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New flavors of loose tea from Tea Guys, in cute canisters designed by Molly Hatch

Is this winter ever going to end? I mean, really, I’m starting to wonder if I have a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder. That, or I may be suffering from Groundhog Day syndrome. Every day seems to bleed into the next, which is only amplified by the fact that it’s dark when I wake up and go into work and it’s dark again by the time I leave the office to head home. I don’t think that I’ve ever looked forward to the spring time change more. In the meantime, I’m slogging through, mostly indoors, by fixating on the things that are currently bringing me joy... 

Lots of exciting planning/booking for our upcoming trip to the UK, Ireland and Paris

Decadent gold-wrapped Fuhgeddaboudits from Bouchon Bakery

A forceful reminder of Saturday morning yoga class at the front door

Clustered candles on every surface to ward off the dark winter nights

Alfresco

The weather was so gorgeous this weekend that it would have been criminal to spend much time indoors. Instead, we took full advantage of the cloudless skies, lounging on the balcony with a stack of reading materials and a big cup of chai tea, browsing the first signs of fall at the Farmers’ Market, and taking a leisurely afternoon walk that led us to the patio of a local vegetarian restaurant where we enjoyed coffee, dessert and the setting sun.  

Berry Crumble

I have been putting this book to use ever since I added it to my cookbook collection, and it certainly came in handy when trying to figure out what to do with all of the berries that we picked in Bayfield.  I adapted two of its recipes to fit my needs, and the result was the perfect ending to a late summer dinner of grilled cheeseburgers and corn on the cob.

Filling:

1 pound of berries, picked over and rinsed (here, I used blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and baby strawberries)

¼ cup granulated sugar

1/8 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

 Topping:

 ½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup of light brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions (couldn’t be easier):

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Butter a baking dish (if you're looking for a lighter option, baking spray will do)
• Mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl and pour into the greased dish
• Mix the topping ingredients together with your hands, and then crumble on top of the filling
• Pop into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, keeping an eye on it until it is lightly browned and bubbling
• Remove from the oven, let slightly cool, and serve with a dollop of cold vanilla ice cream!

Rainbow Bright

 Much to my delight, this past weekend was punctuated with bright colors...

Just one of many bunches of Farmers' Market flowers scattered throughout the condo

Festive cake balls whipped up and ready to go to a surprise party

Cold margaritas with citrus-colored cups and straws at the party

Pale blue toes dipped in pool water on a hot summer day

A fitting Sunday afternoon spent watching the Olympics, eating Pret (of course) and reading a new aptly-titled book during commercials 

Frugal Gourmet

Okay, I admit it: I LOVE a good deal. In fact, those closest to me may say that this is one of my major defining characteristics. I especially enjoy a discount when it gives me the chance to experience a luxury for which I would never pay full price, which is why I am one of those people who frequent the small sale rack at the back of Williams-Sonoma. They generally mark down their gourmet foodstuffs when there is still a reasonable amount of time to spare before expiration, as was recently the case with this and this. When all you need to add is  butter and an egg, it may actually be the cheapest way to make homemade cookies. Add some fun packaging, and their luxury factor remains intact, even if you did buy the mix for a ridiculously low price.

Piece of Cake

Lemon Daffodil Torte from a sweet Cincinnati institution

It was one of those family-packed and sugar-fueled weekends when you spend more time socializing than taking beautifully composed photos. Thus, I don’t have a single acceptable image of the pink, yellow, orange, and white polka dot bedecked tables at the birthday brunch that we hosted for my Mom. Regardless, I can tell you that these table confetti party favors were a huge hit, the cellophane-wrapped 6 and 0 sugar cookies and fresh flowers in mini glass vases on each of the tables were a nice touch, the never-ending buffet was incredible, and I won’t soon forget the look of shock on my Mom’s face as she came into the room and was greeted with a collective shout of “Surprise!” The icing on the weekend was the dessert, slivers of which I slowed down long enough to capture on my cell phone camera.

My first attempt at Creme Brûlée, and a chance to use my new kitchen torch

Paper birthday cake centerpieces waiting to be adorned with straw candles