A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.Willow at 22 weeksTomorrow will be one year since I lost Hadley and I've had a chance to gather my thoughts. She was my first dog so everything about the process, including losing her and getting another, is new for me. The decision was not an easy one and I passed up several opportunities during the year to have another dog. But I ..read more

A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.Part 4: The Land SharkAlthough I knew that a 9 week old Cavalier puppy would weigh between 4 and 5 lbs., the photos made Willow look somewhat substantial. But the baby I took out of the carrier when I got her home was tiny and precious. She couldn't have been 5" tall at the shoulders and looked like a stuffed toy.But this innocent ..read more

A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.Part 3: The JourneyThe logistics of getting Willow here nearly broke my faith that this was meant to be. Hadley's breeder was located only about 2 hours away from us. Willow's breeder would not have been much further except for the move to South Carolina. They're in a small town, not close to a major airport. That would mean both ..read more

A mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy.Part 2: The WaitingI had imagined that I would be a much calmer future puppy mom as I was expecting my second. The constant worry and check-ins of the first would not be me anymore. HA! Panic would set in quickly over literally everything.I signed the breeder's contract and did a bank transfer of the deposit. They said they would ..read more

HadleyTaking a break in my cooking to start a little mini series about losing my beloved dog and getting a new puppy. Mostly for me to get my feelings out but I hope the words resonate with some of you as well. When I got my first ever dog, 15 years ago, I kept a puppy blog (long since abandoned) for the first year of her life. I was endlessly fascinated with how she grew from week to week but it ..read more

Do we need a holiday excuse to make a sweet chocolate treat? No, but, also, yes because then we can use all the fun holiday candy to decorate it. This Easter bark combines milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate Easter egg candies and springtime sprinkles along with some flaky sea salt to cut the sweetness. And yes, I did color some of the white chocolate pink!Chocolate bark is one of the ..read more

If you know me, or if you pay weirdly close attention to my blog (tell me if you do because I love you!) then you know that banana cream is my favorite pie and has been all my life. Banoffee pie (a combo word of banana and toffee) is kind of the British version of it. I'd heard of it, both in England and at home in the U.S. but didn't actually taste it until a few years ago. After all, nothing ..read more

I am a sucker for interesting citrus fruit so, when I see it, I need to try it. That's how I first experienced Meyer lemons, years ago and they immediately became a favorite ingredient.Is there really a big difference between Meyer lemons and the regular grocery store ones we see every day? Yes! The difference is quite noticeable. Meyers are a cross between standard lemons and mandarin oranges ..read more

I know I'm not alone in my obsession with Cadbury Crème Eggs, right? While I can resist most Easter candy, these eggs have had a hold on me forever. I watch the store shelves as spring arrives, waiting for the first batch to show up. And we won't discuss how many I've bought and eaten.I may or may not have hoarded some extra eggs but let's just say that I had enough of them to play around with a ..read more

For years I would say that carrot cake was not my first choice for dessert. I never ordered it at a restaurant and would be disappointed if that was the only sweet treat on a table. Clearly I just never had good carrot cake. Until now.As with most things that I think I don't like, I have to try to make it myself before making that final declaration. And, in fact, it took me a few tries to get ..read more