• George Washington’s cranberry pudding

    I grew up in a state that didn’t even become a state until 1912. The history there tends to be of the native American or Mexican variety, and there aren’t any bars that can boast of hosting a founding father. So it’s a little weird to me that I live just a few blocks away […]

  • Southwestern butternut squash saute

    I have a really hard time getting dinner on the table every night — particularly a well-balanced, homemade dinner. Do you have this problem? It seems like it always turns into a thing. What do we want to eat? Do we want to try to eat something healthy? Do we have anything in the fridge? […]

  • Roasted root vegetables

    I know roasted root vegetables don’t sound as exciting as three-layer cakes and frosted brownies. But, seriously? Don’t let the not-so-appetizing word “root” fool you: These are delicious and super easy. And at least a teeny bit healthier than brownies. Predictably, you start with raw vegetables. I used a turnip, carrots, parsnips and a sweet […]

  • Brownies with marshmallow-mint frosting

    I’ve made more thematic St. Patrick’s Day items in past years. There were the Guinness/Bailey’s/Jameson cupcakes, the beef and Guinness pies, the soda bread, the Irish coffee sundaes, the Guinness chocolate cake. But this year, I went a slightly lazier (and Guinness-free) route and just dyed some frosting green. I’d say I’m sorry… but once […]

  • Banana coconut cake with chocolate frosting

    It has been far, far too long since I posted a cake recipe, y’all. But today I’m going to remedy that with a doozy — an easy three-layer banana-coconut cake with simple, perfect chocolate frosting, toasted coconut and chocolate ganache. A-maze-balls. And tomorrow? Chocolate mint brownies for St. Patrick’s Day. Party!   You’ll need a […]

  • Green chile corn pudding

    The weather around here has been… interesting. Last week started with 30-degree mornings, somehow we reached “warm” the next afternoon, but then a crazy snow storm was going on the whole next day (though none of the snow stuck in Alexandria or DC). And now it’s like 60. Crazytown. It’s the kind of weather that […]

  • Charred tomatillo salsa

    I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering how I could possibly give you a recipe for nachos and not include some salsa to go with it. So… today I’m talking about salsa. Homemade salsa. It goes perfectly with pork, and it’s so easy you may not quite believe it. Those are tomatillos. They look like […]

  • Beer-braised carnitas nachos

    How is it already March? I know February is a short month and all, but seriously. Somehow I managed to wait an entire month before sharing the delicious nachos I made for the Super Bowl. If you don’t like nachos… well, we probably can’t be friends. But you could always just use these beer-braised carnitas […]

  • Caramelized Vidalia onion dip

    I hate onions. Well, kinda. Somehow, the girl who orders her enchiladas and burritos and chili dogs and hamburgers and salads without onions… loves onion rings. And onion dip. With potato chips, which I also normally don’t like. It’s an enigma. But, while I can’t explain it, I can embrace it. And I figured that […]

  • Secret-ingredient chocolate cake

    Did you know that putting beets in chocolate cake is a thing? Apparently it’s a thing. I wasn’t really sure how to feel about the idea, though. I’m not exactly a huge beet fan (although I reportedly loved them as a baby). But I figured it couldn’t possibly be as bad as that time I […]