Mondays suck, we know this. The harsh reality of the work/school week are a slap in the face after innocent, lazy (but completely misleading) Sunday. When you come home exhausted and hungry on a Monday evening, you crave warm fuzzy comfort food, but your body is angrily demanding that you go to sleep as soon as Gossip Girl is over.

What’s a starving girl to do? Never fear, darlings, this chicken pot pie recipe will have you feeling cozy and well-fed super quick — and it’s so easy and fast that you’ll be tucked in by bedtime. Read More »

With Thanksgiving only a few weeks away, ‘tis the season for awesome TV, beautiful foliage, great hair days and—of course—seasonal gourds.

What better way is there to celebrate than with a delicious, Grandma-worthy pumpkin pie? This one looks, tastes and smells like the real thing and you’ll get it done (and impress your friends and family) in 5 steps:

You Will Need:

1 frozen 9″ pie crust

1 can of Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filler!)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. of ginger

3/4 tsp. of nutmeg Read More »

I have always had this intense passion for baking. I’m not sure how much of it was the romantic sense of making something great looking and great tasting and feeling the accomplishment that came along with it, and how much was just plain old having the ability to scrounge around and make something from practically nothing to satisfy my raving sweet tooth.

One thing I had never really delved into was pie baking. Brownies, cookies, cakes — I loved them all and I could bake them fairly well. But pies…if it wasn’t refrigerated, I hadn’t tried it. And then I had a craving for apple pie.

My fiance being the loyal supporter he is, accompanied me to the store and watched me stare at the shelves trying to figure out what looked yummy. I’ve never been one for cooking apples (sometimes I have an issue cutting them uniformly) and since this was my first foray into pie-world, I didn’t want to risk screwing up the um, very essential filling. So, without an official recipe, and without really knowing what I was doing I came up with the following plan. No, it isn’t good for you, but it’s darn tasty with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You will need the following: Read More »

I’m not a good baker, but since I’ve been home for a few days (perks of surgery!), my mom’s giant kitchen has got me thinking that all my past transgressions weren’t really true and I’m actually a fabulous cook. So the other day when I got a craving for pumpkin pie, I decided I would totally make one.

Then of course I looked in the pantry and saw we had nothing in terms of pie crust ingredients. Could I make a crust-less pumpkin pie? I asked myself. Yes you can, the Internet answered, and in fact many people prefer crust-less pies because there’s way less carbs.

Part of the reason I’m not the best baker is because I don’t measure things real well and if I don’t have the right ingredients I substitute. This recipe is no different. I didn’t measure things perfectly and I made random substitutions. But guess what? It freaking tasted like pumpkin pie. Without the crust. Nice.

What You Need: Read More »

I have never liked blueberry pie. In fact, I would even go beyond that—I’ve always thought it was disgusting. I am not the biggest fan of fresh blueberries, either, but lately I have started to like them more and more.

Despite all of this, last week I could not stop thinking about how I really wanted to make a blueberry pie. Why did I think this… why? I have no idea. I am still unable to explain it. But I suspect it was divine intervention, because the resulting blueberry pie was THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER EATEN.

The recipe is dunce-free (not that CC readers are dunces, of course) and uses fresh berries, which I suspect is the real reason for my enthusiasm behind this pie. All previous blueberry pies that were set in front of me were either a) made from cans of blueberry pie filling or b) things that I refused to eat because I was under the impression that I hated blueberry pie. Read More »

I’m a huge fro-yo fan, and my dream job may be taste-testing at the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Vermont, but sometimes it’s good to keep your calories in check when you’re craving something chilly for the summer. You know…with bathing suits and super tight dresses, and all.

And so, I bring you a ridiculously easy Yogurt Mousse to curb that sweet tooth without giving up on the flava.

What you will need:

½ cup plain nonfat yogurt

½ cup light Cool Whip

1 capful flavored extract of your choice (Vanilla or almond are great, lemon and orange aren’t bad if you’re craving fruit)

Sprinkle of Sweet and Low to taste

How to do it:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add Sweet and Low as desired (if desired at all). Yeah, it’s that easy. Read More »

I think I’ve said it before, but I’m not really into vegan things. I haven’t had a lot of experience with vegan food, but whenever I do find it in my mouth (gosh. That sounds so dirty!), it’s usually a slightly bland and…slightly grainy… experience. I repeat, I haven’t had many vegan delicacies, but really, one strangely gritty slice of tofurky is enough.

So, you’re going to have to trust me when I tell you this vegan cherry pie is just delightful. A friend recently brought it to a party and before they could say “that crust is totally vegan!!”, it was gone. Mostly thanks to me and my two helpings.

While a little long, this recipe is surprisingly simple.

Vegan Pie (Crust)

2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Cup Vegetable Shortening

4-6 Tablespoons Ice Water

1.) In large bowl mix flour and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2.) Sprinkle in ice water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with fork after each addition, until dough is just moist enough to hold together. (the less water you use, the flakier the crust) Read More »