and wished that it didn’t make so many damn crumbs? Well, I have. An important characteristic in breakfast, especially on the weekdays, is that it be portable. Not portable like a granola bar that I can eat in two bites on the bus in the morning, but portable enough [...]

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banana chocolate chip bread

Monkey Bars (Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bread)

March 15, 2010

If you look, at any given time on my kitchen counter, you’ll find bananas. Bananas are a shopping list staple for this single girl. They’re healthy, compact and versatile – you can pop them in cereal, eat one before a workout or transport in your purse for an on-the-go potassium fix. The problem with bananas [...]

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whole wheat muffins with golden raisins

Whole Wheat Muffins with Pecans and Golden Raisins

February 18, 2010

Sometimes I joke that I’m not even going to think about having kids (or even a pet) until I can manage to get myself out the door in the morning, in one piece. Even though my only real responsibilities before 9am are to get from bed to shower to bus to work (and sometimes stopping [...]

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spinach cheddar strata

GPOYW: Spinach & Cheese Strata Recipe Edition

February 17, 2010

I’ve always been intrigued by GPOYW. I’ve seen some of my friends post gratuitous pictures of themselves on Wednesday. And coincidentally, I spent this Saturday afternoon with my photographer friend Allie, who just launched a brand new photography website. She snapped some photos as I was making a spinach and cheese strata.

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simple breakfast quesadilla

Simple Breakfast Quesadilla (Bacon & Eggs)

February 9, 2010

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, why do we only eat it once? I know that some of you out there can cheerfully eat anything in the morning – pizza, a turkey sandwich, leftover brisket with mashed potatoes…not me. If it wasn’t marketed specifically as breakfast and isn’t a chocolate chip [...]

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Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Parfait

Saturday Snacks: Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Parfait

January 26, 2010

Because I love to cook and take on new, challenging recipes, I sometimes forget that there are so many basic, simple ways to make food enjoyable. Cooking doesn’t always have to mean dragging out every pot and pan you own, buying stock in dish detergent and buying the sharpest, most expensive knives you can find [...]

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Thumbnail image for Whole Wheat Cinnamon Pancakes

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Pancakes

December 17, 2009

The differences between Saturday and Sunday are subtle. On Saturday, most banks are open and the gyms are more crowded. Saturday is a day of errands, long walks, coffee shops and drinking beers at a neighborhood bar. Saturday nights mean movies, dinners out and Saturday Night Live. Sunday mornings are quieter. When you run to [...]

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pumpkin apple harvest muffins

Pumpkin Apple Harvest Muffin Recipe

November 17, 2009

I know what you’re thinking. Enough with the pumpkin, lady. While I can’t make any promises, I can assure you that I am running low on canned pumpkin with no pending plans to purchase more. I also realized, recently, that even though I have recipes here for low-fat banana muffins, banana muffins with tart lemon [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Incredible Egg: Spinach & Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Chicken Sausage

The Incredible Egg: Spinach & Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Chicken Sausage

November 16, 2009

There is nothing more versatile than an egg. You can eat eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can eat eggs sunny-side up or hard-boiled, scrambled with goat cheese and truffle oil. You can poach eggs for a salad, sandwich or burger.

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spicy pumpkin butter

It’s The Great Pumpkin (Shortage): Spiced Pumpkin Butter Recipe

October 20, 2009

Did you know that there is a pumpkin shortage this year? Not good news for people like me, who look forward to pumpkin scones with the wide-eyed anticipation of a six-year old on Christmas morning. Not good news for people like Erin, either, the only person I’ve met who seems to like pumpkin more than [...]

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Thumbnail image for It’s The Great Pumpkin: Pumpkin Bread Recipe

It’s The Great Pumpkin: Pumpkin Bread Recipe

October 18, 2009

Since I began blogging I learned that if there is one thing that die-hard home cooks love, it’s seasonal food. While I appreciate pumpkin in October, cranberries in December and strawberries in June, their arrival at the farmer’s market or grocery store means more than just having a new item on the shelf: it symbolizes [...]

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Thumbnail image for Morning Glory Farm’s Almond Crunch Granola Recipe

Morning Glory Farm’s Almond Crunch Granola Recipe

September 22, 2009

Recently I was contacted by the publisher of the new Morning Glory Farm cookbook and offered a copy to review. The book is about a family farm on Martha’s Vineyard and shares stories of how the farm became one of the most popular in the area. The best part about the book, aside from it’s glossy [...]

