I have a not-so-secret love for products with only one, very specific use. It takes a fantastic amount of chutzpah to get someone to spend money on something like a piece of plastic to fold shirts just a little bit more neatly. The gold standard of tunnel vision innovation is, without question, Williams-Sonoma. They have…
Read MoreThe Art of Brownieception
My Nana used to make the most amazing dinner concoction: stuffed meatloaf. When I was a kid I saw this as the culinary version of a ship in a bottle. I just couldn’t figure out how she got the stuffing into the meatloaf. Magic! Even though I now understand the mystery of the meatloaf, there’s still…
Read MoreGiving thanks
Western-style ovens are not common in China. I own a sort of toaster oven on steroids, large enough to accomodate a dozen very strategically placed muffin cups. It is not large enough to handle a chicken, never mind a turkey. So, when questions of Thanksgiving dinner arose, my American friends and I were at a…
Read MoreLazy Sunday Muffins
Don’t panic, I’m still alive! This past month I’ve been busy preparing for and then enjoying my sister’s wedding, with very little time for extra-curricular activities (like blogging). Now that my time is mine again, I’ve resolved to post at least once a week. I need to flex my creative muscles if I’m ever going…
Read MoreMuffins and Cookies and Cakes (Oh My!)
As many of you already know, my sister’s bridal shower was last weekend. In preparation for the party, I spent all day last Friday pretty much chained to my oven making various sweets. Well, almost all day. I spent some time in the morning at the gym creating a negative calorie bank for me to…
Read MoreThe Diet Diaries: #3 (A baking miracle!)
Over the years, the Internet has brought me countless hours of wonder and delight. Starting with the family’s first dial-up connection to Prodigy (technically more of an intranet, but I’m not here to split hairs) I have been glued to that magic portal. After all this time together, today I experienced my first Internet-related religious…
Read MoreThe Diet Diaries: #2 (Having My Cake)
Since we’re all friends here, I have a bit of a confession to make: I am a banana bread-aholic. It has come to the point where I often buy bananas with the hope that no one in the house will eat them. I place them carefully behind the knife block or next to more appealing…
Read MoreHappiness is a warm bun
In this case it’s actually a warm cake, but it didn’t sound quite as snappy. I realize that I’m very quickly turning this space into a cooking blog, although I get the feeling that most people don’t mind at all. Considering the four feet of snow and the crankiness and the general hibernating instinct to…
Read MoreNutella + Cupcake = Awesome
A few days ago I read a recipe online for Nutella cupcakes, and that’s pretty much all I’ve thought about ever since. First of all, I live for cupcakes. I don’t think I’ve ever met a cupcake I didn’t love, and that includes the deceptively delicious bacon and dark chocolate cupcake I indulged in with…
Read MoreI’m pretty sure this counts as a vegetable
There were lots of carrots just sitting in the fridge not doing anything useful. So, I turned them into a cake! It’s full of carrots, which means it must be good for you. Here’s a recipe of sorts. I approximated most of the spices, so feel free to go wild! Mix together:2 cups sugar (or…
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Positively Natalie 