baked fresh in Washington, DC
I finally finished my Christmas cookies yesterday. I didn’t intend to bake a lot of cookies this year. We are not traveling for Christmas. My husband and my two year old can only eat so many cookies. Actually, they can eat a lot of cookies. But they shouldn’t.
My husband’s aunt (my aunt in-law?) is a real cook and baker. I’m a hobby cookie decorator. She is the real deal. Nate eats all of my cast off rejected cookies. During the holidays, this means a lot of cookies. By the time we get to Christmas, Nate declares that he cannot eat another cookie. And then his aunt hands him a bag of sugary buttery baked goods and suddenly he can actually eat another cookie (or ten.)
With an 18 month old, it is getting harder and harder to make time for cookies. My plan was to dramatically scale back on holiday baking this year. It was a plan. I was going to stick to it. And then I realized that, for me, cookies are the whole point. Read more…
I have a friend who dazzles me with her ability to be amazing all of the time. She wears cute clothes, her house is spectacular, and she throws fabulous parties (large and small.) She can make a gathering of 3 people feel like a special event. When I went to meet her new baby, she had a beautiful spread on her dining room table. I asked her how she managed to be a new mom and a perfect hostess. She replied, “We became parents, not Neanderthals.” Read more…
When I was pregnant people kept asking me if belly button had popped. I kept repeating that it was not a turkey timer. Eventually, we started calling the baby “turkey.” It stuck. He is almost 6 months old and we still call him Turkey. Fast forward to Thanksgiving and the nickname has become hilarious. On an up note, he has received lots of turkey-themed gifts this Fall and I was gifted a neat turkey cookie cutter. Read more…
I’m baaaack! I look a little break to, you know, have a baby. I have made a lot of really great cookies, but this little boy is absolutely the best thing I have ever made. He is fat and funny and I’m just nuts about him. Read more…
Superbowl Sunday is my day in our house. It is the day when Nate goes off to watch football and I have the house to myself. I cheerily bake Valentine cookies and snuggle in with Masterpiece. It is one of my favorite days of the year. Read more…
I love the smell of gingerbread. Gingerbread in the oven fills my kitchen with Christmasy happiness. After the warm gingerbread-scented air subsides, I sniff the cookies. I’m not proud… but it is soooo good. Read more…
Last Spring, we planted new bushes in front of our house. Since 2014, our front garden has been a sad and barren wasteland in Winter. So when we chose our new plants, we selected mostly evergreens. It has been a total revelation. 2016 was not the best year ever, but a little green in Winter helps a bit. Read more…
This year, Nate is thankful for pumpkin spice toffee sugar cookies, adapted from this recipe. He has been eating the dough out of the freezer as fast as I can make it. I did manage to get a few cookies out of the batch, but I’m told the uncooked dough is even tastier than the cookies. Read more…
Last year, two of my favorite people in DC gave the world a very special Valentine, an adorable baby girl (you can see her baby announcement cookies here.) Read more…
Remember when I was making crazy bright Christmas cookies? That was so 2 weeks ago. I dramatically changed the color mood for this set. I was starting to worry that they were a little drab when a friend said they have a “cozy newenglandy feel.” Read more…
Here’s a secret that every winter cookier should know: piping pine/ coniferous needles is crazy easy. The end result looks like it requires way more skill and effort than it actually does. It’s like getting a really good deal– this design is the 40% off coupon code of cookies. Read more…
I have such a difficult time transitioning to cozy winter colors this time of year. I’m still thinking summer can’t possibly be over. When I was cruising the internet for holiday inspiration, I was more drawn to Pantone’s Spring 2015 palette than to Pottery Barn’s current holiday color trends (I passed over a lot of buffalo plaid on my way to making these cookies.) Read more…
A few days before Halloween, Nate declared the 2015 baking season officially open. At my house, “baking season” means that cookie-ing goes from a monthly thing to a daily thing. It consumes my kitchen, my dining room, and most of my spare time. To celebrate baking season (and Thanksgiving!) I made pie cookies: COOKIES THAT LOOK LIKE PIE. Read more…
