Monster Cookies and Macabre Lyrics

October 08, 2018 by Leigh Esposito in Food

September, October, November, and December — or “SOND”, as my dear friend Elizabeth refers to the four-month season — are my favorite months of the year. When September comes around, Declan and I begin screening It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Hocus Pocus. We also start wearing Halloween pajamas and playing spooky pranks on each other—like the one where Declan takes my wallet out of my purse, hides it in his playroom, and doesn’t reveal this to me until the hostess is calling our name at Cheesecake Factory after a 30-minute wait. Eek!

Of course, by October we are in full swing: listening to Monster Mash, Thriller, and, kicking up the macabre, songs from Nick Cave’s aptly-named album, Murder Ballads. (Nothing says family Halloween fun like the lyrics, “La la la, la la lie; all God’s children, they all gotta die.”)

On a lighter note, I have been trying out some fun Halloween recipes for Declan—almost none of which he will so much as lick. The Monster Cookies cooked up by Baked’s Matt and Renato are no exception, but that should not be an indictment of this fine recipe.

The Baked Brownie & A Valentine's Announcement

February 03, 2018 by Leigh Esposito

Well, I've finally done it: found you the BEST brownie recipe that ever existed, and--what else? My discerning readers will note, from the photos, that something has changed at The Honey Roasted. Then again, all of you know me personally, so this will come as nothing of a surprise.

New Year's Eve: Saffron, Orange, and Honey Madeleines

January 01, 2018 by Leigh Esposito in Food

I wanted to make something special for New Year's Eve. Something festive and light; challenging, yet approachable. This desire was borne not of any particular craving or need for decadence; the holiday season has been good and sating, and if I see one more over-the-top chocolate dessert or creamy cocktail . . . I won't do anything about it, but I won't be happy.

Hazelnut-Linzer Christmas Trees (and Happy Birthday to Me)

December 12, 2017 by Leigh Esposito

On the occasion of my 38th birthday, I give you these Hazelnut Christmas Trees. My mother, who also (jointly) created me, first brought these cookies to life on Christmas Eve, 1986--and, at the time, they seemed nothing less than emblematic of femininity's intrinsic richness and mystery. That she could create something so beautiful, so nuanced, so simultaneously manifest and elusive... I was, and have remained, in awe.

Recreating them now was equal parts fun, meditative, and humbling. As with everything I've attempted for this blog, the process was not without its foibles. But, if I could share these cookies with you in the end, it was worth everything that came before.

So happy birthday to me and my birthday twin, Frank Sinatra. Bake these cookies, put "The Lady is a Tramp" on repeat, and come into my world. I've included the full recipe at the end of this post, as my handful of readers have informed me that they would prefer all instructions, grouped with minimal commentary, in one place. See? I care.

Christmas Magic: New York City, December, and Declan

December 06, 2017 by Leigh Esposito in Travel

New York City at Christmastime. If they could bottle and sell it--and they've probably tried--it might just be priceless. Sparkling lights, chestnuts roasting, strangers exchanging pleasantries and parting with a warm "happy holidays!" It's an experience I've been wanting to share with my son since before he was born, exactly four years ago today. Last weekend, I finally had my chance.

My birthday gift to Declan was this trip--a phantasmagoria of holiday joy dreamed up by one of the biggest kids out there: his 37-year-old mother. My holiday gift to you: some of my best tips for roasting up some delicious memories with your loved and little ones in the happy event that you're headed to New York this season. And, for those of you who haven't planned an NYC trip this December, I hope a glimpse into our yuletide jaunt will inspire you to plan one next year. I promise: you and your family will never forget it. (Unless your child is only four, in which case he will forget it--so you actually have to do the whole thing over again. Many times. Meanwhile, take a lot of pictures to prove that you were a great mom back in the dark ages of your child's life.)

San Francisco, November 2017: Delights for the Whole Non-Easygoing Multi-Generational Family

November 28, 2017 by Leigh Esposito in Travel

When I was a child, we spent Thanksgiving in perfectly-appointed, sprawling family homes, eating lavish spreads of gourmet food culled from my mother's pristine cooking magazines, the air laced with the criss-crossed counterpoint of football games in the family room and Christmas carols in the kitchen.

