SWEETS

Eat

Olive Oil & Ricotta Cake (with Chocolate & Orange)

Loaf cakes are basically the best things in the world. They're easy to make, they freeze well (making them an excellent solution when you've got a lot of parties to go to and not a lot of time)...and you can pretend that they are "bread" and eat them for breakfast. Which is what I just finished doing.

I've never actually made an olive oil cake before, but I've always wanted to try it, partially because it sounds delicious and partially because it sounds weird (and those two things are not, to my mind, mutually exclusive). As it turns out, it is delicious, but it's totally not weird - just a super-moist version of a traditional cake. You can make a plain version of this cake minus the chocolate and orange, or you can try swapping in lemon zest or topping it with a fruit coulis (try strawberry or plum). If you do that you can call the coulis "jam", plant a cup of coffee next to it, and happily consume it at 7 o'clock in the morning. And then again at 7 o'clock at night. And maybe again while laying in bed a couple of hours later, with a side order of Joel McHale. All good.

Try it. You'll like it.

Recipes

Blueberry-Cinnamon French Toast

Suggestion for your weekend: make this.

It takes about five minutes total, and is a huge crowd-pleaser for all ages. The key to this recipe: use blueberry bread instead of regular bread (this is Pepperidge Farm Blueberry Swirl bread, which I think is delicious…but my son's obsession is on another level entirely: he insists on eating it every. single. morning, calls it "my muffin", and was literally still talking about it as he went to sleep last night).

SWEETS

Valentine’s Day Rice Krispie Treats

Because Kendrick loves Rice Krispie treats more than anything and spent a decent percentage of today shoveling snow out of our driveway, and because I am a huge nerd:

I made him a Valentine's Day Rice Krispie Treat.

If, like me, you haven't made these things in a couple of decades and need a refresher, here's how you do it:

SWEETS

Half-Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

Is coconut cream pie a summer thing?

I think it might be.

I could not possibly care less. It's so good, and I want it right now, cold weather and all. All of the time. I am very sad that these photos were taken last week and that this pie no longer exists in close proximity to my face.