Treats for appetites of every size
This is a big day: it’s the very last SMiLes by Meg post. I started this blog in 2013, fresh out of college and about to start a two year teaching job in New Jersey. I had no idea what I wanted my life to look like yet, and TFA was a way that I could push off that decision a little longer while doing something that felt important and meaningful. And because I was in a new place starting a new phase of my life, it felt like the right time to also get more serious about a new …
Guys, I don’t know if I’m ready for DC summer. It’s June 6 (the official kickoff of my birthday week) and over 90° out. It’s already too hot for me. So I obviously wanted to make popsicles this weekend. And the popsicles I wanted to make were cucumber elderflower tequila popsicles, because that sounded like the most refreshing thing I could have in this weather. Unfortunately, no one sells elderflower syrup around here, or at least I couldn’t get my hands on any fast enough to make popsicles this weekend. I have now ordered some on amazon, but that means …
This week we went to Cate and Jonathan’s house for the first time since moving to DC! It’s wild that the pandemic has meant that I’ve been here for 9 months without getting to just have dinner inside with friends, but now that we’re all vaccinated, we’re making up for lost time. When Cate tasked me with dessert, I wanted to make something a bit more elaborate than I’ve been making recently, and I wanted that thing to be out of an Ottolenghi book, since Cate is the one who introduced me to his restaurants/recipes. I picked three options and …
Get ready. This blog is about to become very popsicle-focused. Also, more importantly, Happy Mother’s Day! Mom, when you come down to visit, I promise to have perfected a coconut version of these. Last week I saw popsicle molds at Whole Foods and, in possibly my best impulse buy of the current phase of the pandemic, decided I needed them. I like cold desserts for the summer, but ice cream is kind of fussy, mostly because of how many egg yolks it takes. Popsicles, however, are quick, require no egg yolks, and even get Erik approval (since they’re basically frozen …
When I told Erik I was making cream cheese ice cream, he told me it sounded revolting. But I wanted to make ice cream, and BraveTart doesn’t have any bad recipes, so I decided to give it a go. This week was in desperate need of ice cream, especially with some Matzo Crack crumbs left to serve as a topping. Cream cheese ice cream may sound not super appealing, but think of it more as a tangy ice cream. If you like cream cheese frosting on cake, this is the ice cream equivalent. Definitely pairs well with lots of toppings …
Happy Valentine’s Day! Erik and I just finished a feast and I’m writing this as I’m about to slip into a food coma powered by Schitt’s Creek on the couch. We ordered cook at home hot pot and it was perfect – lots of delicious food, a fun thing to do. Highly recommend. If you’re in the DC area check it out – Fat Choi Hot Pot. Also in the Valentine’s Day trend, Erik has been talking about how much he loves lemon bars for weeks now, and I thought it was probably a good time to make him some. …
After making last week’s apple cake, and then eating apple cake with pumpkin ice cream every night for a week, I remembered the importance of small batch recipes during a pandemic. So this week, I turned to Hummingbird High’s trusty guide of small batch recipes and asked Erik which sounded the best. We landed on lemon poppy seed muffins, and the recipe was perfect – it made 4. I thought making 4 muffins would be breakfast for two days, but turns out it’s just breakfast for one day. On the plus side, I now can’t eat them everyday all week. …
Erik and I ran out of buttermilk ice cream, and I’ve been craving ice cream all week. So, naturally, this week I made more ice cream! And to make it different, I decided to try an ice cream recipe out of BraveTart, which, in Erik’s words, was “the perfect consistency.” Granted, we had just about finished a bottle of wine at this point and all ice cream was bound to taste good, but I do think it was particularly light and creamy. This recipe uses a double vanilla base and steeps in some black tea for the additional flavor, and …
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 …
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 …