I’ve been a regular at Milk & Honey since it opened back in 2002. The cafe is located on Division Street in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. I have the good fortune of living less than a block from the restaurant and so it is our go-to spot whenever we want something delicious for breakfast or lunch. read more+++

Every year I make some resolutions related to food. I usually give up on them a few weeks into the new year. One always seems to be that I will cook dinner/lunch more often and eat out less, both for health and financial reasons. In an effort to make this one stick, I have been on the lookout for very quickly prepared meals that are also delicious. This recipe for pasta with pecorino and black pepper is one of those recipes. It came together in about 10 minutes and was extremely delicious. We ate it with an arugula salad and an orange to balance out the cup of cheese. It will become a regular at our house, especially since the ingredients are usually on hand. Here’s hoping that 2009 is finally the year that I eat at home more than I eat out. I’ll keep you posted… read more+++

You all may have noticed by now that I don’t care about chocolate. Never have. I honestly don’t get it! I can’t imagine choosing chocolate over the flavors of caramel, or butter, or fruit, or really anything. Like with every rule, there are some exceptions and this cookie is one of those. If you’re anything like me pre-World Peace Cookies, you have undoubtedly come across this cookie on countless blogs and websites. Everyone raves. Everyone claims they are the best cookie in the history of cookies. Well, I wouldn’t go that far but they are pretty special. Bryan loves chocolate and so I made these for him about a year ago and he did his little dance which means they are very good. Even chocolate-hating-me can recognize that these are excellent cookies. So, make some. And enjoy. And for those chocolate-lovers out there, it will probably be a few months before you see chocolate on Lottie + Doof again, so get it while you can. read more+++

Thanks to many of you sweet, sweet readers and friends Lottie + Doof has been nominated for a Homie! (You might be wondering what a Homie is, I certainly was, it is an award that The Kitchn is giving to the favorite food blog of 2008) It is an honor to be nominated, but wouldn’t it be even better if we won?

That can only happen if you go HERE and vote.

xoxo

Right before the holiday craziness began, I baked a cake for a coworker’s baby shower. It seemed like a good reason to try out a layer cake recipe from Sky High. I baked this beauty late at night and cursed a lot while putting it together, but folks— this was amazingly delicious. read more+++

I really like tomato soup. I would even go so far as to say it is my favorite soup and this tomato soup is one of the best I have ever eaten. Better than the tomato soup at Bread, better than the tomato soup at Nordstrom Cafe (which is surprisingly good for a department store restaurant), better than any I know. It is relatively easy to make and comes together quickly. I make this pretty regularly during the winter and never get tired of it. Let it offer you some comfort on a cold snowy day (it is 4° F in Chicago right now). It is particularly nice with some Parmesan toasts to dunk into it. Or maybe some mozzarella melted on top. Some fresh chives? Feel free to improvise. read more+++

These elegant little gems are from this month’s Gourmet magazine. They are so perfect for a Christmas cookie plate! There were a zillion cookie recipes in this issue of the magazine, but for some reason none of them sounded that good to me. It was weird. Until I spied these. So elegant! Like little snow covered moons!

read more+++

We here at Lottie + Doof have eaten a lot of cranberries this season! It isn’t going to end here, but I thought it would be a good idea to recap the cranberry recipes—in case you missed any. With holidays approaching, it is the perfect time to try one of these sweet, tart creations and join the cranberry cult. read more+++

I designed these shortbread cookies to combine three of my favorite things: brown butter, brown sugar, and sea salt. They are so lovely and delicious that I am contemplating getting up from my chair and making a batch right now. Just because. They take about 10 minutes to prepare and although you have to wait a while before baking them- you couldn’t ask for easier prep. These also keep really well and so they would be good to send to a friend for the holidays.

read more+++

I made this lasagna for Bryan on our third date. That was three years ago. What can I say, the lasagna works. A few nights ago we made this together for the first time since that third date. I have no idea why we waited so long to return to this dish that had been a regular in my kitchen since the late 90’s. read more+++