On Saturday night, my amazing sister-in-law hosted a charity party for an amazing organization called Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society, or RCCS. They are an incredible organization that provides an array of services for families in my community that are dealing with cancer, including financial support, emotional support, insurance subsidies and advocacy, tuition grants, and a lot more. For those who don't know, they are currently holding a huge fundraising Chinese Auction, with local showings hosted by women in the community. My sister-in-law is awesome that way, so she hosted a showing of the auction in her neighborhood. Naturally, I stepped in to bake. I figured I would show y'all what I made, … [Read more...]
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Marshmallow Fluff Frosting
It's funny how certain things work out at times. Take writing for example. Honestly, it's always come very easily to me. My 12th grade English teacher once commented that I'm lucky she enjoys reading my essays so much, or she would probably fail me for turning them all in two weeks late. When I started this blog, I put a lot of thought into the food and recipes (obviously!) and of course, as you know, I thought a lot about the photography. But the writing? It was always an afterthought, just something I did in the last few minutes of my posting. And I guess it worked. Because suddenly in the last few weeks I've gotten a ton of comments from readers, both of my magazine column and my blog, … [Read more...]
Chocolate Cupcakes and a First Blogiversary Giveaway
Giveaway Closed! See here for the winner I've been thinking about today a lot, but I can't believe it actually came. It was one year ago that I published my first ever recipe. I know that most bloggers follow up on that statement with "I am so embarrassed of that post" or "I can't believe how far I have come since then!" or "it was totally on a whim that I started my blog!" But I am not going to say any of that. Sure, I think I have come pretty far since I wrote and photographed that recipe, but I am proud of that post, just as I am proud of every post I have up on this blog. This blog wasn't started on a whim, it was the result of weeks of planning … [Read more...]
Blueberry Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
I'd like ramble about two things today. I hope you will bear with me, as these ramblings end in...cupcakes. Do I have your attention? Awesome, let's start. With blueberries. Is there anything that really screams out "summer" like sitting down to snack on (read: completely devour) a bowl of juicy blueberries? I don't think so either. I tried to cheat the system a couple of months back, and bought myself a package of blueberries. Many dollars later, I discovered the disappointing truth: for the real goodness of juicy, summery, deliciously plump blueberries, you gotta wait for the summer. Here's my second rambling. (Patience my friend, we're getting closer.) Where's the line between a … [Read more...]
Mini Cookies And Cream Cupcakes
Here's an important thing to know about the non-dieting Miriam: she loves ice cream. And she loves cookies. And she thinks the combination of the two is about as awesome as it gets. Here's an important thing to know about the dieting Miriam: she really wishes she were the non-dieting Miriam. And a part of her must be an idiot to make something like this that so desperately tempts the non-dieting Miriam to come out of hiding. Am I confusing you? Let's sum it up like this: I suddenly realized that I have never posted a cupcake recipe here, and can't think of a more awesome cupcake to get things started than one that basically imitates one of the world's most delicious ice cream flavors: … [Read more...]
Party Treats Round Up
I've promised a post with some pictures and ideas of things I made for the party a couple of weeks ago for my new baby niece, and I think it's finally time to deliver. First, some background for my non-Jewish readers. The party is a traditional Jewish celebration in honor of the birth of a baby girl. In most cases, including this one, the party took place on Sabbath afternoon, just after prayer services. This party was attended by mostly neighbors, as observant Jews don't drive on Sabbath. My brother lives in a very young neighborhood, with what often feels like two million kids. When planning the goodies I made, I tried to balance pretty (for the women) and kid-friendly. Here's what I came … [Read more...]