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Archive for the ‘edible gifts’ Category

Stir Crazy in Snow | Malt Ball Cookies

Do you have some guilty pleasures? I will assume you do. I will also assume that along with reality t.v. shows, Colin Firth movie marathons, and trashy magazines, there might be a few guilty pleasures associated with food. Or, quite possibly, more than a few? A lot?

I knew it.

I wonder, however, if you actually experience guilt when you eat any of the things that typically fall into this category or engage in any of the aforementioned activities? I might guess you do not. Wouldn’t it be more correct to call these embarrassing pleasures? I think it’s more accurate. I don’t feel a lot of guilt when I buy a package of bright pink peeps and a stack of fashion magazines. I might be feel a little embarrassed. My cheeks might grow hot too. Shame pleasures? That sounds a little raunchy, I suppose. Either way, I think you know what I mean.

I’ve had some time to ponder these things. I was stuck inside my home for days and days. The snow that I discussed with great fondness in my last post disappeared briefly only to return with a vengeance. For nearly a day, it was gorgeous and lovely. The world was blissfully…

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Maeve’s First Birthday | Banana Cupcakes + Cream Cheese Frosting

I moved into my house several years ago now. Was it 6 years? Maybe it 7 years ago? I can’t recall. What I do remember is the feeling I had the first night I stayed here. It was hours after my lovely friends who lent me their strength and baked celebratory brownies were gone. The place was terribly quiet. There was an absolute sea of brown boxes overflowing with the things I’d collected through many years in various homes and apartments.

I padded about the house sinking my toes into the dark green thick pile rug. I looked at the blank walls, which were painted a sallow color reminiscent of the peach toned crayon. I checked all the faucets for water pressure. I repeatedly looked out the window and opened all the doors to get a sense of my new landscape. I remember feeling a bit scared, but simultaneously exhilerated. I was alone. I was home. It was all mine and there were a million things I could do to make the house the way I wanted it to be. I was newly single and felt breathlessly free.

And, for several years, I continued to feel liberated and weightless each time I…

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Happy Holidays!

We did not have any expectations for Maeve’s first visit with the man in red. He was a nice man and he didn’t smell like beef and cheese as expected. Nonetheless, Maeve’s emotional state went quickly from bewilderment to terror. Poor thing. I have to admit, however, I adore this picture. She is a sweetheart through and through.

I am going to sign off here for a few days. When I return, you will be winding back into life after much holiday cheer. You will have full bellies and good spirits. And, Maeve, my little red fox, will be a toddler.

Here are just a few quick links. Happy Holidays!

Have you made this gingerbread yet? It’s not too late.

A bread to fill your house with the scent of cinnamon will thrill your loved ones.

An easy last minute cookie.

Also easy. Apple cake.

Chocolate truffles!

A little story about a Christmas elf to get you in the mood or, really, to make you laugh.

Some more fun santa photos here.

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Homemade Marshmallows | Edible Gifts

There are not many foods that cross seasonal lines with ease and fluidity. The time for stone fruits is fleeting. Tomatoes are best if eaten when sun-kissed by the warmest summer temperatures. Asparagus is just about perfect when pulled from the earth during the damp days of spring.  We feast on the finest pears and apples in the fall around here.

But what food brazenly leaps across the seasonal barriers without skipping a beat?

Marshmallows.

I mean it.

Although you might not put these pillowy chunks of goodness into your shopping cart as you prepare for your camping trip, you will certainly pick them up later when you hit the small store on the outskirts of the national park. You know what I’m talking about, right? You breeze in there for a bundle of firewood and realize you forgot to pick up the marshmallows. Surely no summer camping trip is complete without them. After all, you wouldn’t want to disappoint the kids.

Please also consider for a moment those gooey bits that form a blanket over your mother’s famous Thanksgiving yams. These are the yams you feast on for days. These are the yams you love and tried in vane to replicate for the first…

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