When the bunch of bananas you bought for breakfast and healthy snacking have passed their natural prime, fear not! It just means the bananas are now perfect for use in delicious baked goods like breads, muffins, and cakes. I took things a step further by digging out my vintage mini-Bundt cake pan, and the results, […]

It’s March in New Hampshire, which means I am both dying for spring, but also completely aware that it’s going to snow at least two more times before I see my first crocus, daffodil, or tulip. Thank heavens for chili — namely, my favorite meatless vegetarian chili with Morningstar Farms Crumbles. Chunky and just spicy […]

If you know me, you know I can’t resist a community cookbook with worn corners and jagged, broken plastic teeth holding the pages together. Bonus points if features “cursive typewriter” font. It was these things that talked my into purchasing the combination “Big Y” local supermarket chain and 4-H club cookbook from 1985 that included […]

When I saw this recipe for Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils, Mushrooms, and Sweet Potato in one of my emails from The Kitchn last week, I swooned. I really did. One of my goals for 2013 is to eat “healthy” during the week, then have fun with a new recipe on the weekend — nutritional […]

The season of tinsel, mistletoe, eggnog, and peppermint has arrived. Also, the season of cranberry and orange, like in these tasty scones. I spent a recent Saturday night with a woman I frequently refer to as “my high school best friend” because it’s the easiest way to explain her, but like any friend that saw […]

My friends, we are in the midst of my very favorite time of year. The months of October through December exhibit the very best in nature, color, smells, tastes, and opportunities for family, giving, and good eating. Despite how it looks from the Apron Archives view, things have been very busy in my kitchen lately. […]

When I was a kid my mother sometimes bought cereal that had dates in it. I used to pick them out, making a neat pile of hard, dried dates next to the bowl. I thought they looked like cat treats and their chewy texture interrupted the enjoyment I got from the otherwise delicious bowl of […]

Hooray pumpkin season! Every year I make at least a few loaves of sweet, spicy pumpkin bread, but this year I got wild and added a handful of raisins and cinnamon chips to the quick-bread batter, and the result was my favorite pumpkin bread yet. The cinnamon chips aren’t always easy to find in the […]

Summer just came and went, didn’t it? One minute I was breathing in the ocean air at Rye with my family and escaping the heat at a beer garden with my girlfriends in Brooklyn, and the next, I’m using the entire length of my arm to wipe the fallen leaves off my car in the […]

This was a busy and happy summer for my family, since my baby sister Tara and her boyfriend Jim tied the knot over Labor Day weekend. I was beyond flattered (and admittedly a little terrified) when she asked me to make her cake, but she stressed it would be a small wedding, and I could […]