Every Yule, we get little gifts in our stockings “from the kittehs.”  Usually it’s some sort of snack food.  (Hey, kitties aren’t wealthy.  And they like treats.)  Almost always I get chocolate-covered espresso beans (good kittehs!) and BW gets trail mix or nuts or one of those hippie snacks that he likes.  This year the […]

Everybody loves Starbucks’ Cranberry Bliss Bars, right? Those artery-exploding triangles available Thanksgiving through New Years are an unholy union of near-pornographic levels of perfect texture, fat content, and flavors.  And they cost $2.25 a pop! Last year I tried making a “copycat” recipe but I just wasn’t satisfied with the results.  Factor in the difficulty […]

I had the following items left over from cooking all of my Tgiving food: about 15 oz. of pumpkin puree, a cup or two of peeled, cubed butternut squash, and a bunch of buttermilk.  I made this recipe (with tweaks) for dinner last night and not only did it aid me in clearing out the […]

My favorite food group is Condiments. And one of my favorite condiments is salad dressing.  Like most people who grew up in the U.S., I have an abiding fondness for Ranch dressing.  As a kid, I used to hit the salad bar and make a “salad” consisting of a pile of croutons and cheese, doused […]

See? But no, I’m talkin’ about…. Trader Joe’s Lemon & Triple Ginger Snap Ice Cream!

I’m writing a blog post about Nabisco Newton cookies.  WHEN CAN I SEE A MOVIE?!

Your powers are feeble compared to that of…. I don’t usually like pre-flavored coffees for two reasons: 1. whatever the “flavor”is, they always tend to taste very, very artificial. 2. they’re made from the worst, cheapest, nastiest coffee…thinking that the flavor will mask that fact. That’s why I’ve been very impressed with the new Starbucks […]

It all started in Washington, DC.  There’s a little Asian-y lunch place near the Nat’l Archives called Teaism that sells these Salty Oats Cookies that verge on the obscene, they are so good.  Boy Wonder and I were having serious talks about taking the Megabus to DC (only $8 round-trip!) just to buy some cookies […]

I think it’s safe to say that nobody doesn’t like Sriracha sauce, that mysterious Vietnamese condiment that comes in the big bottle with the rooster on it.  Its virtues are manifold and its presence is ubiquitous in every Asian food dive in the greater PGH metro region.  It adds heat!  It cuts grease!  It brings […]

There are things in life that I own up to being a complete sucker for; things that are guaranteed to make me cheerfully part with my money.   A Russell Crowe movie on opening weekend.  A new Song of Ice & Fire book.  Peter Murphy.  Viking movies.  Magazines with Shaun White on the cover.  Ginger-flavored anything.  […]

Remember I mentioned that I would be baking up some ginger treats on Friday in honor of Shaun’s birthday? Well they turned out like sex in a pan, as is only fitting!  They feature a moist, molassesy gingerbread crust topped with a buttery streusel.  And ginger in spades, of course.  Have to share the recipe, […]

Title aside, this is NOT a post about Shaun White, Sidney Crosby, JStaal or Russell. This post is about these cookies! These may be the best freaking cookies I’ve made in my bloody life.  A little background.  I love sour cherries.  I found some dried sour cherries at Trader Joes and my first thought was […]

Over the weekend we had a Desserts Pot-Luck party for BW’s birthday.  Guests did not disappoint as everyone came with NOM in hand.  My contribution was the above:  Nutella S’more Bars.  I found the recipe online back around World Nutella Day and just needed a crowd to try them out on.  I always make s’mores […]

Happy World Nutella Day! In order to celebrate this day, you need exactly one thing:  a jar of Nutella.  Spoon optional. But if you really want to get fancy about it, you should make something out of the Nutella.  I found a recipe for Triple-Chip Nutella Cookies that I’ll be baking later today.  If they […]

I want to make some Jumble cookies…you know, the kind that have a little bit of everything.  Some oatmeal, some chocolate chips, some M&Ms.  Anybody have a tried-and-true recipe they could point me to?  I have a recipe for “Ranger” cookies, that have oatmeal, rice krispies, and possibly chocolate in them but I’m not sure […]

If you know me at all, you know that I have a dependence on Ginger-flavor Altoids.  Even though I’ve been getting into all the trippy flavors of Orbitz gum lately, it has not replaced the Ginger Altoids in importance. And how could it?  Gum is just gum.  Ginger Altoids are not only a delicious, palate-cleansing […]

‘Nother recipe fer y’all, this one cribbed from the glossy pages of Bon Appetit magazine. The original recipe was called ‘Seville Chorizo & Manchego Savory Cakes‘ and I knew just from the title that I would have to try it because chorizo sausage and manchego cheese are two of BW’s most favoritest things (hey, he […]

“And now here’s something we hope you’ll really like.” This recipe is freely modified from Rick Bayless’s excellent Mexican Everyday (great cookbook, highly recommended.)   The original recipe is for a “skillet upside down cake” made with your choice of fruits.  BW and I made it once a while back when we had a ton […]

Would the seasons even change if it were not for the power of this Holy Trinity?  I think not. Blessed be the Mini Eggs, the Peeps, and the Thin Mints, forever and ever.  E-men.

This recipe was found by one of BW’s co-workers.  I tried the cookies she made, and had to know it.  It’s so simple, it seems wrong to even call it a recipe.  It’s one of those really 1950′s “better living through consuming processed food!” sort of lazy, white-trashy recipes that you (or at least I) […]