Dark Streets and Lighted Windows

All you Rear Window fans will understand why I love looking at windows. James Stewart's character watched his neighbors' lives through their windows while he sat in front of his, nursing a broken leg. But, most of the time, when I look out my own window or walk around in New York City, I can't see inside the windows. They're too high up or too far away or the shades are drawn. But they fascinate me for different reasons. I wonder, when I see a lighted window, who lives there and what their life is like.

Charcuterie Board (and a Cocktail) for One

For most of the past decade that I've been writing this blog, I've ended the year with a round-up of the recipes you all liked best but, this year, I feel the need to write more personally. Oh, if you really are curious, the Vegetarian Salisbury Steak was the single most popular recipe followed closely by the Peanut Butter Cream Filled Doughnuts. That means that you like a healthy entree followed by a decadent dessert. You are SO my people! And yes, this post includes the recipe for an awesome champagne cocktail and charcuterie board for one because food is still my business and my passion. But now, let's chat.

Chocolate Caramel Manhattan

I am definitely a bourbon and whiskey lover, both for sipping and for mixing. So, when I hear about flavored whiskeys, my ears perk up. And when that particular flavor is chocolate, I'm all attention.

Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread is already a buttery cookie but browning the butter makes it go from good to wow. You'll know how delicious it will taste just from the aroma while you're mixing the dough. The nutty, richness of the brown butter will make your whole kitchen smell amazing before you've even begun to bake. 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

If soft, fudgy centered cookies are what you like then crinkles are for you. They're easy to make and bake up soft with a gooey chocolate center. This cookie is just begging for a glass of cold milk.

Baked Potato and Cheese Croquettes

These crispy little balls of cheesy, potato goodness are a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Normally there aren't a lot of those left over in my house but, on Thanksgiving, it's the stuffing that everyone goes for first so I've got a shot at some extra spuds.

The Pack on Amazon Prime!

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx on behalf of Amazon Prime Video

We're all watching a lot of Prime and cuddling our pups these days, right. I know Hadley is getting the stuffing hugged out of her daily. And, since I'm a sucker for doggie content, this coming weekend, I'll be watching The Pack, a new series that's premiering on Amazon Prime Video November 20th. I'm pretty sure it's going to be must-see TV around here.

Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Mini Galettes

Let's talk about holiday appetizers. Sure, gatherings may be small this year. But even if it's just family, you still want to serve something special. That doesn't mean you want to fuss in the kitchen for hours, though, right? I've got the perfect solution.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cakes and Hot Cocoa

I made these snack cakes to go with an amazing cup of hot cocoa. The cakes have a bit of pumpkin, a touch of spice and a whole lot of chocolate chips. The cocoa is even more special.

Gingerbread Cake with Pears and Caramel

It's not too early in the season for gingerbread, right? Especially when it's a gingerbread cake that's covered in a layer of baked pears and has homemade caramel sauce poured all over it. Surely it's not too soon for that.

Pasta Bake with Beef and Pumpkin

Not only is it officially autumn but I was toying with the idea of turning on the heat the other day. I held out, for the time being, but that means it's also now hot cheesy pasta bake season.

Poison Apple Manhattan Cocktail

The kids can load up on candy at Halloween but the adults should get a treat as well. OK, this adult also eats all the peanut butter cups. But that doesn't diminish my love for a well made cocktail.

Pumpkin Yogurt Parfait with Pumpkin Seed Granola

Are you a fan of pumpkin or is it just a seasonal flavor you're happy to see the back of quickly? Personally, I love it. I love all squash, not just pumpkin. But definitely pumpkin, whether sweet or savory.

Fig Cheesecake Tart

Let's talk about figs. Also let's talk about cheesecake. Figs are such a short-lived treat and we only get them for a few short weeks in late summer and early fall. But it's worth savoring every day they're here.

