THINGS THAT CAN BE VERY GOOD OR VERY BAD:
Silent phones.
Sore legs.
Underbaked desserts.
Loud music.
Read moreDOS AND DON'TS AND WAFFLES
DO
1. Wear sunscreen
2. Always have a book to read. Right now, I’m starting this one and in the midst of this one and just finished this one.
3. Turn on music whenever you have a chance. It’s an instant mood improver. On that note, here are four songs I like lately: Thunder by Imagine Dragons (for driving in a cab with the windows down at sunset through Central Park wearing something pretty on the way to a night out) and Another Way by Ten Fe (for slow-dancing around the living room) and Nice by Rye (for listening just after you've poured your first glass of wine in the evening) and Good and Ready by Anthony D'Amato (for singing along, loudly, and probably ideally alone given my personal vocal abilities).
Read moreBROWN BUTTER TOFFEE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Alternative titles for this recipe included "99 Problems But Brown Butter Ain't One", "Toffee for President", "Legitimately Addictive Cookies" or "Medium-Sized Circles of Heaven" but I reined it in. (You're welcome.)
I've made three batches of these cookies since discovering the recipe a week ago. I did run into the SMALL issue of not being to find toffee bars -- which surprised me, given that I consider Skor bars to be one of the greatest candy bars around (simple is better, kids!).
Read moreTOASTED CHOCOLATE COCONUT MACAROONS
Yesterday I realized we had no real dessert in the house. Travesty! (Also the result of ten days away, and being really OCD about cleaning your kitchen before vacation.) There's usually at least something sweet to be scrounged up, whether cocoa powder for a quick stovetop chocolate pudding or a leftover slice of cake wrapped up in the freezer. Okay, perhaps I'm being dramatic, as there was a pint of vanilla ice cream with a few spoonfuls left in the bottom (and a serious case of freezer burn), but nary a cookie in sight.
Read moreCALIFORNIA
I’ve spent the week in southern California; two friends from college got married on Saturday in San Diego. Having never been south of Los Angeles before, I was expecting a lot of fish tacos and to be able to spend at least two days pretending I was a cast member on Laguna Beach (kidding!) (not kidding!).
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