Carrie Saum

So, when your BFF moves into her first real home and her husband has a birthday at basically the same moment, you bake a cake. And not just any cake but a beautiful thing made of the best ingredients. You aim high, confident that you can come through for your BFF and celebrate her family's milestones with four spongy layers filled with thick raspberry preserves and succulent buttercream.

Motherhood didn’t pan out the way I anticipated, not even a little bit. It was so much more electrifying and terrifying and amazing than I ever imagined.

This Harvest Vegetable Baked Ziti is a lovely late summer/early autumn harvest flair! Sprinkle it with whatever cheese sounds good and enjoy.

Insisting on capability robs us of vulnerability. It robs us of the village we so desperately need. It creates resentment and mistrust. And most of all, it sets us up to fail.

Family is family and long after this president is out of office. Here is how I intend to keep my relationship even though my family loves Trump.

Quiche. It's a bit of a unicorn, isn't it? You chase the perfect texture, combination, flavors, and rise in hopes that it equals perfection.

We had no turkey, no casserole dishes heaped sweet potatoes or creamy green beans, no pies made from scratch, no beautiful table settings or nice dishes to heap our non-existent feast upon.

I made you these cookies. They are special cookies that are made from pulverized cookies that became butter that then became cookies again.

When an opportunity presents itself to throw together a yummy grilled salad using the season’s finest, I jump at it. This week’s creative summer grilling adventure resulted in a flavor burst of seasonal cherries, creamy herbed goat cheese, a simple dressing, and of course, slightly charred romaine.

I have a quote on the home screen of my phone that I put up a year ago.