Steak and Couscous Salad

One surefire way to make everyone happy at dinnertime in my house is to serve steak. It actually makes most of my guests happy as well. Obviously it's amazing to just eat steak on its own but I love serving it as part of a salad. The ideal one dish meal.

Crumb Topped Baked Apples

My mom used to bake apples sometimes, when I was a kid. The house would smell wonderful with that aroma of cooked apples and cinnamon. All the promise of pie but none of the satisfaction. Am I the only one who found baked apples a little disappointing?

Cracker Jack Cocktail

Last month, a couple of my friends took me out for a birthday dinner. It's still outdoor dining only in New York City but it was a lovely evening at an excellent restaurant and what could be nicer than eating outside with a summer breeze.

Shredded Chicken Tortilla Pie

Normally, the post Labor Day, back-to-school, back to busy life is my favorite time. And it may look a little different this year. But one thing never changes which is that we need quick and easy dinner ideas for busy folks.

Champagne Grape Loaf Cake

I'm a sucker for pretty fruit and champagne grapes definitely qualify. These mini dark purple grapes are little bursts of sweet and sour in your mouth. Plus their gorgeous on a cheese board. But they also bake up really well in a cake.

Smoked Gouda Whole Egg Souffle

Souffles are always so tempting on restaurant menus, right? But making them at home seems daunting. It's actually a simple recipe but still, the thought of it puts most of us off. I've got a solution for that.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich

I've been craving a fried chicken sandwich for weeks now. Not even kidding. But every time I look at take out menus I can't decide which to get. Some are just served on plain buns, some have no toppings, others don't come with coleslaw. I legit couldn't commit to a sandwich.

Spiked Frozen Mango Lassi

Mangoes are definitely one of my summer treats and they're usually destined for a yogurt smoothie. Although some of them invariably end up in cocktails as well.

No Bake Blueberry Yogurt Cheesecake

This cheesecake has so many things going for it. It's no-bake, all or parts can be prepared in advance and the filling is actually yogurt, not cream cheese based. Plus it's absolutely delicious!

Red, White and Blue Charcuterie Board

It's fun to serve red, white and blue themed food for the 4th of July but I'm not a fan of using food color just for the sake of making things look patriotic. Fortunately, it's easy enough to do naturally with a bounty of summer fruit.

Fresh Apricot Bourbon Fizz

The other day I had the pleasure of being invited to speak about current foodie topics during an Instagram happy hour chat with Michal from Seasoned Moments. She asked that I give her a cocktail idea that she could make for our conversation and I suggested this bourbon fizz.

Chocolate Mug Cake with Peanut Butter Sauce

I've made quite a few batches of chocolate mug cakes lately, and have been forced to taste them all in the name of research. I do this for all of you, of course. Because I want to make sure that I give you a recipe for the fluffiest cake with just the right amount of everything. It's a tough job.

Smoked Gouda and Thyme Scones

My love of scones dates back to childhood and my mother's fondness for them. And once I learned to make them, I turned out a batch every few weekends. But I admit it took me a while to go from making good scones to great ones.

Boozy Peanut Butter Chocolate Egg Creams

If you haven't been to New York, you may have heard of egg creams but not tried one. Is it eggy? Is it creamy? Eggnog-ish? None of the above, actually. It's nothing more than a chocolate soda, albeit, a really tasty one.

Chocolate Dalgona Mudslide Cocktail

You've probably seen the Dalgona whipped coffee trend on social media. Not completely a new idea because it's similar to an old Indian beverage, but maybe new to us now. Plus it looks really cool so, of course, I had to try it.

Tomato and Cheese Bean Bake

I have been on the hunt for dry cannellini beans for weeks now but with no luck. Even the canned ones have been hard to come by although I did eventually find those. I normally don't mind canned beans as a great shortcut but I find that white beans remain a little too tough from a can. But, we all need to make do these days so I found a way to make the canned version work.

