There’s nothing more satisfying than a simple, no-frills chocolate chip cookie. People often try to gussy up their cookies, and I’m not saying those are bad because they’re in fact quite good, but there’s still something satisfying about a simple gooey chocolate chip cookie. You’ll note that I say gooey. I’m a firm believer that chocolate chip cookies should not be crunchy. It’s all about achieving the perfect consistency between still being cookie dough and then being overcooked. It’s something I’ve tried hard to perfect.
So after trying lots of different cookie recipes, I’ve decided the Nestle one (yep the one that comes on the back of the chocolate chip bag) is the best. When I’ve brought cookies to people after using the Nestle recipe, I always get way better feedback than I do when I use other recipes. I guess it makes sense that Nestle would have perfected the chocolate chip cookie, but it still somehow surprises me that we all look for the perfect recipe, buy books dedicated solely to chocolate chip cookies, and then the one on the chocolate chip bag still ends up tasting the best.
Most of the time, I pick cakes based on the aesthetics. It’s one of the reasons I love cakes. You can make them so beautiful, and they make such a great statement when presented at a dinner party. I recently tried this one out and I loved how the flavors of caramel and apple complemented each other perfectly! This is definitely not a fast dessert to make, but if you’re in the mood for cake, I highly recommend it.
This salad is one of my favorites for nights when I want something healthy and fast. Although it makes for a great dinner during the summer, it is also good in the winter when you’re still craving something light and flavorful!
Growing up, I thought Pop-Tarts were the coolest thing ever. My mom wouldn’t buy them for us, and so I always loved going to friend’s houses who had them. And now I know, I could have been making them for myself all along. Turns out, they’re super easy!
For Valentine’s Day, I decided to make Pop-Tarts for breakfast. And seriously, they took 15 minutes to prep. So easy!!
There’s something so satisfying about hearty, flavorful soups in the winter. Butternut squash is a classic, but sometimes it can lack enough flavor for me. I recently tried a curried butternut squash soup that had more than enough flavor. It was delicious and pretty easy!
When it comes to sugar cookies, there are good ones and bad ones. My favorite happen to be the ones you find in a grocery store that are light and fluffy, and a little bit thicker.
For Valentine’s Day, I decided to make cookies for everyone I know here in DC and had looked at tons of recipes trying to find one that would give me this perfect end product. I ended up settling on the “Olinger family recipe” with a few small tweaks. My coworker had brought her family cookies in at the holidays, and I had fond memories. And I wasn’t let down! They were a big hit!
I don’t generally cook lots of meat, especially on week days, but this pulled pork is amazing. We first had it at a friend’s birthday party, and have now made it several times ourselves. It’s a long process, and one that involves being in the house for a while, but it’s totally worth it if you like pulled pork! We always serve it with corn bread (just the box from Trader Joe’s, it’s seriously amazing) and an Asian inspired coleslaw. This coleslaw is delicious, especially if you’re like me and don’t like mayonnaise I also think the slaw gets better overnight, so I recommend making it a day in advance. It’s perfect for summer picnics or BBQs!
My hands down favorite breakfast is pancakes. They are easy, fast, and seriously delicious. But here’s the thing, not all pancakes are alike. The ones you see all the time are the monster IHOP style ones that take up an entire plate and weigh a pound each.
Well, I’m here to say mine are far superior to those! When I say mine, I really mean the ones that have been made by generations of women in my mom’s family (and maybe a few men too in the more recent generations).
An aspiring lawyer with a passion for desserts...
An aspiring lawyer with a passion for desserts...
An aspiring lawyer with a passion for desserts...
An aspiring lawyer with a passion for desserts...
the petite croissant 