This baked pear recipe from Share My Kitchen was my inspiration one chilly morning a few days before Christmas. I wanted something festive, but still meeting my criteria of coming together fairly quickly. As it turns out, I prefer to sleep a few extra minutes rather than labor over elaborate breakfast offerings. But I also […]

I made a cake yesterday for my father-in-law and his bride. They had a casual little ceremony at home with a few family members, followed by tea and sweets. The cake was chocolate with buttercream frosting. I’m not much of a cake decorator and we were short on time so the frosting was completed in […]

I’ve been on something of a pumpkin muffin kick lately. I blame it on the weather: that kind of unbelievably beautiful, crisp, brightness of early Autumn, when the breezes carry a cooler edge and everyone starts talking about Halloween and Thanksgiving plans and you know this is only a precursor to the dark cold winter […]

On Saturday and Sunday mornings I sneak out of the house before everyone else awakes and drive into town to cook breakfast for the guests at The Inn at 400 West High. This gorgeous B & B right in the heart of beautiful Charlottesville is owned by my mother-in-law and we get some of the […]

I love food. My family – immediate and extended as far as I have known – also loves food. I was lucky to grow up in a family that cooked, though of course I never realized as a child how much work that really means. My parents, typically my mom (though dad is no slouch […]

Looks delicious, no? No? …well, I guess not. But it was! I just got the replacement parts for my blender and we are back in smoothie-making business. I’m a big fan of fruit smoothies, especially using the variety frozen fruit packages with mango and pineapple, but lately I’ve enjoyed making more veggie concoctions. This one […]