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Seeking Perfection: Cornmeal Pancakes Recipe

August 18, 2009

For a long time I thought that a perfectionist always did things, well, perfectly. A perfectionist had neat handwriting, a stunning sense for fashion and an organized closet, with sweaters stacked neatly by color. A perfectionist could flip the perfect pancake and wake up without bedhead. A perfectionist didn't need make-up and she always looked [...]

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Bread Baker’s Appentice Challenge (Week 8) Nice (Cinnamon) Buns

July 9, 2009

There are some words in the English language that elicit laughter. There are words like "Uranus" with slang definitions that translate into bouts of immature giggles when said out loud, particularly when uttered in a room full of seventh graders or college frat boys. There are also words like "organism" that I always feared I [...]

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Thumbnail image for The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge: Brioche (Week 4) Poor Man’s Ham, Egg & Cheddar

The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge: Brioche (Week 4) Poor Man’s Ham, Egg & Cheddar

June 11, 2009

I love that at weekend brunch, you can eat traditional lunch fare like salads, burgers and sandwiches or you can pick a meal reminiscent of breakfast and order omelets, French toast and home fries. Another thing that restaurant brunches have going for them is all you can drink mimosas or sangria. And finally, I’ve learned [...]

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The Bread Baker ‘ s Apprentice Challenge: Bagels (Week 3)

June 4, 2009

Some say that the first known bagel was baked in Austria in 1683 when a baker from Vienna, thankful to the King of Poland for saving Austria from Turkish invaders, reshaped the local bread so that it resembled the King’s stirrup. Others say that the bagel was invented much earlier in Krakow, Poland, as a [...]

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Let Them Eat Cake: Sour Cream Coffee Cake

May 12, 2009

There is an infamous Sex and the City episode in which Miranda, a high-powered attorney and proudly independent single woman decides that she can't cope with another bad date so she goes on strike from men. She figures, what is a man when you can have a relationship with a delicious eclair? When she tires [...]

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Thumbnail image for Cranberry Buttermilk Scones

Cranberry Buttermilk Scones

May 7, 2009

Okay, I know what you’re all thinking. “Between all of the scones and pasta…and more pasta….how does she roll herself through the doorways?” Well,  the truth is that I’d be doing everyone who reads this blog a harsh disservice if I didn’t tempt you regularly with the baked goods I swear by (anyway, a girl [...]

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Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day: The Only Thing You Need to Bake Bread

May 5, 2009

I'm not very good at answering form questions. "What's your favorite color?" "What's your favorite movie?" "Who's your favorite band?" "What's your favorite place to go on vacation?" All of those questions make me anxious. I like a lot of colors, I enjoy movies that are so bad I don't like to publicly admit that [...]

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Let’s Do Brunch: Spinach & Artichoke Fritatta

April 7, 2009

We've all heard of "breakfast in bed" but less frequently we hear of "lunch in bed" or "dinner in bed" unless, of course, you're under the weather and bed is really the only place you're eating meals, if you're eating much of anything. Yet, we romanticize breakfast to be the one meal worthy of being [...]

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Rise and Shine Honey Nut Granola

March 15, 2009

I've often said that I could eat breakfast food three meals a day. As much as I love eggs, pancakes, waffles, french toast, scones, quiche, cereal, fresh fruit and coffee, god, don't get me started on my addiction to coffee, the truth is that even I would grow tired of the carb-heavy menu after some [...]

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My Actual Favorite Movie…and Chocolate Chip Scones

February 10, 2009

In one of my favorite episodes of Friends, Monica and Rachel bet that they know Chandler and Joey better than Chandler and Joey know them, with Chandler’s pet duck as the wager. Ross writes the questions and delivers them game-show style, and it’s through the series of questions that they reveal that while Rachel claims [...]

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Thumbnail image for Puff Pastry To Paris: Raspberry Almond Breakfast Tart Recipe

Puff Pastry To Paris: Raspberry Almond Breakfast Tart Recipe

February 3, 2009

Even though it might seem like I spend 24 hours a day on the internet, my day job is actually in public relations. Therefore, when a good family friend, Lisa, who has been a talented home cook and recipe contest maven for as long as I’ve known her told me about a recent contest she [...]

