strawberry biscuit cobbler

I don't enjoy bridal showers. Or baby showers. Or any other social gathering that involves pastel mints and feigning interest in games like making dresses out of toilet paper with a bunch of women I don't know. So when it came time to plan a bridal shower for my sister last year, you can imagine my dilemma. How could I possibly throw her a shower that appropriately acquitted me of my maid-of-honor duties, but which didn't drag in all the aforementioned ways?

mile-high lemon meringue pie

I am a music person. I love to cook and I love to dance, but I really, really love music. Nothing could be as delightful as the first chord of a great country song, the melody of a hymn I know by heart, or the inspirational notes of the Notre Dame alma mater. Sometimes these auditory staples of my existence make me happy and sometimes they make me a little sad, but they never fail to elicit a welcome emotion. Sound is, after all, a powerful thing. I would be remiss, though, if I didn't point out the one incongruity in my daily scheme of sounds. I feel a little thrill of glee every time I hear it, but its melodic structure bears no resemblance -- none -- to the songs previously mentioned. To what am I referring? To the electronic chime of an incoming text message of course!

honey-phyllo pumpkin pie

Yesterday we hosted the first holiday meal in our home in four years. FOUR YEARS. The remodeling project, which I've mentioned here on occasion, is taking a very long time. However, the kitchen portion of it is nearly finished, so we were long overdue for a holiday gathering. And as the aspiring hostess with the mostess, I don't think anyone was more excited than me. I poured over recipes, starched napkins, glittered leaves, and made my best attempt at creating a memorable occasion. (Mom obligingly created the lovely centerpieces for the table.) It didn't exactly go off without a hitch -- I spilled part of the pumpkin pie in the oven, reinforcements were needed to get the mashed potatoes and gravy ready in time, and, most unfortunately, Mom was too ill to participate -- but we still had many things for which to be thankful. Including this pumpkin pie.

asparagus & gruyere tart

I've talked often on this blog of Seattle. However, most of the time -- and especially when discussing its many fantastic amenities -- I'm actually referring to the greater Seattle area. In fact, I'm rather partial to the area known as the "Eastside" -- all the cities on the east side of Lake Washington. The Eastside is perhaps most famous for being the home of Microsoft, but recently it has garnered national attention for another reason. In only a few short years, the Eastside city of Bellevue has grown from a sleepy suburban business community to an amazingly urban technology hub with a thriving cosmopolitan lifestyle. I love Bellevue for all the same reasons as everyone else who spends time in this area. Fantastic restaurants, unbeatable views (two mountain ranges and the Seattle skyline), a wide variety of things to do, and -- the one thing downtown Seattle can't offer -- an abundance of free parking. I was quite pleased and proud, therefore, to see that Fortune just named Bellevue the #1 place to live and launch a business.