Lemon Poppyseed Cake. Jan 13, 2010.

Trying out the recipe from Smitten Kitchen blog.

Shrimp 'N' Grits. Jan 12, 2010.

Making Lauren's Grandma's recipe for a midweek treat:

Use Arrowhead Mills corn grits (do not get Quaker instant grits.) Follow directions on grits box: 1 cup of grits for every 4 cups of water. You can sub chicken broth for water.

Once the grits are mostly cooked, add minced garlic, sour cream, lots of shredded cheese and chives. My grandma, of course, adds heavy cream and butter. Keep tasting until you get it right.

Peeled and de-veined shrimp. About 10 shrimp per person. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then add minced garlic and some white wine. Add shrimp. Once the shrimp are mostly cooked, add a can of diced tomatoes (add the sauce too) and some diced onions. Add chopped bacon at this point. Keep heat on until shrimp and onions are done. Serve grits and put shrimp on top.

Cookie-Making Days. Dec 2009.

Chocolate peppermint thumbprints. Peanut Butter Cookies and Low-Country Jam thumbprints.

Pignolis, Ginger Cookies, Tollhouse Cookies and $250 Cookies for my friends.

Ratatouille for the Around-the-World Dinner. Nov 11, 2009.

This really should've been baked and not done on the stove. Lesson learned.

Family Reunion Dishes. Aug 1, 2009.

Bean salad made with red beans, edamame, corn, cucumbers, craisins, feta cheese and vinaigrette dressing.

A platter of local tomatoes and pickles.

Vegetable Kabobs for Section BBQ. Sept 7, 2009.

No meat on these. Just colorful vegetables with a simple marinade.

Working on brisket from Padma Lakshmi's cookbook. Nov 22, 2009

I'm in love with fennel.