Now most of us are divorced and living in condos, so we go to San Francisco!

Pre-Thanksgiving: Skillet-Braised Weeklong Meatballs

November 21, 2017 by Leigh Esposito

The days before Thanksgiving should be a time for reflection, introspection, and conveying gratitude to the people we love. These are wonderful goals; hashtag-blessed, and all the rest of it. But, for those of us who obsess about food to the extent that, say, we read food blogs (ahem), this week is about one thing only: putting the finishing touches on the critical-path analysis that is Thanksgiving meal preparation.

Christmas Eve: Midnight Miami Mud Pie with Peppermint Crust

November 19, 2017 by Leigh Esposito

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am, characteristically, looking ahead to Christmas Eve. In our family, Christmas Eve means an elaborate feast that takes all day to prepare, Spotify Christmas-music channels, jammy red wine, laughter, the occasional blowup (we are Italian, after all), and: Santa Claus.

I live for the magic that palpably crackles in the air on the night when Santa makes his yearly voyage. Alas, much as I have tried to wait up for him, I have yet to catch a legitimate glimpse of Old Santa. Like many mystical figures, he seems to have a knack for coming when one is drifting between the borders of consciousness, neither awake nor fully asleep. I remember one Christmas Eve when I was three years old and we were living, briefly, in Texas; I awoke with a start sometime before midnight, ran downstairs, and exclaimed, half-tearful, half-triumphant, "I heard the "ho ho ho!" (Well, no. In fact, I heard the "oh, (expletive) no!" of my father and grandfather nearly setting fire to our lawn, having lined it with candles in white bags during high wind--a holiday tradition that was promptly discontinued.) Another year, when we were living in Pennsylvania, I swore I had spotted Santa's boot disappearing around the corner as he walked down the hall outside my bedroom--surely a dream, as no part of the Santa legend has him trolling the second floor of your house in the middle of the night.

Look, I love that Santa is mysterious and elusive--two traits we all crave in a man--and I respect his ability to evade capture, but that will never stop me from trying. Which is why I've devised the perfect way to stay up late enough to achieve that long-coveted face-to-face with good Saint Nick: this Midnight Miami Mud Pie with Peppermint Crust. It has everything you need for your Kris Kringle encounter: three kinds of caffeine (espresso, brewed coffee, and rich, dark chocolate); whipped cream with peaks to rival the snowy North Pole; and Santa's favorite repast, cookies, crushed and molded into a simple, delicious crust infused with just a droll little hint of that age-old holiday flavor, peppermint.

Smitten Kitchen Chicken Meatballs Marsala with Buttery Egg Noodles

The Honey Roasted

November 16, 2017 by Leigh Esposito

In modern-day America, I am what they call a single mother. In Sweden, where marital status does not dictate societal standing, I would be known as, simply, a mother; in France, where women are not defined by the existence or absence of progeny, I might just be called a woman. We'll leave aside any discussion of what they would call me in the time capsule of a place that is Sicily--an ominous statement that I, as a one-quarter Sicilian, am freely permitted to make.

Semantics aside, being a single mother means there are nights when my son is at his dad's house and I am alone. I am learning to view these nights as an opportunity for self-care and growth instead of filling my time with activities that crowd out any thought or reflection entirely. With this in mind, I try (for once) to take it slow. Relax. Prepare home-cooked meals just for me--then sit down and tell you all about it. That's one of the reasons we're here.

MILK LA's Oreos aka TKOs aka Spiritual Growth

November 14, 2017 by Leigh Esposito

There are three foods I need to eat when I'm in Los Angeles: the New York Breakfast Sandwich from Joan's on Third, the fennel sausage pizza from Pizzeria Mozza, and the oreo cookie from MILK. Except that I can no longer eat the oreo cookie from MILK, because MILK decided to make a painful metaphor out of one of the major truths in life: nothing lasts forever.

Smitten Kitchen Pretzel Linzer Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling/Drizzle

November 13, 2017 by Leigh Esposito

Sometimes you just know, in advance, that you are going to love something. A Nancy Meyers movie, for example. We can safely anticipate that a Nancy Meyers film will be pleasing to the eye and warming to the heart--a two-hour spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine of our fates go down.