It may be September, but I’m hanging on to summer like whoa with this creamy, dreamy Coconut Iced Caramel Macchiato. About a year ago I found myself with some time to kill before an appointment, so I ducked into a nearby Starbucks. I spied a gorgeous photo for a Coconut Iced Caramel Macchiato, and my tongue practically unfurled onto the floor. I looooove all things coconut. Plus, a quick look at the calorie count display (which I love and hate...
I really should call this Mint Chocolate Cake the “Hot Mess Cake.” Because that's totally what it looks like until the cake comes out of the oven. It’s just a whole bunch o’ ingredients dumped unceremoniously into a food processor that magically becomes one of the most delicious, moist, and mouth-watering cakes you’ll ever taste. Even though The Mother-in-Law wasn't inspired by author Sally Hepworth's mother-in-law, my book-inspired...
Fair warning, Tartlets: once you taste a Pineapple Mint Agua Fresca, it will be your new summer drink obsession. #SorryNotSorry I know a lot of people prefer alcoholic summery drinks (Rosé all day, and all that), but we at the Cottage aren't really a booze-lovin’ bunch. That said, I still enjoy a good refreshing drink, especially when I’m reading under my pergola during the sweltering New Jersey summers.
What is the book-inspired...
Do I really need to write a post about this Cardamom Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting? I mean, LOOK AT IT. A picture’s worth a thousand words, so I’m just gonna peace out for the rest of this post… KIDDING! Just kidding. I’ve been blogging for almost a whole year now; I know how all this works. I have to entice you to make this dessert through words and photos. Really, the best advertisement for this Cardamom Banana Cake is the fact...
You know what’s really hard to take pictures of, you guys? ICE CREAM. I’ve made ice cream before for the blog, and I think I managed to pull off some pretty good photos. This time, however, I got cocky, and I tried to do my Mint Chocolate Chip Hot Fudge Sundaes photo shoot after I got home from work. Since I’m basically awake around 4:30am each day, doing anything after work that involves patience and a modicum of creativity is not the...
Brush up your Play-Doh skills, everyone! Because we’re baking Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies on the blog today. Colors are a big theme in The Things She's Seen. Beth sees beautiful, beckoning colors that she knows she should go toward ("the afterlife"), and Catching and Crow have "the colors" viciously torn out of them by the Feed. The concept of colors represents SO much in this incredible novel -- hope, strength, happiness, peace -- that I knew...
Chocolate Chip Cornbread Muffins are the breakfast appetizer you never knew you needed. Yes, breakfast appetizer. Stay with me.
My love affair with chocolate and cornbread... I first discovered how amazing chocolate and cornbread are together back in high school. My friends and I would visit a pancake house on our days off, and even though the restaurant served INSANELY large pancakes, you were given a basket of freshly baked, chocolate...
These Macadamia Nut Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies are my go-to chocolate chip cookie. Picking your favorite chocolate chip cookie is like picking a mate: everyone has their unique personal preferences. Some people like their cookies thin and crispy; others like them thick and overloaded with chips. Certain people (ahem, me) even prefer chipless chocolate chip cookies. The variations can go on and on. But...when you find THE ONE.... When you find...
One of the reasons I love Southern fiction is that it relies heavily on food to tell its story. A good meal acts as a bonding ritual between friends and family, and a delectable dessert is enough to make you forget the worries of the day, at least temporarily. This book-inspired recipe blogger was thrilled to find that Glory Road contained more than enough mouth-watering inspiration. The peach cobbler that main character Gus bakes up is known as...
I lied. I said I wasn’t going to post anything new until January. But it’s December 31, so I almost made it. I just had to post this cake recipe because it's the PERFECT dessert for New Year’s Day. Christmas week is drawing to an end, and, even if you’re not one who celebrates that particular holiday, I’m sure it’s been hard to escape the tons of cookies, cakes, and other sugary treats popping up at parties, friends' homes, and...
