• CakeSpy’s marvelous marble swirl cake

    Since I’m in Afghanistan, a few friends and fellow bloggers agreed to help me out, so you, dear reader, would still have some recipes and other fun stuff to check out while I’m gone! Today, I am linking to a recipe from the delightful, adorable and oh-so-sweet Jessie (aka Cake Spy). Photo by Cake Spy […]

  • Olive not-so-drab (and an announcement)

    Hello y’all! I have to admit I didn’t love this outfit — it didn’t turn out quite the way I had planned — but I think the photos (from a recent event I covered for work) are the perfect way to lead in to my announcement… I’m on my way to Afghanistan! It’s for work, […]

  • Four-cheese macaroni (and cheese)

    Are you ready for the Super Bowl? This will be the first time in several years that I won’t be around for Super Bowl, which is very strange for me… and possibly even stranger for Toby. He’s going to have to order some pizza and wings, I guess, or make his own bourbon chili, pulled pork, […]

  • Sparkly magic kitchen wands

    Sometimes, just getting dinner on the table can seem like the world’s biggest challenge. Whether I’m going for a multi-course meal or just a grilled cheese sandwich, cooking usually requires cleaning, rummaging through the pantry and the fridge, following directions, making up my own directions, emptying the dishwasher and clearing off the dinner table. I […]

  • London calling

    What do you wear when you’re going on an overnight flight from warm San Diego to not-so-warm London?   -> I decided to go with cashmere, black jeans and trainers (as the Brits call them). And, of course, a giant bag to carry all my stuff! I brought several books with me (I’m halfway through […]

  • Cranberry upside-down cake

    When I was planning my Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner menus, I knew I had to have delicious desserts for both… but I didn’t want anything that would require a lot of work. I decided to make a peppermint ice cream cake for Christmas (which was delicious but also a huge mess, so I need […]

  • Cranberry-apple fluff

    You can have your raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. My favorite things run more along the lines of cranberries, green apples, marshmallows and glitter. And this side dish has the first three. Plus sugar and Cool Whip. It’s basically perfect. If you read my old blog, you’ve seen this recipe before, and you […]

  • Cherry-pecan scones

    If you think scones are dry, hard and better suited for use as a doorstop than an afternoon snack… then you haven’t tried these scones. These are flaky, tender, buttery, full of cherries and toasted pecans. They’re perfect for tea, or for brunch, or for anytime you want something delicious.   They’re also easy — […]

  • Enlisted

    Have you seen the ads for “Enlisted”? It’s a new Fox comedy about three brothers (played by Geoff Stults, Chris Lowell and Parker Young) who are soldiers in a rear detachment unit in Florida. It premieres Friday. And it’s hilarious. I know because I got the (awesome) opportunity to preview a few episodes, visit the […]

  • Gingerbread men and pumpkin dip

    I know the holidays are technically over… but since most of the U.S. is buried under a thick blanket of snow and we’re not even a full week into January, I think it’s still perfectly acceptable to eat some gingerbread men with pumpkin dip. These gingerbread men are pretty easy to make — though you […]