World Peace Cookies

 "But Bailey," I hear you cry, "Why on Earth are there only two cookies in these pictures?" Well, friends, it's because these cookies were gobbled down in the blink of an eye. I was in the shower when Piper came home, found these in the cookie jar, and ate one. I was able to hear her un-printable exclamation over the sound of the shower. They're that good. Dorie Greenspan, who I'm starting to imagine (in a totally non-creepy way) as my fairy baking godmother, jokes that these cookies are called World Peace Cookies because if everyone in the world had one war would be a thing of the past. She may have been joking, but I think she's on to something.

Sicilian Fig Bars

When I told Peter that I was thinking of making Fig Newtons, he sounded less than enthusiastic. Fig Newtons were a cookie his mom used to eat when he was little. They were not, perhaps, the coolest cookie around. I've always had a fondness for them, though, and when I saw that Nick Malgieri's recipe for them was called "Sicilian Fig Bars," that just about did the trick. "Sicilian Fig Bars" made me think of lounging around on the patio of a villa outside Siena, munching on a cookie, reading a good book and watching the cypress trees sway in the distance. Who couldn't fall in love with that?

Red Fall Coat

 

 While I still worked at Anthropologie I fell in love with a plaid fall coat we carried the year before last. I was on the fence about buying it and wound up not doing so--we've all had that one (man, chance, plaid fall coat) that got away, and this was the one. Since then I've thought about trying to find one used on Ebay or something, but they run about $198 and that's a little too steep for a crafty lady like me. I accepted the challenge and tried to construct one myself. Here is the result!

Marinated Lamb Pizza with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Yogurt Dressing

It's recipes like these that really help to transform the average weekday "pizza night" into something spectacular. What Katie Ate features a couple of truly delectable-looking pizza recipes that I've been dying to try since I got my hands on the cookbook; and this one in particular really leaped out at me. I mean, what's not to like about this amazing combination of ingredients? Marinaded lamb? Mint yogurt sauce? Oven roasted tomatoes? Salty feta cheese? Crunchy hot chiles and nutty almonds? Best of all, the recipe makes individual pizzas so you don't have to bother about sharing your portion with someone else.

Lemon and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Pink Peppercorn and Tarragon

While we're talking about obsessions, let's talk for a second about pink peppercorn. I'll admit that until recently I hadn't really been exposed to it very much, either as a seasoning or as an ingredient. I was over at my friend Hallie's house about to make what would develop into our delectable Pink Peppercorn Macarons when she pulled down her jar, opened the top and grinned. "Take a whiff of that!" I did--what an incredible sensation! Peppery and fruity and sweet all at once. I'd never smelled anything like it and boy, was I hooked. The flavor is unlike anything else and the visual appeal of that bright pink bumps up any dish.

Fricassée of Chanterelles

Have I mentioned recently how much I love mushrooms? I really love mushrooms. Maybe it was finally switching grocery stores (to one that actually carries varieties other than white button, grumble grumble), maybe it was finally buying the mushroom-loving cookbook Canal House Cooks Every Day, but there's just something about mushrooms that clicks with me. I love their weird, alien shapes, I love their infinite variety, I love the skill that it takes to correctly harvest them. But most of all, I love their taste.

Prom 2013

With my beautiful friends Megan and Katrina!

As promised (though they be a wee bit late), here are the photos of the finished prom dress I was working on this summer!

Cherry Frangipane Tart

If you're throwing or attending a little get-together, I think the best desserts are the ones that can be tossed together and thrown in the oven at the last minute (or warmed up until they're ready to serve). So when Peter's cousin invited us to a little dinner this summer I immediately decided to try this fairly no-fuss tart. Plump red cherries and a buttery pastry and a sweet almond filling? Count me in.