Zest

The ultimate combination. Don’t be afraid to take these out of the oven a little early–they are incredibly soft and chewy! Dark Chocolate, Pistachio, and Sea Salt Cookies Makes 2 Dozen Cookies Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup unsalted […]

After trying dozens of recipes throughout the years, this is the best pumpkin bread I have ever made and/or tasted, courtesy of my friend Gina. She often makes this bread as a study break, and hand-delivers warm slices to other students working late into the night at the library. Though it is fantastic straight out […]

After a busy semester, I am home for Christmas, eager to take a break from the dining halls and get back into the kitchen. One of the first meals I made was this Lemon Chicken, a simple recipe that looks and tastes elegant. My family ate the chicken alongside steamed broccoli, brown rice, and salad, […]

The first few days of Fall are upon us, so prepare for a plethora of pumpkin recipes. I am a card-carrying member of the party promoting the belief that pumpkin goes well with everything…I let out an audible squeal of excitement when I found a jar of pumpkin pasta sauce at Whole Foods the other […]

As the great Julia Child once said, any party without cake is just a meeting. Birthday celebrations are a wonderful excuse to try out a more labor-intensive, special occasion dessert recipe. This Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Layer Cake is worth the extra work, and guaranteed to impress everyone at the party.  Thank you to Lea […]

In just 11 days, I will be racing my first full marathon: The 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Logging hundreds of miles during several months of training has both mentally and physically prepared me to run 26.2 miles (hopefully!), but it has also made me hungry. During my training, I try to seek out […]

On a gray, stormy Sunday this week, I baked a batch of these lemon thyme mushrooms. The dish smells unbelievable while cooking in the oven, but when the richness of the mushrooms mixes with savory thyme, bright lemon, and sharp parmesan cheese, it tastes even better. Lemon thyme mushrooms would make a wonderful side dish […]

Is there still time for one more summer berry recipe? Ah, who am I kidding? There’s always time for cobbler! We take cobblers very seriously in my family, always with the goal of bringing the best cobbler to the family reunion. Great Aunt Mary is the cobbler champion, of course, but this recipe may be […]

They say it isn’t easy being green, but I think this recipe proves otherwise. With a recent bounty of basil from my summer vegetable garden, I whipped up a weekday meal of walnut pesto pasta. The addition of walnuts to the pesto makes it rich and smooth, while the cloves of garlic add the perfect […]