Lavender Honey Cookies are my ode to the small bits of loveliness found in Lying in Wait. There’s so much that’s ugly in this book that it’s a surprise when you stumble upon something beautiful, which can range from the simple, like pretty lace curtains hanging in the window of a drab, grey house, to the more complex, like a happy relationship between two suffering people. Or, y'know...a lovely garden in the back of a manor house...with a...
When we first meet the titular character of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, she is traveling through dreary Ingolstadt, Germany to find her friend Victor. Even though the adventure is shrouded in creepiness, author Kiersten White’s vivid description of the medieval city made me nostalgic for Germany – particularly, for its desserts, which I believe are some of the best in the world. Since the novel is mostly set in Germany and...
This Cioppino may be the best meal I've made all year. For reals. Seafood lovers, you are in for a TREAT. Even before I decided that I was going to keep reading The Immortalists, I knew I wanted to make a dish that related to San Francisco. Simon is the first sibling you meet in The Immortalists, and his story quickly takes him to The City by the Bay. His love of SF and the freedom he experiences there is what made me fall in love with this...
These Chai Latte Bars are an ode to my best friend. Why are Chai Latte Bars the book-inspired recipe for The Ever After? The recipe inspired by The Ever After had to be based around a latte. It had to. After all, that’s what started the story. Main character Josie was waiting for her husband to bring her a latte when she discovered the incriminating texts on his phone. If it weren’t for that fateful latte from Starbucks,...
The hardest thing about these Easy Ground Beef Gyros is figuring out how to pronounce them. Gyro. Is it "Jy-roh"? Or, is it "Guy-ro"? Maybe it's "Year-roh? I’ve been to Greece, and I still don’t know how to pronounce "gyro" correctly. (To be fair, I didn't see gyros on any menus there, so I didn't have the opportunity to inquire about its pronunciation). I think it’s the last one ("year-roh"), but please do NOT quote me on that. I have...
Hands down, this is the BEST coconut cake recipe you will EVER come across. During my years upon this earth, I have made the important discovery that coconut is a very divisive flavor. As a coconut lover (some may say fanatic), I can't fathom how anyone could despise this magical ingredient. One of my favorite treats growing up was a coconut FrozFruit popsicle that I would get from the snack bar at the town lake. That cool, creamy taste and...
It's Cincinnati Chili Season, everyone. My favorite time of year. We're well into September now, and that means it's time for crunchy falling leaves, taking cozy sweaters out of storage, all things pumpkin spice and apple related, and...the return of FOOTBALL! And the return of Cincinnati Chili, the unofficial football of Tartlet Cottage. A love story about food and football I can't even believe I'm writing this post. If you knew...
While I didn't love The Road to Little Dribbling, author Bill Bryson's time in England did inspire me to make some delicious English treats. I'm a huge Anglophile, and I appreciated his enthusiasm for English culture with all its delightful quirks, gorgeous landscapes, and elegant teatime traditions. One of my favorite things to do in London is have afternoon tea at a luxury hotel. I try to visit a different tea salon each time, but I'm also...
I'm finally posting about my favorite food. PASTA. Honestly, I'm shocked I've held out as long as I have. I could eat pasta every single day. Confession: I might have actually done that in college and ballooned 40 pounds. So, I have learned the hard way that, no matter how much I want to, I cannot eat pasta every day. But, if I could request to eat only one food for the rest of my life, it would be pasta. (And maybe Chinese takeout. And some...
Happy three-day weekend, all! I hope some of you managed your vacation time better than I did and have more than three days off to head to the beach, the mountains, or just your own backyard for some much needed R&R. Whatever your plans are for the holiday break, though, I'm sure there's going to be a BBQ in your future. Husband and I made these grilled peaches a few weeks ago, and they were so good that I just cannot keep the recipe to...
