SMiLes by Meg

Author: smilesbymeg

Gingerbread Men

This is the latest I’ve posted in awhile.  I always underestimate how long it will take me to decorate cookies.  Oh well, I can’t help being a perfectionist. Anyways, after a brief hiatus last week, the Christmas Cookie Project is back with a vengeance.  Tomorrow there’s a holiday at work, to which I committed cookies.  And then there are all of the various people I need to give cookie tins to.  And then of course there are my students, who have requested treats as well.  In short, I will be baking every day this week.  And maybe posting some of …

Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes

It was 60° on Friday.  It’s December.  It’s really hard to get into the Christmas spirit when the weather feels like we’ve skipped about 5 months.  Fortunately, I planned Christmas activities for the weekend anyways.  And now it’s snowing!  It all works out.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Biscotti

It is impossible to say exactly how awesome it was to go home to Massachusetts this weekend.  I spent four whole days with my family for Thanksgiving break, and I am already looking forward to going back for Christmas.  Unfortunately, I was so caught up in the awesomeness of being home that I forgot to photograph while I was baking things for Thanksgiving.  I made Pull Aparts successfully for the first time ever (a yeast recipe very similar to monkey bread) but alas, I have no proof for you.  I also made some pretty delicious brickle from a Serious Eats recipe, …

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

This week, I resorted to a tried-and-true method of teaching that for two months I had successfully avoided – bribery.  Some teachers give candy as rewards for different things, but being a science teacher, that had been impossible since we obviously can’t have food in laboratory classrooms.  I even had to take candy away from my students on Halloween (I know, I felt like a Halloween Scrooge) because they didn’t believe me about not eating in class.

Haystacks

This is probably the most satisfying thing you can make with only three ingredients.  And there is no baking involved.  They are crunchy, they are peanut buttery, and they are sweet.  The first time I had them was when my aunt made them (shout out to Anne!) for a family party, and I probably ate between 5 and 25 before my mom had to cut me off.  So when I wasn’t totally sure what to make this weekend, I was digging through recipes that people have emailed me and found it, as well as multiple variations that may make later …

Chocolate Swirl Blondies

November really is an awesome month to be a teacher.  I’m currently enjoying a long weekend due to the Teacher’s Convention, which I am spending in Philadelphia with my boyfriend.  However, I did bake before I left for Philly, mostly so that I could use lots of butter that said boyfriend wouldn’t want in treats baked for him.  I’ve also been on a huge blondie kick recently, which is strange because I love chocolate and they are basically brownies without chocolate, but I decided to go with it.  And thus I bring you: Chocolate Swirl Blondies.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Happy Diwali!  Sorry for the Monday morning rather than Sunday afternoon post – but I don’t have school today so for me its like a Sunday.  And I don’t have school Thursday.  And I don’t have school Friday.  And I don’t have school next Monday.  Life of a school teacher in November.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had a Martha Stewart day today.  I was done with all of my work for the week (finally getting the hang of this lesson planning thing), so I went to a technique class at Williams-Sonoma this morning to learn how to make pie crust.  Well, really because I know that Williams-Sonoma gives free samples at their technique classes, but the pie crust lesson was helpful, too.  Then I put together a slow cooker black bean soup recipe that is currently sitting on my counter waiting for dinner time.  Then I made cookies.  Then I carved a pumpkin.

Pumpkin Bread

I love the Fall.  I say that about every season, but Fall has the best smells.  And after baking this pumpkin bread, I’ve been leaving my apartment just so I can walk back in and smell the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.