speculaas (dutch spice cookies)

December 11, 2023 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

These cookies are meant to be pressed into a mold, but I don’t have one. I opt to roll and cut them out like sugar cookies (actually, I always make these with my kids the same day as those). These are a humble cookie, but if you love spice cookies like I do (I often laugh at how many variations of spice cookies I have in my yearly list), these will find a spot in your own holiday baking, not only for their warm, comforting flavor, but also for their being a cinch to make!

ricotta cookies

December 07, 2023 by Sophie Barrows in baking, dessert, sophie

A few years ago, I started baking several different cookies leading up to Christmas, freezing them as I went. The goal was to have a stockpile of beautiful cookies to pull out on Christmas, give to friends, bring to gatherings, and enjoy throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas. Each year, I try to rein in the near absurd amount of cookies I plan to make, but the list of keepers continues to grow…

Zucchini Bake

September 17, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

This recipe is a very humble one, but much beloved. We all look forward to zucchini season so that we can make this! Delicious as a side to a cookout (or other meal), it also makes for a good meatless main course served on its own with a large salad and maybe a watermelon.

ricotta everyday cake

September 01, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

For some reason, whenever we use ricotta around here, it always seems we have a little leftover. Rarely is the whole container is completely used up. But, happily, this phenomenon led me to this recipe which is so tasty, I buy ricotta now just to bake it up.

Ham, Potato, and Cheese Galette

August 19, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

I’ve shared before my love for galette. It is so elegant and pretty without demanding too much work. It is a blank canvas for any creative cooking inspiration. It is hardly ever a dud, thanks to the nearly fail-proof flaky, rich crust that ties it all together. This ham, potato, and cheese variation was intended to be a crowd pleaser (with children particularly in mind), a departure from my usual veggie laden galettes. A classic flavor combo, it was a big hit, no surprise.

graham cookies + a wonderful baking tool

July 01, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

I love these cookies. They are the perfect snack cookies that are sweet enough to satisfy a craving, but not sweet enough to make you think you’re over doing it on any regular old day. And they are so yummy! And satisfying! To be honest, I’m finding myself baking these up every other week or so.

Bok Choy with Garlic and Bay Leaf

June 03, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

Have you had bok choy? I never did until we started growing vegetables for a living. It is well received at market, so it has become a spring staple. It is a Chinese cabbage that is delightfully crunchy, crisp at the bottom (sort of like celery) with dark, tasty leaves on top. It has the slightest hint of the spice you get from a turnip, a touch of bitter earthiness like kale, and the tender smoothness you get from spinach. It is also tastiest on the smaller side. Then it is much more tender and can be eaten raw, sliced into a salad or on its own. As it gets bigger and more mature, the bottom becomes much tougher and the flavor less delicate.

Banana Cobbler

May 11, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

This recipe is great in so many ways. It uses up very ripe bananas (a nice switch up from banana bread), requires few ingredients that are almost always on hand, and is delicious.

Pita Bread

April 08, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

Have you made pita bread? You should. It is wonderfully easy. Plus, it can be filled with a whole array of things to make a meal (falafel, veggies & rice, meat, bananas & peanut butter, fried eggs & quinoa, etc…). Or, simply have it on the side to enjoy! Toasted and smeared with butter — incredible.

"Twix" Candy Bars

April 06, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in sophie, baking

For the past several years, my sister-in-law and I have been making the bulk of our Easter candies. Both of us love to bake, and it is fun to pick out different recipes to try out, opt for new challenges, and try again to nail a previous favorite.

Everyday Soda Bread

March 14, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in sophie, baking

Ever since writing this post our first year up and running, I’ve begun to bake Irish soda bread beyond the annual St. Patrick’s day. It is too good not to enjoy more times of the year! Plus, it is so quick and easy. We are a bread with every meal (basically) family, so soda bread is a great one to fall back on.

Ginger Candied Carrots

February 27, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

I’m always on the lookout for yummy vegetable sides that add interest (but also aren’t too fussy). Where most veggies taste very, very yummy just tossed with olive oil, seasoned to perfection with salt and pepper, and roasted in a hot oven, sometimes it is nice to have something a little different, especially for special occasions. So when it was my husband’s birthday recently, I tried out this recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook.

Potato & Asparagus Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

February 12, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

I have to thank my sister-in-law for finding this recipe. She was hosting for a family birthday and had a bunch of asparagus that wasn’t going to stretch far enough for everyone. The original recipe was only potatoes and asparagus, but she threw in some salad greens and now we are forever grateful. My husband grows organic greens for a living, so salad is an everyday thing. But we can get into a rut of the same old, same old. This was a welcome variation, and so dang delicious! Even the pickiest salad eaters enjoyed it. (The blended onion is sort of a revelation to me, and I want to play with it more.)

Chocolate Oatmeal Lace Cookies (GF & Milk Free)

February 06, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in dessert, baking, sophie

I’ve loved these cookies for years. Though only five ingredients (six with the chocolate), they are interesting and addictive. They just happen to be gluten and milk free. I sometimes add spices like cinnamon to them to vary them up. They are thin, crisp, and almost melt-in-your-mouth.

Lemon Tea Cookies, 3 Ways

January 16, 2020 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

I found this recipe many years ago. A friend came over after school, and we paged through my family’s cookbooks for baking inspiration. We hit upon this one, and it has remained a beloved recipe ever since.

Homemade Flour Tortillas, revisited

November 01, 2019 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

Shortly after we started the blog, I posted my recipe for homemade flour tortillas. I continue to make them whenever we’d like to have tortillas at a meal. They simply taste so, so much yummier than typical grocery store brands. Having made them many more times since originally posting, I thought could refresh my recipe with tips and notes I’ve picked up along the way. I’ve definitely found ways to make them turn out more regularly shaped and to roll out nice and thin, but also stay soft enough to wrap and fill. The more I make them, the less work they seem too! For your first time making them, however, plan for them to take an hour or more.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

September 30, 2019 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

I’m not crazy about making all things pumpkin the moment Fall begins. BUT, I’m not one to complain about cinnamon rolls either. So, when my little sister visits and requests that we make these, I don’t object.

Summer Projects & Musings

September 23, 2019 by Sophie Barrows in sophie, life, collaborative

Hello again. It has been quite a while. A summer hiatus came naturally for us — we didn’t plan it, but we didn’t fight it either. But as Fall begins and the school year starts up again, we are going to get back into a more regular rhythm here on the blog.

We all enjoyed the break, taking a rest from routine daily life and relishing time with our families. It was nice not to feel the pressure of blog posting. An unforeseen blessing was that all three of our families were able to spend about a week together in Colorado! It was a special time, and one that doesn’t happen frequently.

Another reason I enjoyed the break is that it gave me ample time to tackle a major project that has been years in the planning.

Hamburger Buddy, or can we please name it something else?

July 31, 2019 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

When I first heard of hamburger buddy, I was skeptical. The name doesn’t sell it very well, calling to mind boxes of prepackaged, minimal assembly required meals. Convenient, sure, but not something I usually go for at the store. Though the recipe doesn’t explicitly say so, I’m positive this is supposed to be the homemade version of Hamburger Helper.

Baked Mac n' Cheese, Revisited

July 11, 2019 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

A little less than a year ago, I posted this recipe for Mac n’ Cheese. The technique of cooking the pasta in the béchamel sauce was new to me and so appealing for cutting down on dishes. It reliably gave the baked Mac n’ Cheese a wonderful texture too, something that had eluded me with other recipes. Now my Mac n’ Cheese comes out the same every time and just the way I like it. I found this recipe, and I’ve stuck with it very happily.