Old Witch’s Magic Nut Cake

From a Child’s Storybook Last year, around the time of the harvest of the great punkini, we had my husband’s colleague over for dinner. He told the story of how his all-time favorite dessert is a pumpkin-based cake, Old Witch’s Magic Nut Cake, from one of his childhood storybooks. Naturally, I had to look it […] Read More

Pressure Cooker Chicken Lentil Stew

An Easy Pressure Cooker Meal Until recently, I had been irrationally terrified of the pressure cooker. The Husband always thought I was crazy, but the aversion traces back to the early days of our marriage where even the stove had its intimidating moments. Tackling an appliance that could literally explode freaked me out more than […] Read More

Indian Lentils

Making Indian Lentils in the Pressure Cooker The Husband has always been a big fan of pressure cookers. I, on the other hand, regard them with a healthy level of fear, not entirely sure if the thing is going to blow and kill me. Plus, being able to cook foods in such short periods of […] Read More

Pesto Bread

The Best Thing Since Sliced Pesto Bread “Have you ever made pesto bread?” my friend asked. “It’s so good! I saw it on Pinterest, but you can find recipes anywhere. Just Google it.” She wasn’t kidding. A Google search for pesto bread brings back 26 million results. “Can you be a little more specific?” I […] Read More

Curried Butternut Soup

The Best Thing to Do with a Butternut Squash I have this really strange habit of buying butternut squash. Don’t get me wrong, I like a nice squash, but for some reason I feel compelled to buy one every time I go to a supermarket. It’s hard to keep up with cooking that much squash. […] Read More

Halloween Candy Cookies

What to Do With Leftover Halloween Candy Every year, we’re faced with the same parental dilemma: what to do with the leftover Halloween candy? I know that you can ship candy to the troops overseas, or sell it back to your pediatric dentist, but I’d rather encourage The Assistant to be a little creative with […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Pretzel Rolls

Homemade Pretzel Hot Dog Buns Remember last week when The Assistant showed you how to make Alton Brown’s homemade pretzels? Well, on the last night of the World Series, we decided to take that original recipe to the next level. Guys, we made pretzel rolls! I can’t even begin to tell you how giddy we were […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Homemade Soft Pretzels

The Joy of Homemade Pretzels I grew up near Philadelphia, so soft pretzels are a lifelong love for me. It’s the first thing I buy when I land at the airport in Philly. Actually, it also happens to be the first thing I buy when I land in Frankfurt, as well. Yes, I know the decent pretzel […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Cold Peanut Noodles

Peanut Noodles Will Taste Even Better Tomorrow It was one of those days: we had some friends coming over, but the timing was uncertain. It was going to be sometime after a birthday party but before a soccer tournament and what, exactly could we serve that wasn’t time sensitive? Cold peanut noodles. (Fortunately and somewhat […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Birthday Season: Key Lime Pie

“Key” Lime Pie Every year, The Assistant and I make a fun cake for The Husband. A few years ago, there was the sheet cake that was carved into the shape of a goldfish cracker and iced in an artificial cheddar color.   Then there was the year of the collapsing s’mores cake that was […] Read More