When Ina Garten speaks, I listen. Her fifth cookbook was published last month and my very good friend Judy presented me with a copy of it for my birthday. (Judy also brought The Art of Simple Food into my life— the lady clearly knows how to pick cookbooks.) Ina’s latest venture is excellent. For those of you familiar with her, you will be happy to see that she still can curate an exciting and accessible collection of recipes. The book is a real pleasure to read and she offers some good entertaining tips. You’ll also be happy to know she still loves butter. She always manages to shock me with how much butter she is able to fit into her recipes. Quite frankly, it scares me. But there is no denying that it tastes good. read more+++

You know by now of my love of cheese, but we have not yet spoken of doughnuts. Why is it so easy to love the things that are bad for us? (That truth seems to extend beyond the kitchen.) If I could, I would eat a doughnut every morning. That might kill me, and so instead I treat myself to a doughnut very occasionally. But I think about them often. I kept coming across recipes for Doughnut Muffins and they really piqued my interest. Could something you bake really taste like a doughnut? Is this the solution to all of our problems? No, probably not. But these muffins are a real good thing. They have both the texture and taste of a cake doughnut- minus the time spent frying in oil, which is at least a step in the right direction. read more+++

I made these cookies for my friend Julie’s birthday. Oatmeal might just be my favorite type of cookie. I like them crisp and crunchy and full of oat flavor. None of those soft and chewy oatmeal cookie for me. I think soft oatmeal cookies remind me of my school cafeteria. No raisins either. I don’t actually think that raisins work that well in most oatmeal cookie recipes. I decided to replace them with dried cranberries and add some toasted pecans for a really delicious autumn version of the classic cookie. read more+++

My dearest friends and I share a deep love for the grilled cheese sandwich. Really any form of melted, grilled, fried or even flaming cheese. I can’t imagine a better food. When Luisa posted a recipe that I had been thinking about for a while, I finally tried making these grilled Gruyere toasts with mustard and thyme. They are a little piece of heaven. A few slices of sourdough are broiled on one side. Flipped over and spread with melted butter and then good Dijon mustard. Sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves and covered with shredded Gruyere. Returned to the broiler for a minute or two until melted and browned and delicious looking. These are such good comfort food, and surprisingly I find myself still needing some comfort. read more+++

The cranberry madness continues. I have been wanting to try this recipe for cranberry upside-down cake for over a year. I don’t have much experience with upside-down cakes, I’m not even sure that I have ever eaten one. I don’t know if my inexperience was keeping me from trying it or if other cranberry recipes had been more aggressive in their fight for my attention. In any case, I am sorry I waited! This is delicious!

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Cheese. There may be nothing I like more than cheese. All sorts of cheese, from the very strongest and most aggressive blue to the smooth creaminess of goat. I never imagined I would be making my own, but an article in this month’s Food and Wine changed all of that. Maria Helm Sinskey convinced me that making ricotta was both easy and fun—and it was. read more+++

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Lottie + Doof need to get healthy. With all of these baked goods it makes sense to balance them out with a healthy breakfast. We’re starting with granola. I’ve always liked granola, but so much of if is loaded with sugar (or worse—corn syrup), or oil or butter and is in fact just a crunchier form of dessert. I have been on the lookout for a granola recipe that manages to be both healthy and delicious—something I would want to eat for breakfast with yogurt and fruit. I think I found it.

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Last year Bryan and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house. I was pretty thrilled by the prospect of getting to cook that iconic meal.  I wanted to pull out all of the stops and made most of the meal myself. This probably speaks to the my controlling nature because everyone offered to help cook or to bring things. Even my dear friend Molly, who happens to be one of the best cooks I know, offered to make a dish. I agreed, but only if she made a recipe I gave her. At the time Bryan pointed out that this was a little weird, and I guess in retrospect I understand that. Luckily, Molly is understanding and was happy to cooperate. (Thanks, Molly!) The meal was a real success and everyone had a nice time. I was exhausted, but pleased with my efforts. One of the things I enjoyed the most at that meal was a cranberry relish made with fresh cranberries, orange juice and fennel seeds.

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