what jen does

Life, home, and a little travel

Author: JEF

  • almond apple pie
    recipes

    almond apple pie

    This pie got rave reviews in spite of the odds against it. What odds do you say? Well primarily because I didn’t cook it enough. Adorable right? What happened was that I was trying so hard to bake the pie in advance without overcooking my beautiful lattice work. In hindsight this was a real low…

  • gingerbread macarons
    recipes

    gingerbread macarons

    I have made a lot of macarons recently – or so it feels. I made two batches of peppermint macarons in early December. I got a little fancy with my piping bag food coloring to create red swirls. But this weekend, I felt the urge to make another batch but it did not feel exciting…

  • iced oatmeal cookies
    recipes

    iced oatmeal cookies

    These cookies are addicting and delicious …. and I absolutely made some mistakes when I was making them. But wow, if you aren’t interested in trying them … please show yourself to the door. Although technically an oatmeal cookie, it is lacking all the things that make people sad like raisins and a heavy oat…

  • peppermint swirl macarons
    recipes

    peppermint swirl macarons

    While the internet and social media can sometimes be terrible places, they have brought two wonderful things into my life. Cake decorating and macaroon videos. Both of which collided into this peppermint macaroon.  With each passing recipe, I’m growing less and less scared of piping bags. I have also been watching the “Great British Baking Show”…

  • my new christmas ornaments

    my new christmas ornaments

    If you want to unnecessarily get people excited, tell them you need child-safe ornaments on your Christmas tree. The real story is that sweet Ginger Rose wagged her tail just right to sling one off the tree and shatter it against the table. I knew time was ticking a bit on the ornaments I made…

  • my new christmas ornaments

    my new christmas ornaments

    If you want to unnecessarily get people excited, tell them you need child-safe ornaments on your Christmas tree. The real story is that sweet Ginger Rose wagged her tail just right to sling one off the tree and shatter it against the table. I knew time was ticking a bit on the ornaments I made…

  • recipes

    peppermint meringues

    I’ve skipped right over Thanksgiving and into Christmas. While I normally am eager to make the switch, I feel more aggressive than normal. My excuse for decorating in November used to be that I was taking advantage of having Veteran’s Day off from work.  However this year, I’m just plain aggressive. I had my outdoor…

  • ricotta banana bread
    recipes

    ricotta banana bread

    Ricotta is often on the list of things I fail to finish in my fridge. A recipe will call for a half cup and then it’ll just sit there slowly expiring with my good intentions. But – if I’m going to make budget decisions and buy generic cereal… I should also be mindful of my…

  • green tomato walnut cinnamon bread
    recipes

    green tomato walnut cinnamon bread

      I’ve been holding on to tomato growing season as long as I possibly could. I really pushed the limits this year…. but I also believe that I really utilized my tomatoes as best as I ever have. I have processed and canned a whole lot of sauce. It has been living in stacks on…

  • pumpkin brown butter mac and cheese
    recipes

    pumpkin brown butter mac and cheese

    Here is another dish to sneak some veggies into your diet… also who doesn’t love mac and cheese? I was hosting a small gathering for Halloween. Halloween is a big holiday in my neighborhood. Houses don’t go crazy with decorations but there are endless amounts of kids running around. I buy my candy in bulk…