Lunchtime was rough for a few years of lower school. I brought sensible lunches from home; my friends ate strawberry Pop-Tarts and Pringles and crustless PB&Js in little individual packages. My second grade teacher once caught me sneaking a plate of French fries in the cafeteria. She pulled me aside and sternly asked if my mother knew I was having those, and would she approve? Instead of meekly answering (no, of course she doesn’t, sorry), I gave a sassy "yup!", hurried to my table, and savored each salty bite.
Read moreCHOCOLATE BISCOTTI + STORMY WEATHER
Last week at home on the farm it stormed. The thunderstorm was sudden and intense, like most summer storms. They sweep in from nowhere. The sky stays blue and bright until just before it starts. The only warning is a subtle change in the atmosphere --- the air feels damp and crackles in anticipation as if with some secret electric charge. Clouds gather quickly. The temperature drops ten degrees. A few raindrops fall, becoming a constant patter, and then sheets of water sluice down from above. The rain is so heavy that your shirt soaks through when you dash outside to check your car windows.
Read morePERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE
The best part of this chocolate cake was not the perfectly swirled frosting success (thank you Erin McDowell for all the lessons), or the very, very, very intense flavor that comes only from regular old Hershey's cocoa, or how good it tasted three days later at 1 AM when we ate some, tipsy, on the couch.
Read moreHIPPIE CRISPY TREATS
At summer camp in Vermont, we used to make a cheater's version of Rice Krispie treats: melted marshmallows, butter, and puffed rice cereal in a scratched old pot over a campfire. Instead of smoothing them into a pan and waiting for them to cool, we'd reach into the pot and grab handfuls, letting it harden as we ate it. It was exceptionally messy, but far more fun to eat. The smokiness of the fire gave the dessert a wilder taste and took the intense sugar high down a notch. Despite the proliferation of high-end, dressed-up Rice Krispie treats, I hadn't tasted any that came close to the campfire ones, until I tried these hippie crispy treats. Bound with almond butter, maple syrup, and bittersweet chocolate, they have an adult, addictive quality to them.
Read moreChocolate & Coconut Raspberry Tarts
There's something incredibly appealing about miniature desserts. They're adorable and you're allowed to eat an entire one by yourself (say it with me: YES PLEASE). You can easily scale this recipe up to make a full-sized tart, but I like making individual ones for a party or to make a otherwise ordinary weeknight dinner feel a little more special.
Read more