The Crabby Cook - by Jessica Harper

Okay, I’m a little obsessed with shortbread. Don’t know why really, but possibly because of my Scottish ancestry and also it tastes so damn good. So maybe I’m projecting too much when I assume that my mother would like nothing better than this for Mother’s Day. Read More

In the unlikely event that you have not yet broken your New Year’s resolutions regarding calories, sugar, chocolate, dessert and general self-indulgence, now’s the time to do it. This recipe from Ina Garten makes it easy. Read More

My sister-in-law, Julie, is an amazing cook and food stylist and writes a column for The Baltimore Sun called “The Recipe Finder.” When I saw her at Thanksgiving, she was—having just cooked all week for her lazy-ass family—beginning prep for the column’s annual Holiday Cookie Contest. Read More

So as the days of summer dwindled, so did my supply of summer fruit. The bowl that I filled on Thursday with the bounty from the farmers’ market was down to a few lonely items by Labor Day. Read More

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

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