Local Loves: Hope & Olive

When I first moved to the Pioneer Valley nearly two years ago, my first weekend around my new town was spent getting acclimated to my space and familiarizing myself with the local shops, cafés and restaurants. I did a lot of walking over the course of those two days- but ultimately ended up at a […]

Read More

Spring Sweets: Banana Cream Pie Parfaits

I know bananas are often considered a tropical fruit and therefore tropical = Summer flavors- but nothing says “Springtime!” to me more than a slice of freshly baked banana cream pie. Of course, baking one from scratch isn’t always something I have the time or the patience to do- so this past weekend, when the […]

Read More

Insta-Dinners: Instant Pot Spaghetti with Goat Cheese, Mint and Peas

Spring is in the air- which means I’m ready for it to be on my plate, as well- and there are certain flavors and ingredients I love to incorporate into my dinners and desserts this time of year that I don’t usually use all that often during the colder Winter months. Lemon and mint are […]

Read More

Spring Sweets: Lemon-Hibiscus Layer Cake

Hello, March! While the first official day of Spring is still a few weeks away- I’m ready to get started a little early with some long-overdue Spring cleaning, a bit of seasonal decorating to freshen up my apartment- and lots of baking. As much as I love a good Winter-and-snowstorm-appropriate hot meal to get me […]

Read More

A Month to Remember: February 2021

Despite how short it actually is- February is one of those months that just feels like it takes an eternity to get through- especially here in Massachusetts. As expected, this was the month that Winter was determined to have one last “hurrah!” at our expense and made it a point to drop as much heavy, […]

Read More

Dinner-For-Two: Mashed Potato Fritters with Smoked Salmon and Chives

Although Valentine’s Day was yesterday and it was probably- for many- quite unusual since it was the first we’ve had to navigate through since this pandemic started (things were still open and functioning normally around this time last year!) I thought it’d be fun to share a really great recipe for anyone who may have […]

Read More

Local Loves: Champney’s Restaurant and Tavern

One of my favorite things about living in the Pioneer Valley is that 90% of the time, my community and the communities that surround me look like something right out of a cheesy Hallmark movie. Rustic and historic homes? Check. Bustling farm stands? Check. Small, mom & pop hardware shops and bakeries? Check. Snowy trails […]

Read More

Sweets For Sweethearts: No-Bake, Gluten-Free Rose Petal Brownies

I had known that I wanted to whip up a Valentine’s Day-inspired dessert this week, even though the holiday isn’t for another few days and even though I will be spending it on my own in the midst of an ongoing global health crisis- but that will never stop me from indulging in a little […]

Read More