Charlotte Au Chocolat
It’s not often that I find free moments during the day to sit and unwind with a book. I make list after list of recommendations and books that have caught my eye at one time or another, “to-read” lists for someday in the future when I hope time slows down a little. I dream of the books I’ll read, of the places they’ll take me, the emotions they’ll stir, and the characters I’ll meet and fall in love with as the pages go by. Reading is a therapeutic and transformative experience, and while I don’t get to enjoy it often, I thoroughly enjoy it when I can. (more…)
Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread
A couple weekends ago, I did something I’ve never done before. I went out and bought over-ripe bananas for the express purpose of baking with them. Usually my banana-baking pursuits come out of necessity, when there are rotten bananas taking up space on the counter, or too many collected in the freezer and I need to use them up. But this time, I was really craving banana bread, and when I saw heaps of blackening bananas at the supermarket I scooped them right up!
First Foodie Pen Pals
When I first heard of Foodie Pen pals just one short month ago, I thought it was such a cool idea! I loved having penpals in elementary school; somehow sharing letters with a stranger as if you were friends was such a novel idea to me, and it allowed me to feel connected in places besides my immediate surroundings. Now being a grown up, I still revel at the idea, especially when food is involved! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy receiving packages in the mail, especially when they’re filled with thoughtful treats from another foodie like me. (more…)
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
Even though Thanksgiving is long gone by now, I’m still dreaming about this dessert I made for it. Better late than never, and this recipe is too good to pass up! When I was in high school, I was part of a culinary arts program, and I can still remember to this day a particular pumpkin cheesecake that we made, which I enjoyed with my mom and her best friend in the car en route to a couple of college visits I had lined up. I’d just made it that afternoon in class, and when I got in the car we were all a bit hungry, so forks dove into the cheesecake as soon as we hit the road and it was just SO GOOD. I came across that same hand-written recipe from class earlier this year amongst a stack of my mom’s recipes, and it reminded me of that day and of that cheesecake, and made me crave it in a serious way.
Martha’s Vineyard Bliss
It was about a month ago now that I went to Martha’s Vineyard for a mini vacation with my family, but I still feel compelled to write a post about if for no other reason than to relive those few days through pictures. Martha’s Vineyard is easily one of my favorite places in the entire world, I’ve been going almost yearly for as long as I remember, and it holds such a special place in my heart. It’s always been a family trip we take together, but this year I was fortunate enough to get to bring Kevin along, which was such a treat for me because it meant that all of the most important people in my life were with me 24/7 for four days straight. (more…)