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Cake Now, Diet Later: Cranberry Coffee Crumb Cake Recipe

December 30, 2008

The holiday season winding down often leaves everyone a little sad. No more holiday parties to make excuses not to go to, no more listening to the same annoying Christmas songs blathering on every FM radio station. As much as I hate seeing abandoned Christmas trees discarded at the curb, I’m looking forward to the [...]

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Nutty Maple Banana Bread Recipe

December 19, 2008

When I lived in my first apartment in the city, my three roommates had the sorriest kitchen I’d ever seen. I’d been in frat houses with better collections of cookware and kept more groceries in my college dorm room than they did in their refrigerator. Since I had moved in to replace the soon-to-be-engaged roommate [...]

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Sunday Morning Brunch: Gingerbread Pancakes Recipe

December 15, 2008

For some, Saturday is the best day of the week. I agree, there is a nice feeling that comes along with waking up in the morning to forty-eight uninterrupted hours of work-free down time. Though Saturdays certainly have perks (namely: Saturday nights), I'm more of a Sunday girl.

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B-A-N-A-N-A-S (Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe)

December 4, 2008

Even though my chocolate idiot/maybe better than sex/flourless chocolate cake will be a tough post to follow, I’ve been doing a whole lot of baking lately, what with that whole Thanksgiving thing last week. It’s been fun for the blog – not fun for my jeans. Holiday season or not, when I eat a good [...]

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Pumpkin Season Ain’t Over Yet: Glazed Pumpkin Scones Recipe

November 18, 2008

If I read one blog in September that said, “I love the Fall” I read a hundred. Mine included. However, most of the proclamations of love for the autumn season started to die down around mid-to-late October when the weather really started to get chilly and people started thinking, “Damn it, I wish it were [...]

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Not in season: Blueberries with Yogurt & Granola

November 9, 2008

I usually prefer to buy fruits and vegetables in-season, proven by my recent love affair with local apples. However, I’m also stubborn and if I’m craving something, I want it now, not in six months when it’s available on the cart at the farmer’s market. Which so happened a few days ago, with blueberries. When [...]

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Carboloading: English Muffin Bread Recipe

November 3, 2008

There goes a stereotype that women tend to crave carbohydrates and men prefer to eat protein. While my brother can easily sit and eat two hamburgers in a sitting, I could never accomplish such a feat. But put me in front of the bread basket and I’m putty in your hands. Even though I like [...]

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Blogging about Cookbooks & a Banana-Nut Bread Recipe

October 13, 2008

Even though the internet is my mecca for recipe-finding, I have amassed quite a few cookbooks over the past few years. Some were inherited from my mom, who finally admitted that she’ll never use them, some I received as gifts when I began to show an active interest in the kitchen and there are a [...]

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Bagels and Pumpkin Cream Cheese

October 10, 2008

One of the hallmarks of a good weekend is good breakfast. I always eat something in the morning, but Monday – Friday breakfast is on the run or at my desk. Though I love breakfast foods – from cereal and milk or oatmeal to waffles or egg white omelets with gooey cheeses and fresh vegetables, [...]

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A Thanksgiving Tradition, A Recipe for Pumpkin Cranberry Bars

September 19, 2008

When I was in first grade my class had a "Thanksgiving" celebration in class. Someone brought stuffing, someone brought mashed potatoes and someone brought sliced deli turkey breast for sandwiches. My big contribution was cranberry bread, my earliest baking endeavor and my first addition to the Thanksgiving menu in my house. Every year, I made [...]

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Maple Biscuits and Chrysanthemums

September 3, 2008

When it the weather first started showing signs of spring my mother bought me a plant. A plant that I neglected to water on multiple occasions. It's not like I set out kill it, I just thought that if it was raining the plant wouldn't want water and it was April. April Showers…and all that. [...]

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Let ‘ s talk about breakfast

August 20, 2008

I could eat breakfast foods for every meal of the day. Oatmeal, cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola with plenty of red, ripe strawberries – love it all. However, I also like scones, muffins, bagels slathered with cream cheese, omelets (with LOTS of veggies and of course, the classic childhood mainstays: pancakes and french toast. When [...]

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