• Pear crisp

    Everyone needs a little dessert — even if they are on a diet. I wanted something sweet that would also be relatively healthy, so I ended up with pears. There is really no reason to use two different kinds of pears, except that it looks prettier to have two colors. And I thought it might […]

  • Christmas cookies, Day 2: Lemon bars

    Lemon bars don’t necessarily scream “Christmas,” but they are so good that it doesn’t really matter. These are simple to make, don’t take that long and taste way better than the boxed stuff. I promise. The first step is making a shortbread base. You will need cold butter for this (which means you don’t need […]

  • Extremely advanced gourmet dessert

    Sorry that swimming post was depressing. Let’s try something a little more cheerful. As you may recall, I recently made PB&J bars for a Navy football tailgate (or tailgater, as they call it). The midshipmen thoroughly enjoyed them, and apparently asked if I was making them for the next home game. Unfortunately, I learned this […]

  • Peppermint brownies

    This is another tailgating favorite — and a go-to when I need to make something but don’t have much time. If you keep a few boxes of brownie mix and a bag of York peppermint patties (or a few Symphony bars) in the cupboard, you’ll be good to go. Assuming you can keep from eating […]

  • Cherry-chocolate chunk ice cream

    My husband loves cherries. And as I may have mentioned, he told me that his only request for a Fourth of July dessert was that the secret ingredient be cherries. I did the cherries on a cloud, of course, but I had also purchased a big bag of fresh cherries. I could make a pie, […]

  • Cherries on a cloud

    This dessert is amazing. It doesn’t take a ton of actual work, but you do have to start making it about 24 hours before you want to serve it. And it is soooo worth it. Imagine cherry pie filling floating on a magical cloud of meringue, whipped cream and marshmallows. If you love sugar (and […]