One of the best things about the holidays is catching up with friends and family, especially while sharing a meal together. These cranberry orange scones are perfect for a holiday brunch with family or afternoon tea with the ladies. Cranberry + orange is a classic …

In the previous 12 Baking Days of Christmas, I presented a homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe that would work perfectly as Cookies for Santa. Today, I give you another. It’s a delightful spin on the traditional sugar cookie by baking in a cast iron skillet. …

The 12 Baking Days of Christmas is a series I started in my first year of blogging. Then life got crazy with a military deployment and I wasn’t able to continue last year. But now — back by popular demand — I present to you The …

Some of the strawberries we picked on Mother’s Day found their way on top of chocolate cupcakes in a delightful strawberry cream cheese frosting. Others ended up in a blender for my favorite fruit smoothie. This is my go-to smoothie. The recipe is incredibly versatile …

On Mother’s Day, we went strawberry picking at a local farm with my sister and nieces. It was a beautiful day, and we returned home with two baskets full of bright red, ripe strawberries. These farm-fresh strawberries smelled amazing, too, so the first thing I …

We all have things that when encountered later in life instantly transport us to a moment in time. Maybe it’s a song that makes you relive a special occasion or a fragrance that reminds you of a loved one. Food has a similar power over …

There are a few sweets that I am always on the lookout for: tiramisu, key lime pie and carrot cake. I’ll order them whenever they appear on a restaurant menu in my eternal search for the very best. Thus far in life, Carmine’s Restaurant in …

My family really likes the Japanese dish, chicken katsu. Its golden-fried goodness is on regular rotation at our house, and I often make extra to have as lunch the next day. Since deep-fried foods lose their crispness in the refrigerator overnight, I like to make katsudon or these …

My son’s preschool class has been steadily moving through the alphabet over the course of the school year. Each week or so, they learn a new letter and practice with worksheets and repetition. At the end of the week, they have Show and Tell where …

Chicken katsu is a traditional Japanese dish that is sure to please. It’s on regular rotation at my house, and my kids ask for it by the sauce that accompanies it. As in, “Mom, can we have Bull-Dog chicken tonight?” The chicken equivalent to the popular Japanese …

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would share one of my favorite green treats. Matcha green tea is blended with milk, vanilla ice cream and ice cubes to create a refreshing and satisfyingly delicious drink. What is Matcha (抹茶)? Matcha is a …

One of my family’s favorite meals is Japanese-style curry rice with chicken, onions, carrots and potatoes. It’s incredibly comforting on chilly days, but it’s also quite tasty any other day of the week. It’s a dish on regular rotation in my house — even during the …