One of NPR’s great revelations recently (aside from my favorite story about the winged tree newt) was this recipe for Almond Butter Cookies. Read More

The only way I could ever get my husband to eat a strawberry would be if I disguised it as a chocolate treat. For that matter, if I presented him with anything dipped in semisweet Valrhona chocolate—perhaps excluding broccoli or anchovies—he’d eat it with such speed and gusto, he wouldn’t realize what he’d actually consumed until it was well on its way to his small intestine. Read More

Even those who don’t think they love shortbread, actually do love shortbread. If they say they don’t like it, they are simply confused. Just force them to eat a piece of this, and watch their faces light up.

That’s one reason I like to make it, the other is that it is the perfect recipe for lazy ass cooks like me, because the recipe only has three ingredients, and since everyone is so crazy about the result, you get a lot of bang for your buck, meaning a lot more credit for baking expertise than you actually deserve. This really appeals to my sleazy side. Read More

I haven’t been to Paris in a while, but I’ve been to the next best place: Encino.

There are two reasons why I go to Encino, a small city (or enclave or district or borough or cluster or whatever it is) in the San Fernando Valley, north of where I live. One is that I have a superior dentist there. The other is that I know a fabulous cook who lives there, and I like to take advantage of every opportunity to eat at her house.

Last time I dropped by (“Oh, is it dinner time? Who knew? What’s cookin’?”) Suzanne offered me a sample of her French onion soup. While my memory is admittedly badly impaired, I don’t recall eating a better version of it, ever. Read More

There’s a new reason to go to Beverly Hills these days, besides Jimmy Choo.

Sprinkles Cupcakes are soon to adopt a new delivery system: the ACM, or Automatic Cupcake Machine. It looks like a pimped-up ATM, but it spits out cupcakes instead of cash.

So, if you have a craving for their amazing coconut cupcakes at 3 a.m. (it could happen), you can take a spin down the hill and just, you know, get some. Slide a credit card and out pops your favorite, billion-calorie treat.

For more info on this (and other vending machine oddities, like bicycles and gold), click here.

As those of you who know me know, I am thrilled by recipes that require few ingredients. That’s why my heart leapt when I read about the two-ingredient chocolate mousse. Read More

I’m hoping that I get to go to heaven, because I’m told they’ve got a dessert bar there which offers your favorite desserts, 24/7. The chef just knows what you like; you walk up, she hands it to you. While she would definitely serve my husband a brownie with a side of chocolate ice cream, she’d be handing me (a devout vanilla head) one of these blondies, still warm from the oven… Read More

Those of you who know me well have often heard me complain about the lack of seasonal change in L.A. Well, this week, when the temperature shot up over 80º and my bitch-o-meter responded accordingly, I made a New Year’s resolution to put on a new attitude. Read More

It’s time for the holiday cookie swap again, which always throws me into a semi-panic.

I have this idea that Christmas cookies should be artful, delicately scented and decorated to reflect the charms of the season. Not the big, crude mounds of heart-stopping content that usually emerge from my oven.

But this year I’ve decided to meet the cookie challenge by baking what I know, rather than attempting something that’s beyond my skill set and my patience level. Read More

Holiday shopping is in full swing, except for people (like my husband) who only start to swing at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Read More