SMiLes by Meg

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I am officially back in New Jersey. School starts next week, and my summer is coming to a far to fast close. After spending the last couple months indulging in the luxury of hanging out with my family and not planning lessons, coming back here was a bit of a shock. That shock was not improved by the fact that my AC unit had leaked, causing my floor to buckle into a mountain range.

Cup Cookies

So I have a special midweek treat for all of you – a guest post by two aspiring young bakers.  My twin cousins Teddy and Jack made cup cookies (which you can then put milk in, eliminating the need for dunking), and they want to tell you about it.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Samoa Bars

Spring break was supposed to start Friday.  It was supposed to be a half day, and then I would have all of this coming week off.  However, apparently when you have seven snow days, those week-long-break perks of being a teacher can disappear.  So instead, I have two more days between me and an extended long weekend with my parents.  Rather than wallow in these extra two days, I used my last weekend before Lent is over to bake for one more person at my school, that happens to be a celiac (can’t eat gluten).

Ann’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

When my brother was in high school and I was in college, I used to get home for summer just in time to see his tennis season, which he always dominated.  And since I usually had a lot of time on my hands with him at school and my parents at work, I would bake things for the team for every match.  Now, Pete’s a freshman at University of Chicago, playing for the tennis team there and doing just as awesome if I’m to believe what I’ve been hearing.  So, to continue my theme of baking something for other people

Magic Bars

I had a really hard time deciding what to bake this weekend.  I was home in Massachusetts with my parents, who are currently in the the process of selling the house I grew up in, and when I have the whole kitchen at my disposal I always feel like I need to make something extra special.  Also, when I bake at their house, I know that I won’t have to bring the treats home with me, so there is little danger that I will eat them all.  This also makes me want to bake more extravagant things.

Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies

Good things happen when I finish all of my grading and lesson planning before 2 on a Sunday.  Good things in the form of baking adventures that I can pursue leisurely for hours on end.  Good things in the form of FINALLY breaking in my yellow stand mixer.  Isn’t it beautiful?

Dream Cookies

Christmas is a baker’s dream come true.  There are so many parties to make desserts for.  So many people to give cookies to.  So many excuses to use lots of butter and sugar to make everyone happy.  So it should be no surprise that I have a bit of a backlog of recipes to share with you.  Back in December, I mentioned my Cookie Project – every year I make cookie tins as gifts with at least 4 different kinds of cookie included.  One of those didn’t make it onto SMiLes before Christmas itself (I forgot to bring the recipe

Chocolate Chip Coconut Biscotti

It is impossible to say exactly how awesome it was to go home to Massachusetts this weekend.  I spent four whole days with my family for Thanksgiving break, and I am already looking forward to going back for Christmas.  Unfortunately, I was so caught up in the awesomeness of being home that I forgot to photograph while I was baking things for Thanksgiving.  I made Pull Aparts successfully for the first time ever (a yeast recipe very similar to monkey bread) but alas, I have no proof for you.  I also made some pretty delicious brickle from a Serious Eats recipe,

Pumpkin Bread

I love the Fall.  I say that about every season, but Fall has the best smells.  And after baking this pumpkin bread, I’ve been leaving my apartment just so I can walk back in and smell the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.