This will be a quick post about my first attempt at babkah. Let’s just say it wasn’t a complete fail but it also wasn’t a win either.

What’s better than a cutout sugar cookie? A cute pinwheel cookie because it’s both vanilla and chocolate! It takes my simple cut out sugar cookie and adds another delicious element and design. Either way they are delicious!

When I was growing up I remember always having these cake-y cookies whenever we had extended family get togethers. Usually they were held at my grandparents house on the North Shore and one of the family would pick up Black and Whites from a Jewish deli/bakery near Boston. I didn’t know they were called Black and White Cookies until after college and that they aren’t a Jewish thing but a New York staple!

This treat is a combo of two of my favorite desserts I have created over the years. My Cecelia named them BB Treats- Blondies and Brownies together. They are decadent and truly addicting! The only hard part about making them is waiting for them to cool while they make the whole house smell so good.

It has been close to two full months since we have been socially distant due to Covid-19. What do we all seek when we are stuck at home with limited activities and plans? Food of course. It makes us happy and gives us something to do until, well, the next meal comes around.

With this whole social distancing all I want are comfort foods or foods I grew up loving. One of those desserts is rice pudding. I don’t know about you but there is something so warm and inviting, eating something so rich and creamy.

Linzer cookies are something that I remember eating in my grandparents’ kitchen as a child. They always seemed to have tins of cookies and Linzer cookies were one of my favorites with that delicious combo of raspberry jam and buttery cookies.

It’s been a crazy few weeks with social distancing in full swing. Baking has helped ease some anxiety and put smiles on my family’s faces (and maybe a few pounds on their waistlines)

My Cecelia is a chocoholic it seems. She loves everything she can get her hands on, as long as it’s nut free, that’s chocolate. Since the holiday season started she has also become a really big pie fan. So what do you do when you have a chocolate fan who loves pie? You make her the best chocolate pudding pie you can!

With the holidays right around the corner the only thing I want are cut out sugar cookies! The problem with most are they are laden with butter, wheat, eggs, and other off limits ingredients for someone living with food allergies or intolerances.

It’s done! It’s finally done! After what felt like an eternity our kitchen is 100% complete. From floors to ceiling everything has been removed, replaced, fixed, and positioned the way my dream kitchen was envisioned.

Man: Does this flavor have nuts in it?

Ice Cream Server: Is there an allergy?

M: Yes.

We thought we were getting totally back on schedule. Well that was until someone grazed the water pipe for the sink and all of a sudden they hear a whoosh. And the pipe falls to the floor.

Yet another interesting quirk about our house has made itself known while the kitchen renovation is underway…

This is a phrase you never want to hear when you are doing any sort of renovation on your house. Since the start of our kitchen project it has been said four times already and it has only been a week!

We are back to the hustle and bustle of summer schedules instead of being pampered in paradise. Now that we are home there are a few things that we can agree that were good, bad or ugly about traveling with allergies and food intolerances.

The actual renovation is quickly approaching! This means we are in high anxiety mode. Not only do we have to pack up our existing kitchen but still have to live in a house without a working one for at least a few weeks.

We are quickly learning that nothing goes smooth when it comes to anything with our house. We should of known that a large project would be derailed at least three times before it even started.

My Cecelia is a social butterfly and loved by her peers. She is invited to many parties and play dates. Most, if not all. Of her friends know she has allergies and let their families know she needs to be safe.