I don’t recall why, but I decided to watch all of the films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar this year. I think I did this once before, years ago, and am learning the same lesson as I did then—the films aren’t that good. With a couple of exceptions, I have found them mostly mediocre or actually bad. I’ve been posting flippant reviews of the movies as I watch them on Instagram for a laugh and a few people have messaged me to say that I don’t seem to like anything. Well, yeah. What has surprised me about the tone of these comments (accusations?) is that they seem to come not from ..read more

It is important for you to know about this bran muffin recipe that was making the rounds a few weeks ago on Instagram. I learned about it from Hailey who learned about it from Camilla. But the origin of the recipe is here. I don’t know that I have ever had a strong opinion on bran muffins. But Bryan loves them and I have been thinking I would like a reliable recipe. I’m in love with these beauties and if you are at all curious I implore you to give them a try. The real genius of this recipe is that you mix up a batch of the batter and it sits in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can then ba ..read more

Coming to you today with one of my most treasured and strange holiday recipes. Versions of this oddity appear all over the internet on sketchy food sites that are mostly ads for weightloss drugs and recipes for “salads” off of the back of packaged goods. I got my version from a chef friend a few years ago who described it as the best dessert ever. Which it is. But it is also bonkers. Here is the the thing about this recipe. It only works exactly as written. Which is a test for some of you who seem to be unable to help yourselves. But altering any part of this will throw the whole thing off. W ..read more

Continuing a tradition started last year, I again managed to convince five of my favorite people to share their gift picks with all of us. I could not be more excited to bring you this very special edition of the gift guide. Once again I have already ordered multiple gifts from these lists. And in case you missed it, my annual guide was published last week—check it out! + SAMIN NOSRAT You probably know who Samin Nosrat is from her best-selling cookbook (another is on the way!),  television shows, podcast, or world tour (which I had the pleasure of hosting on her Chicago stop!). But you s ..read more

The quickest of check-ins to share this giant pop-tart (galette if you’re fancy!) that I recently made for an 8-year-old’s birthday party. I used recipes in Camilla Wynne’s brilliant book, Jam Bakes. But essentially I rolled out two disks of galette pastry to about the size of a half-sheet pan (12×15?) and put them in the fridge to chill. Using parchment paper, I made a template of a giant “8” that used as much of the surface of the dough as possible. Cut each sheet of dough into an “8” using the template. I then put one of the two “8”s on a parchment-lined baking sheet and piped the filling ..read more

This photo from the set of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette is one of my favorite things. And one doesn’t think about Marie Antoinette without thinking about cake, or at least I don’t. Though I also know that the famous quote was translated wrong or taken out of context or attributed to the wrong person, which some self-righteous nerd explained to me years ago. Truly, who cares. I’d also never really cared much about proper cakes, the ones with layers and frosting that are served at weddings or birthday parties. They’re just kind of sweet and soft and somehow always a letdown. I would rather ..read more

Quick note to share what is, I believe, one of the greatest cookie recipes ever created. Bryan’s nanny made these for us whenever we visited (that is a picture of us all watching her favorite soap opera, years ago.). The only change I make to the recipe is to do a heaping teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and I bake on parchment. I don’t get 7 dozen, more like 4 using about 1.5-2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Nanny’s are the 4th photo down. The best. | 2 comments so far ..read more

[clockwise: Nadia Gohar, Dorie Greenspan, Merve Emre, Camilla Wynne, Kelly Cooper Kordylewski] This year, in an unprecedented move on my part, I decided to ask other people to contribute to a second, bonus gift guide. This was mostly very selfish. Because my gift guide is always stuff I already have, it doesn’t do me much good. It occurred to me to ask people who I think are very cool for what they would recommend. And it worked! And I have already ordered multiple things on this list. It’s so good! Could not be more thrilled and grateful to have collaborated with these five brilliant, styli ..read more

Adult Bib My main advice this year is to shop Gohar World. Because no place online has a better selection of frivolously wonderful things. Like these adult bibs, which are as unnecessary as they are beautiful—my definition of the perfect gift. The packaging from Gohar World is almost as beautiful and thoughtful as the products, which adds to the fun. Get on board the Gohar World train!  Portrait Commissions from Christopher Gee Christopher Gee paints brilliantly moody portraits of people, pets, or places starting at around £200, which is a lot of money for something but not for this. Ho ..read more

Cranberry Gingerbread Crumble Bars I recently made these Cranberry Gingerbread Crumble Bars that are extremely delicious. Recipe is by Asha Loupy, who is a genius recipe writer. They are a riff on another bar she makes with strawberries and pistachios, which I make all of the time. Now we have a version for each half of the year. And for the record, I think these are especially good cold (they need to be stored in the fridge). Doma Cafe Somehow took me longer than it should have to try Doma, a Croatian cafe in Chicago. I am in love. Not only is the food great (the hash brown is a work of art ..read more