For some reason, I’ve always been under the impression that soft pretzels were really difficult to make. High maintenance, time consuming, and finicky. Seems like I’m saying this a lot lately, but I’ve been proven wrong. Bigtime.

Making these pretzels was the most fun I’ve had in the kitchen in a while. Not only did I get to do my new favorite thing ever (watching dough rise… I know, I lead a thrilling life), but the twisting and the boiling and …

I have a confession to make.

I’m awful at leftovers. I too often wind up wasting all kinds of perfectly good food. Not only restaurant or take-out leftovers, but perishable ingredients and produce that I may have bought for a recipe and have a portion left over. I’m just lacking skills to plan meals around ingredients that I already have within the appropriate freshness time frame. I’ve bought fresh sage about 3 times in the last month because of this weakness. …

Sign #3242953 that baking is taking over my life: it’s 11 pm on a Wednesday. I want a cookie. No, scratch that, I need a cookie. While my former self would have languished in disappointment that I was not in possession of anything resembling a cookie, present-day Amy hopped off the couch and stormed the kitchen on a mission. A cookie mission.

I decided on these peanut butter cookies simply because I had all of the ingredients on hand. And, as a …

Hello EAD friends! Hope you’re all having a great week.

I wanted to do a little check-in to say hi and see if there’s anything food-related on your minds these days. I would love, love, love to hear what kinds of things (favorite ingredients, genre of food, type of meal, or anything kitchen/food-related) you’d like to see here. What are you in the mood for? Doesn’t have to be a recipe, it could be a topic, process, or method. I share …

This dish is my new weeknight best friend. It’s quick, easy, crowd-pleasing, and best of all, it’s versatile.

The possibilities for playing with types of protein, veggies, and even pasta shapes are limitless. Want rotini with ground turkey, broccoli, and alfredo sauce? Penne with veggie soy crumbles, artichoke hearts, and arrabiata sauce? Or maybe rigatoni with asparagus, ground sausage, and mushroom marinara. See what I mean? It’s like a game. How many combos can you come up with?

Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti
Adapted from …

I have a newfound appreciation for oranges. Citrus fruit is at its peak here in the wintertime, but in the past I’ve always shunned oranges in favor of my beloved lemons.

Recently I’ve been buying a lot more fruit, and as I’ve been looking around grocery stores for the best-looking produce, I’ve given oranges another try. I’m happily realizing that there’s such a huge variety of types (shapes, sizes, and colors) to play with. I’m sure my …

Some people like their food dry, but I’m all about complementing the flavor and texture with dips and sauces. I especially like trying and making new ones, and muhammara is my new favorite.

I’ve been wanting to make this tangy blend of red peppers and walnuts for a long time, and was so excited to have the opportunity during the February Daring Cooks challenge. Use pomegranate molasses unless you absolutely can’t find it; that’s the key to authenticity here. This dip …

This was the first recipe that caught my eye when I bought Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. I’m a sucker for anything Oreo, anything mini, and lately, anything cheesecake.

If you’re a sucker for these things too, or you want to win the heart of someone who is, these are your new best friend. The recipe is just a simple cheesecake batter poured over a whole Oreo cookie sitting in the well of a cupcake tin. I made these for a party with …

I was perusing my recipe index the other day and decided that the cupcake section was too chocolate-heavy. Not that there’s anything wrong with chocolate, but I’m an equal-opportunity cupcake lover. So off I went to find a non-chocolate, non-fruity cupcake flavor.

Dulce de leche has been on my radar for a long time (plus it’s all the rage right now), but I’ve always been hesitant to go through the high-risk process of making it at home. It involves boiling a …

So I know I’m not the only one out there with a lifelong aversion to exercise… right?

I’m often asked how I manage to stay healthy with all of the baking and cooking I do. To be honest, I haven’t managed very well at all. Like many, weight has always been a big source of insecurity for me, and coupled with the fact that I have never been able to find a way to exercise that I enjoyed, I’ve been feeling …