I usually call my mother once a day. I mentioned that to a friend the other day and they looked at me like I had some serious issues going on. I just like to talk to her. She's funny and wise. She's interested and interesting. She has a rare ability to listen actively, quietly encouraging me turn things over in my mind, like I'm panning for gold, like my thoughts are a handful of sand from a stream bed and I'm sifting out the debris until a kernel of something true appears flat in my palm.
Read moreSALTED BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE RICE KRISPIE TREATS
Where are you right now? Are you sitting in a loud bar, skimming your fingers over the polished wooden counter, playing with a cocktail straw, debating the merits of a spicy habanero margarita over a sweet rhubarb gin fizz? Perhaps you're waiting for a friend to arrive, and while you wait, you quietly take it all in: the reflection of the neon signs in the glass windowpanes, the closeness of a dozen bodies pressing in for the bartender's attention. Conversation buzzes around you, shouts and laughter and murmured confessions from the couple to your left. The deep thrum of the bass, the thread of the pop song hanging high over the sounds of the room.
Read morePEAR & CARDAMOM CAKE
How much time do you spend worrying? Not about the big things -- I'm talking about the little, anxiety-producing moments all day: The barista making your morning latte lukewarm, the woman one seat over on the subway talking too loudly on her cell phone, your computer restarting three times and losing your work.
Read moreSHEET PAN BROWNIES
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Say it with me (quietly, slowly): sheet pan brownies.
I know, brilliant right? All of us poor, sad, lost souls have been muddling around all these years, sensibly roasting vegetables and dutifully baking cookies on our sheet pans. PATHETIC. We have not been living! Okay, I've had a one (or two) Aperol spritzes so far tonight so excuse my drama. But really.
Read moreBANANA BREAD
There’s something exceptionally comforting about banana bread. It’s got no pretenses; it doesn’t hide behind any frills. Other desserts sometimes look good but fall flat, but banana bread is not throwing any of that sort of trickery at you. It’s like the baked good equivalent of an un-retouched Facebook profile photo: You know what you’re getting.
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