Cheesy Broccoli and Cheddar Stew with Cornbread

I was torn between calling this a soup or a stew because the consistency is somewhere in between. If you're a Rachael Ray fan, you know she calls this type of dish a stoup and that's probably a fair description for my recipe.

Pot Roast Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I've been craving a melt-in-your-mouth roast for the past few weeks but couldn't find the cut of meat I normally like to use. So I waited and it paid off because I snagged a beautiful 3 lb. chuck roast last weekend and have been loving the leftovers.

Peanut Butter Banana Cream Tarts

A couple of weeks ago, when I made a batch of no-yeast doughnuts and filled them with peanut butter pastry cream, I had leftover filling. So I spooned it into a jar and kept it in the fridge, trying to decide what to use it for. Tarts, of course!

Deluxe Smashburgers

In contrast to the thick, juicy burgers we've all come to crave, Smashburger brought us the thin, crispy version and I'm all in. Bonus points for the fact that they're quick and easy to make at home.

Peanut Butter Cream Filled Doughnuts

If you want homemade doughnuts (or should that be when), the options are usually no-yeast baked doughnuts or yeast-risen fried doughnuts. Both are tasty but I really wanted that fried doughnut flavor. Yeast, however, as in short supply. Enter option number three.

Glazed Apple Turnovers

It's getting weird out there, isn't it? And yeah, I was half tempted to call these quarantine apple turnovers but they'd be good no matter what.

Beef Skillet Pie

If ever there was a time for comfort food, this is it. And any kind of pot pie situation is my idea of comfort. This skillet version combines browned beef with a creamy mustard sauce and is topped with flaky pastry. And if all you have on hand is ground chicken or turkey, the recipe will work just as well.

Spaghetti with Arugula and Tomato Confit

Sometimes my favorite meals are the ones borne of necessity because the contents of my fridge and pantry and a little light that day. I usually have some form of dry pasta in the house so that's a reliable base. But on the day in question, I had a package of baby arugula and a whole lot of cherry tomatoes left over from a photo shoot. Hmm. Of course, I could just make an arugula and tomato salad but I had a better idea.

Vegetarian Salisbury Steak

So, no, I haven't gone vegetarian on you. And my love of homemade Salisbury steak is strong. I particularly love the mushroom gravy - always the best part for me when I was eating it grown up. But the veggie version is damn good, too.

Valentine's Chocolate Treat Board

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Tribe Hummus. As always, all opinions and ideas are my own.

My love of snack boards is not limited to cheese and charcuterie. Dessert boards are the bomb. I'd always much rather snack on a whole bunch of different things than choose just one and this way I can try all the sweet things.

Cara Cara Orange Margarita

It somehow never stops surprising me that the dead of winter is peek season for some of the most delicious citrus fruit of the year. The market is overflowing with blood oranges, Meyer lemons and grapefruits of every color. I try to taste each different one, especially if it's new to me.

Winter Crunch Salad

The other day I was reading a story and the main character was digging into a big salad for dinner. It might be sort of an odd thing to crave but that's what I instantly wanted. Not some simple side salad but a hearty, crunchy, filling recipe with lots of different textures.

Chocolate Chip Crumb Topped Muffins

Last week I was staring at a display of muffins at the store and one crumb topped version insisted on coming home with me. Naturally I agreed. (What January diet?)

Oat Crunch Oats 'N Honey Breakfast

This post is sponsored by General Mills. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every January I include eating a better breakfast (sometimes translated as any breakfast) to my list of New Year's goals. I do use the term goals instead of resolutions. Somehow, the word resolution makes me feel like one mistake and I've trashed the whole year. A goal is something to be worked towards which means I'm still allowed to finish the last of the Christmas cookies even after January 1st.

Crispy Chicken Tacos

It might be a new year but we're still asking the same old question - what's for dinner? And, since we're still stuffed with Christmas cookies and cheese, can we make whatever the dinner is kind of light? Yup. I've got this.