Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I'd like to make a good sourdough or really any bread. Unless I do no knead or the bread machine, I lack the patience required to develop gluten. Also my kitchen is like the arctic tundra so it's hard to get things to rise anyway.

I made this over the weekend and while it was good and everyone liked it, the butter/brown sugar mixture did not caramelize all the way. I think if I were to make it again, I would cook the butter and brown sugar together until it bubbled a bit before I put it in the pan. I ended up with buttery lumps of brown sugar in some spots and caramelized almonds in others. The cake was great and I didn't tell anyone how it was supposed to be and they all liked it anyway! Sometimes you have to go with the flow.

I had an amazingly simple aglio e olio at a restaurant and have been making it at home ever since. Love it and it's quick too.

I made this today and we all loved it. The only thing I would suggest is to line the pans with parchment paper because all 3 of mine stuck a little bit in the middle. It didn't make much difference in the long run but if you want them to be perfect, it might help.

The cake is really soft and I had the same trouble as laetitiae with pulling out the waxed paper after glazing it. The cake will pull away with the paper if you aren't careful. All in all, it looked really great and it tasted great. Everyone at my house loved it so I would definitely make it again.

Definitely my kitchen aid stand mixer. But I also love my hot water dispenser and the cuisinart. Too hard to pick but I think I'll stick with the mixer!

Magic cookie bars. I make all kinds of cookies at Christmas and all throughout the year but I only make these at Christmas time and I love them. Same with russian tea cakes. Yum.

I've made this before but it's not my favorite. I have been on a quest for the perfect crumb cake and the best so far was by Carole Walter from GREAT COFFEE CAKES, STICKY BUNS, MUFFINS & MORE. It's yummy although best eaten the first day. I still make new crumb cake recipes whenever I can find a good one, just in case it's "the one".

Chicken in green sauce with avocado, roasted potatoes and veggie. Probably because everyone in my house will eat this and it's really good.

Usually homemade salsa and chips but my dh always requests roasted shrimp with Martha's cilantro almond relish. Always a hit.

The cilantro almond relish for shrimp is my favorite ever.

I grew up and have spent my entire life on the east coast (NY and PA) and I have never seen this happen. I've heard of this but thankfully never seen it. That pizza must be really bad to have to add ranch to it. Plus I think ranch dressing is the work of the devil. Ick!

Mexico. Yum.

Lemons!