I can hardly believe that Joe and I have already been married for close to five months. In the months leading up to the wedding there was only one thing I was a bit unsettled about: changing my last name. I have an unusually strong attachment to my last name, in part because of the connection I feel it gives me to my family’s heritage, and in part because I love the way it sounds. For as long as I … Read More
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Now that we have officially entered the month of December, I feel like I can post cookie recipes nonstop without shame. Growing up, cookie baking was a huge deal in my house during the weeks leading up to Christmas. My mom and I would scour our favorite cookbooks looking for the perfect combination of recipes. Once said recipes were chosen, we spent an entire day baking and making a mess. Usually I would bake and my mom would clean. Quite … Read More
Healthier Turkey Meatballs
First off, WOW! I’m trilled that so many of you entered the giveaway. Reading what everyone was thankful for was amazing and really pushed me to think more about what I’m thankful for. The winner of the giveaway is Star Van Gelder. Star, please e-mail me (madisonjanemayberry@gmail.com) and I’ll work out the details to get you your knife! One of Joey’s all-time favorite meals is spaghetti and meatballs. And although I don’t have even an ounce of Italian in … Read More
Shun Knife Giveaway! (closed)
Source If you’ve been an Espresso and Cream reader for a while, then you may have noticed that giveaways have been a little sparse around here lately. I think the last giveaway I did was back during the beginning of October. I’ve been a little bit busy, sure, but the real reason I’ve been holding back on the giveaways is because I wanted to make December’s giveaway something really special. When I turned 18 my mom gave me the best … Read More
Toasted Pecan Shortbread
Nothing like getting a jump on December cooking making, right? I was sitting on the couch with some of my cookbooks last week when I stumbled upon a shortbread recipe in Gourmet Today. There wasn’t anything different about the recipe. In fact, it was pretty simple. Straightforward and to the point is how I like my recipes. What really got me hooked on the idea of making this shortbread was the idea that it could be a blank canvas for … Read More
A Happy Thanksgiving, Indeed!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of delicious food and plenty of dessert. And if you are a little bit crazy (like my family is), then I hope you got some amazing Black Friday deals, too! We arrived back home to Orange City on Wednesday night and got to prepping for the Thanksgiving meal right away. My mom had already set the tables and had the turkey soaking in a brine, but there was plenty to … Read More
Video Tutorial: How to Make an Infinity Scarf
As promised, I filmed a video tutorial this week on how to make the infinity scarf I posted a couple weeks back after getting a number of people asking me for the pattern I used. The thing is, I didn’t use a pattern, I just sort of flew by the seat of my pants and made it up as I go. Before you watch the video, know that:a. I know very little about crocheting, so my verbage and explanations are … Read More
Baked Oatmeal
Since I’m guessing by now most of you have your Thanksgiving meal planned and your recipes selected, I thought it might be helpful to shift gears a bit. Chances are that during the next month you will probably have guests staying at your house overnight, or perhaps you are planning on hosting a brunch in the days leading up to Thanksgiving or Christmas. For me, this type of situation has always proved to be a little tricky. The most common … Read More
Rachael Ray: The FInale
http://www.youtube.com/get_player By now I think that many of you have seen the finale of “Hey, Can You Cook?! All-Stars”. If not, head on over here to watch. I won’t spoil the ending for those of you who are planning to watch this afternoon or have it recorded on a DVR. But since the final episode has now aired, I figured it was high time I shared the rest of the photos on my iPhone from the finale, as well as … Read More
Healthier Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
I promise that once Thanksgiving has come and gone, I will return to posting things that aren’t filled with pumpkin. But my love for the stuff is still going strong, and I intend to keep baking with pumpkin until Turkey day arrives. Last weekend I spent a little time scouring magazines looking for recipes for our family Thanksgiving. I don’t know about you all, but on Thanksgiving I prefer to indulge responsibly. There is nothing I hate more than the … Read More
Rachael Ray in Mexico
Ever since I returned from Mexico while traveling there for “Hey, Can You Cook?! All-Stars” I’ve been dying to share photos from my trip. Alas, I have had to keep my mouth shut and my photos to myself for quite a while in order to keep where and what we were filming a surprise for everyone watching at home. Now that our Mexican adventure episode has aired, I’m happy to share a little glimpse into a week that I … Read More
You Should Roast a Chicken
Quite often when Joey and I don’t feel like cooking (well, when I don’t feel like cooking), we pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store and I made a bunch of steamed and roasted veggies for me to eat and for him to pair with his chicken. As someone who knows how easy it is to roast a chicken, buying a rotisserie chicken always kills me inside because I know I could do it better. Well this past weekend, … Read More