cheesy comfort

For a few semesters of college, I got a job working at Panera a few days a week. It was a perfect college job. Never had to show up too early since I wasn’t actually baking anything and it also wasn’t too late since the cafe closed at 9PM. The best thing about working the closing shift in the bakery was the free food. We were free to make up a bag of bread and bakery goodies to take home with us (all the leftover bakery stuff was donated every night and there was always plenty). This was also the semester that I lived in my sorority house so I would come home and stick the bag of goodies outside my door. I think my popularity got kicked up a few notches those semesters. But the greatest thing about Panera, at least I thought so at the time, are the soups. Specifically, the broccoli cheese soup. Cheesy, comforting, almost always on the menu, perfect. Now that I make more and more of my own soups, I really dislike store bought because they are always flavorless except for the obscene amounts of salt.

january

Can you believe it is already February? Good thing I’m participating in a little project that lets me remember the little things when some days seem to blend together.

I will be back tomorrow to tell you about another really awesome soup. Preview….it involves extra sharp cheddar and cream….

spicy lentil soup

Now that most of my friends are lawyers, rather than law students (and no longer needing to plow through case law), we seem to fill our evenings with girls’ nights at BYOB sushi joints and potlucks with copious amounts of wine. This is all well and good but suddenly almost two weeks have passed and I haven’t stopped by here to tell you about what I have been eating and cooking in my own kitchen. Granted, last weekend, I didn’t have time to make my weekly grocery run so Dave and I were digging out dinner from the freezer which doesn’t make very interesting blog fodder. And the recipes (including this one) that I have managed to make, and take pictures of, have been after the sun has set which doesn’t make for great pictures.

millionaire’s shortbread

Ok…so I was back a day later than promised.  What can I say…I gotta little sucked into what Wiggs referred to as a vortex called wedding blogs.  Its quite overwhelming to say the least.  But what I am really here to talk about is this….

Hello Lover [said in a Carrie Bradshaw voice]. Yes, this is another recipe from The Baked Cookbook. Yes, I am sad that I have had to return the book to the library. Yes, it is the first thing I am throwing in my shopping cart the next time I need to make an Amazon purchase.

sorry for the silence

How rude of me!  I tell you how wonderful it is to have this space to share my very exciting news and then I disappear and ignore it for 12 days.  Well I had a good reason.  Just after New Years, Dave and I met his family for a vacation in San Diego.  What a week we picked to be in Southern California!  I think literally every other place in the country was freezing, even FL. And we did everything to enjoy it to the fullest.

a new decade

2009 was a crazy year.  I graduated law school, studied for the Bar and then thankfully passed the Bar.  I traveled to Disney, Texas (twice), NYC, and West Chester.  I ran a 10 mile race and enjoyed the farmer’s market season.  I met many new wonderfully inspiring people both in person and through our blogs.  But really, I mainly just cooked and ate, a lot.

bacon & pea risotto

I meant to get this post up earlier in the week since most people are doing their 2009 in review posts.  I think I will get that one up tomorrow with a few resolutions/goals/thoughts for the next year and decade (crazy!).  One thing that did happen in 2009 was the end of Gourmet magazine.

all the hype

Have you noticed that often times, things don’t live up to the hype?

A White Christmas. Sure it is beautiful, and I got to experience one this year with the leftover snow from the Northeast Blizzard of last week, but it also creates travel headaches and causes many people to not make it to home to their families.

A Very Merry Flickr Friday

1. need a little christmas, 2. 336, 3. Our first Christmas tree, 4. christmas decorations, 5. twinkle lights, 6. Deck the Halls With Hand Sewn Balls…, 7. Untitled, 8. 340, 9. a little december magic, 10. Chickadee, 11. Untitled, 12. Sweet Little Watson, 13. 345, 14. christmassy!, 15. mirror, mirror, 16. ornaments

To all my readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  Thank you for stopping by throughout the year.  I hope that you have a wonderful end of 2009.

A cookie for Santa

I know what you are probably thinking. “Whitney, I am cookie-d out. Christmas is in 3 days (3 days?!?) and I don’t need to hear about yet another cookie.” There have been plenty of cookie recipes floating around the blogs, some even had 12 Days of Cookies (I was impressed). But I will tell you why you need just one more recipe. Santa.