‘Tis the season for excess. I seem to be making that my mantra during the month of December. It all started at the beginning of the month with a handful of cookie baking sessions with my very pregnant girlfriend. She needed distractions to keep her mind off her current situation, so baking seemed to fit the bill. The closer she got to her due date, the more these baking sessions ramped up. We baked, we cooked, we rolled rum balls, we did it all. Continue reading holiday decadence
Category Archives: Holidays
a taste of the holidays from puerto rico
I’m a podcast addict. I subscribe to an embarrassing amount of them, and never seem to catch up on listening to my ever-growing collection. Podcasts suck down memory on my phone, but I love them, all of them. I listen to a wide variety, including a handful of podcasts that are food-related. One of which is The Sporkful, which is produced by WNYC and is hosted by a man whose laugh makes my skin crawl. Despite the laugh, I keep tuning in every time a new episode appears on my phone, because the content is good. Continue reading a taste of the holidays from puerto rico
comfort food in squash form
With all of the instability happening in the world these days, comfort food is beginning to play a big part in my daily meals. It definitely helps that the weather is dreary outside. Winter squash, of all varieties, is one of my favorite vehicles for comfort food. Whether roasted, pureed or sautéed, squash can be prepared in endless different ways. I’m an equal opportunity squash enthusiast; acorn, butternut, delicata or kabocha, I love it all. Continue reading comfort food in squash form
keeping cozy
Hello! It’s been a while since my last dispatch. A lot has happened: a move from the Bay Area to Portland, unpacking, settling into both a new house and a new pace of life. How’s that for an excuse for not writing? Continue reading keeping cozy
a fast car and a cheesecake
Once upon a time my husband worked for the North American racing division of a German car manufacturer. Working for a German company had its perks. One of which was access to their products, i.e. fast cars. The company offered a lease program to its employees for a price we couldn’t pass up. We couldn’t lease a modest Honda for the deal we would get on this fancy, fast car. So we decided to take advantage of a company benefit. Continue reading a fast car and a cheesecake
traditions in a cake
Holiday traditions. Many of us have them, regardless of what holiday we celebrate this time of year. It seems that traditions, new or old, have a strong place in our hearts. One such tradition for me is enjoying my friend Mel and her brother’s chess cakes. If I had to categorize this on my holiday tradition continuum, it’s relatively new for me. But regardless, taking a bite of that chess cake signifies that the holidays are here. Continue reading traditions in a cake
boozy balls
I had been hearing about my girlfriend’s holiday cookie party for years. She started hosting them a couple of years after I moved away from Portland to California, so I was never around to attend, nor was I ever invited. Each December I would hear stories about the infamous cookie party from our mutual friends. I’m not one to get bent out of shape about such things, but after a while, I started to wonder why I never made the short list for this party. I mean come on, I’m close with the hostess, I’m into baking and I’ve been known to travel over state lines for events. Continue reading boozy balls
thanksgiving-winning appetizer
One of the many things I love about making food for others is the unintended impact it sometimes has on people. Toward the end last summer I got together with three friends from Portland for a girls weekend. The four of us have been friends since we were in our twenties living in Portland. During the weekend, in between a lot of wine drinking, we talked about cooking and recipes. One of my friends mentioned an appetizer that I used to make. She remembered everything about it, but I had never shared the recipe with her. Another one of the trio, whom I lived with in Portland, told me she still makes an appetizer that I introduced her to when we lived together. A tiramisu recipe I’ve adopted as my own, was shared with me by another friend from the group. During that girls weekend we discovered we all had recipe memories about one another.
relishing my favorite holiday
Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. There’s an entire industry dedicated to Christmas excess, but Thanksgiving evokes no such feelings. There are no gifts to worry about giving. There’s no annual slog of parties to get through—and no subtle competition for who can throw the best of them. Thanksgiving lacks the kiss-at-midnight ritual that leave the unkissed feeling unloved. There’s little pressure to drink more or carouse later or otherwise engage in forced jollity. No one spends time worrying about costumes. It’s all about food, family, friends and sharing together around the same table. It’s the best.
planks and sticks 