I’ve always loved baking but I’ve never been adventurous with it. I love making birthday cakes for my family (they're usually pretty basic), and I’ve always wanted to elevate my decorating game. I see all these beautiful cakes that look simple to create, and they never turn out the way I want. Through Instagram, I found that my hairdresser George dabbled in baking and cake decorating - I saw his Sprinkle Cake and immediately wanted to try it! Last week George came over to Cassandra’s Kitchen to bake and decorate with me. It was a game changer. So easy and so much fun! Now I'm super excited to try new things with my baking and decorating!

Chili isn’t usually one of my spring meals, but it hasn’t felt much like spring around here (we still have piles of snow from our latest snow storm). I always like to blog about what we are actually cooking and eating now, and now we are making Ina’s Chicken Chili. This chili is a crowd pleaser and the added bonus is how good my house smells from cooking the onions and garlic. It’s also a great occasion to use my favorite Pillivuyt White Soup Bowls - they're the perfect size. 

In 2017 I made a little deal with myself, I wanted to make all of my family’s birthday cakes (thanks, Ina Garten and Barefoot Contessa for the inspiration). I enjoy baking with my kids and thought that letting them help with their own cakes would create some great memories and foster their love for cooking and baking. The birthday cakes weren’t perfect works of art, but they were prepared with love - so they tasted even better!

Does anything warm the soul quite like soup? With all of the crazy cold and snowy weather we’ve been having, I can’t think of another meal more comforting than tomato soup and grilled cheese. Simple and satisfying. Ina Garten’s Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons puts a special twist on the classic with a bit of cream in the soup and grilled Gruyère cheese for the croutons. I know I say this about a lot of Ina’s dishes but THIS could be my most favorite. I highly recommend committing this recipe to memory and making it often!

The holidays are upon us and it’s one my favorite times of the year. Yes, it’s busy - shopping, baking, school events, holiday concerts, dinner with friends, weekends with family. There is so much happening, but no matter where we’re going, I never like to show up empty handed. Hence the theme of this post – Host/Hostess Gifts. We know the length of your to-do list is already overwhelming - we’ve put together some quick and easy gifts so you can show your appreciation and spread some holiday cheer.

There are lots of things I love about summer in NYC: long days of sunlight, fresh peaches, playing "identify that smell" on the streets...but the thing I don't love is my inability to entertain in my apartment. I can't imagine torturing my friends by using the oven or stovetop, creating a sauna in our sixth-floor apartment. So when the weather cools, I immediately plan the meals I've been thinking about for months... 

No one can set a table for entertaining quite like Ina Garten. She’s a master at making the table both elegant and comfortable. Sophisticated, yet welcoming you to sit, eat, and stay a while. With some of our favorite food-centered holiday celebrations coming up, we thought it was time for a quick ‘Get The Look’ with an autumn table setting.

To be honest, when I received my set of Cassandra's Kitchen Clear Plastic Containers I wasn't sure how useful they’d really be. I mean, my cupboards overflowed with mismatched Tupperware that worked well enough to store my leftovers. I unpacked them and stacked them neatly next to the rest of the containers with little enthusiasm. Slowly but surely, over the next six months...