SMiLes by Meg

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Erik is here! After two years of long distance from Boston, Massachusetts to Anchorage, Alaska, we’re finally in the same place, for the long run – Washington, D.C.! And because Erik’s back, it’s only fitting that this week’s recipe is one he claims we’ve made before, though it never appears on the blog, so I don’t know how that can be true – whole wheat sourdough bread. This recipe is a modified version from the Tassajara Bread Book. We used starter from Alaska (shout out to Cathy Coon!) and realized that we probably no longer need to each have our

Fudge Stripe Cookies

This week’s recipe is courtesy of Marj, who sent me a very exciting housewarming gift – the BraveTart cookbook! This book is so fun. It’s full of homemade versions of classic desserts you definitely grew up eating, and it’s making me want to redo many recipes on my blog, where I had tried to do the same based on recipes on the internet. So don’t be surprised if you see a new version of Nutter Butters or Oreos or Rice Krispies in the coming weeks. But to start, I went with a cookie that I always considered a treat when

Buttermilk Ice Cream

I’m having just the most lovely weekend. Our new apartment is starting to feel slightly more put together. I went for a long walk in my new neighborhood yesterday. Today I’ve been sitting on my balcony reading a book most of the day. I’ve cooked a bunch of good food for the week. Things are looking up! And maybe I have just slightly too much time on my hands, as evidenced by this week’s recipe. On Wednesday I was really craving ice cream. When I’m slammed at work, my response to that is to go to an ice cream shop

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

OK OK. I know that I’ve made a lot of chocolate chip cookies for this blog. And, like, how different can one chocolate chip cookie be from another? In my mom’s words, “is there anything about these cookies that is….special?” But hear me out. This is my first recipe in my new kitchen. SMiLes by Meg has relocated to Washington, D.C. If you’re in the area and have a request/want to pick it up, I’m happy to oblige. And this week, I wanted a recipe of something that I could give out to the people that work in my building

North End Cannoli

Friends, another chapter of SMiLes by Meg is coming to an end – this is my last weekend in Boston! Tomorrow I move down to Washington, D.C., with a new kitchen and a new bakery scene to explore. Obviously, if I’m moving tomorrow, my kitchen is very much packed up already. And I didn’t think that just using a spare recipe would be a good way to mark my last weekend here (also, I didn’t have a spare recipe…) So, this week, I convinced Madison and my Mom to help me out with something a little different – a taste

Single Chocolate Chip Cookie

Have you ever thought, “What I really need right now is one large chocolate chip cookie, but no more than that?” This blog is for you. In the past, I’ve taught you how to make a mug brownie, and last week I started my small batch baking kick with some Funfetti cake. But a single chocolate chip cookie feels so much more decadent. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, oil, water and vanilla extract with a rubber spatula until combined. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir to combine. Add the chocolate

Mini Funfetti Cake

Hummingbird High has introduced me to maybe the best thing to come out of quarantine – mini cakes. Made in a loaf pan rather than a cake pan, these are normal sheet cakes, but meant for 4 to 6 people instead of 16 to 20. So for those socially distant gatherings you might be able to start having, where the group has to stay small, you can still have cake! I also discovered, in making this recipe, that I’ve been living a lie. I always say to make any loaf pan recipes in a 9×5 inch loaf pan, but it

Vanilla Pudding

Long distance is tough. With Erik in Alaska, and neither of us able to travel since COVID started, it’s been extra tough. Sometimes I’ll mail treats up his way (he got last week’s lavender shortbread cookies), but most of the time I’m making things that don’t exactly ship well (let me know if you have a good way to ship strawberry sorbet – he definitely wanted to try that one). So this week, when I off-handedly asked him what I should make, and he suggested pudding, it felt like a way to kind of have him around while I was

Lavender Honey Shortbread

I don’t know why I one day saw dried culinary lavender in the grocery store and thought “THAT is something I need in my life,” but I did, and here we are, about a year later, finally using it. I move in a month, and can’t really bring all of my food with me, so am trying to make recipes that use up as much of it as possible in an effort not to waste it. When I was in the pantry yesterday, I came across the lavender, and remembered a fun cookie book I had that I could have

Madelyn’s Snickerdoodles

Happy Fourth! When I heard my cousins would be coming over for a socially distant picnic, I realized this weekend would be the perfect opportunity to get to bake with my cousin Madelyn, who has been sending me very delicious-sounding recipes for weeks, and who is recently breaking into the baking business herself. The first recipe she sent me was for snickerdoodles. My mom had all of the ingredients on hand and I’m a firm believer that cookies are the best cookout dessert, so that’s what we decided to go with. Madelyn did all of the hard work here –