Sesame Cashew Bars
I’ve wanted to visit Sofra outside of Boston for years, and somehow life + pandemic made it so that I didn’t visit my favorite U.S. city for over six years. In the meantime, I had acquired owner Maura Kilpatrick’s masterpiece of a cookbook, Soframiz, and while I haven’t baked nearly enough from it, the first […]
Black Cocoa Halva Israeli Swirl Cookies
For Chanukah this year, I was mulling over what to bake, probably some kind of rugelach? Or maybe I’d try black-and-white cookies finally? But then Shannon Sarna’s Modern Jewish Comfort Food arrived, and all of that went right out the window because her beautiful new book includes a recipe for “Israeli Swirl Cookies” with two […]
Sweet Potato Rye Bundt Cake
Sometimes a girl just needs a heads-up. Sometimes a cake is so unexpectedly perfect and fabulous, and you have no idea what you’re about to bite into because it looks like a regular cake-colored cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and no other ceremonial visual cues. In fact, you might even wonder what it […]
Toasted Sesame Pan-Banging Cookies
While sesame is not a traditional Thanksgiving ingredient, I will always associate this particular cookie recipe with Thanksgiving, gratitude, and transformation. Two years ago, which feels like so much longer, during the pandemic holiday season of 2020 when I was holed up in my quarantine cocoon (and not mad about it), I discovered, rather late […]
Vanilla-Apple Cider Bundt Cake
Every October I’m torn between two existences: my desire to embrace the cooling season, the harvest foods, the upcoming Halloween witchiness, and the slowing down and coziness of the end of the year… But my work life is the complete opposite and pulls me in the other direction by necessity. As a school counselor, it […]
Basilicata: Crostata al Caprino (Italian Goat Cheese Tart)
If you’ve read this blog in the past, you may have a vague recollection that I was writing a series about Italian desserts at one point. As I’ve been less active in the past few years, I sort of trailed off, but it’s always been something I wanted to return to. The premise was that […]
Knafeh Cheesecake
Among the many things happening at this time of year as we collectively hurtle towards the summer is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates the summer grain harvest and commemorates the Jewish people receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai after their exodus from Egypt. This joyful occasion is ushered in by gathering with loved […]
Irish Cream Brownie Hamantashen
Every year after the holidays, I think things are going to quiet down on the baking front… but then there are fresh, bright, citrusy delights to make in January… then luxurious, chocolaty things in February… and surely in March I can take a breather, right?? Of course not, silly— it’s hamantashen season!! This is one […]
Mexican Hot Chocolate Rice Crispy Hearts
Does everyone else love rice crispy treats like I do, or do I have some sort of abnormal obsession? I love baking – cakes, cookies, tarts, all the yummy things. But I can’t think of anything else that brings more joy to both adults and kids as rice crispy treats, IMHO. So I wanted to […]
Maltese Ricotta Pie with Honey-Lemon Syrup & Pistachios
We’re somehow wrapping up January, and while it would be absurd to complain about weather in San Francisco, I can’t help but notice my mind wandering to memories of warm, dreamy destinations that have felt particularly far-off for about two years. Specifically at the moment, I’m thinking about a brief, yet impactful trip that I […]
