When it comes to cookies, it’s hard to beat a warm, freshly baked batch featuring the dynamic duo of oats and raisins. Each sweet, lightly spiced bite of a chewy oatmeal cookie is like catching up with an old friend — a friend that you can eat.
On a warm day, there’s nothing quite like the refreshment you get from sipping a glass of lemonade. There’s something about it that just makes you slow down for a minute and soak up the sunshine. Its sweet tang is perfect on its own, but I dare you to go beyond the usual — add a little sparkle and extra flair by simply stirring in just one ingredient.
Gwyneth Paltrow has promoted it as an “energy kick” on her lifestyle website, Goop; former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham counts it among the 60 supplements she takes daily; and “preppers,” people who stockpile supplies and hone their survival skills in preparation for the end-of-days, are hoarding the stuff, believing in its potency as a compact nutritional powerhouse. Can you guess what it is?
It’s time to rethink the way you do lemonade. Before you squeeze a bag of lemons for a pitcher of that cool and refreshing drink, I suggest you first turn up the heat.
One of the primary pieces of advice my grandmother imparted on me — besides the fact that she thought I should be a writer, an absurd idea I promptly ignored — was that one should always leave the house looking the best they can. I realize this might sound a little old-fashioned and possibly even oppressive — I Exist As More Than A Decorative Object, thankyouverymuch — but I took it to heart nonetheless because I know she didn’t mean high heels and rollers, but mostly that looking more with it than you might actually feel sometimes can trick you too.
I apply it in the kitchen as well. Thus, while if we’re being completely honest, life is currently a swarm of getting recipes ready for the next book (eee!), a to-do list for this month as long as the remainder of this year, kids waking up way too early, mama going to bed too late, an apartment that has yet to clean itself and let’s not even talk about what’s going on in the produce drawer — i.e. real life, and not even a bad one — rather than dwelling on the chaos, I think we should cook for the life we want, not for the life we have. Thus: I choose picnic bars.
… Read the rest of almond rhubarb picnic bars on smittenkitchen.com
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Let’s face it — sometimes the side dishes are just better. Yes, chicken is great, and we’ll never say no to a burger, but really aren’t we just here for the buttery mashed potatoes, perfectly crunchy slaw, and crispy fries?
Today we’re celebrating the supporting cast of the dinner table with our 24 favorite scene-stealing side dishes.
Julia Child famously said that a party without cake is just a meeting. Preach it, Julia. If you were to take one thing away from our story this week about layer cakes, it is that there is always a good reason to make and eat cake. From elaborate dinner parties to bridal brunches to afternoon tea with a close friend, layer cakes make any occasion better.
This week we have five gorgeous cake recipes, each studded with little tips and intelligence on baking better layer cakes. Which is yours? The towering strawberry shortcake? The honey-apple rustic number? Take a look and choose your magic.
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To me, there’s nothing better than a beautiful layered cake to mark an occasion, whether that’s a birthday or just a Saturday dinner at home with friends. Baking one can often seem a bit intimidating, but it’s not if you know the right tips and tricks.
From Apartment Therapy → Here’s the Recipe for the Perfect Sofa: Introducing The Maxwell
