Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffin Fleet

This recipe is one of the most trusted on this site. It’s tried and true, passed down from generations, and couldn’t be easier to make. We call them “pumpkin muffins” as opposed to “pumpkin cupcakes” so that it’s more acceptable to eat them any time of day.

The Capital Grille

Filet at TCG

We’re eternally on the quest for the best steak in St. Louis. Annie Gunn’s, Brasserie, Fleming’s, and Al’s come to mind when we’re rattling off the best. But folks, there’s a new place in town. Yes, it’s a chain, but don’t let that stop you from adding it to your must-visit list. We know The Capital Grille from living in Kansas City, but had only been for happy hour (try their signature cocktail, the Stoli Doli, featuring pineapple infused Stolichnaya vodka). When we were invited to dine at the new St. Louis The Capital Grille, we were blown away by the food, atmosphere, and service.

Turkey Chili

Turkey Chili

After every beautiful, lazy Sunday comes that dreaded feeling as the sun goes down. We love our jobs, and even so, that “it’s coming to an end” feeling invades our thoughts as we try to savor every sweet minute of the weekend. We do everything in your power to push that feeling away, until finally plopping in bed on Sunday night, recalling the joyous moments of the weekend, and surrendering to the week ahead.

It’s true, Mondays are inevitable.

The Besto Pesto

Pesto

Now that summer is coming to an end and fall is gearing up, it’s time to make batches upon batches of fresh pesto and freeze it for the coming colder months. We’ve always used Ina Garten’s pesto recipe as a guide, but over the years we’ve changed it so many times that it’s really become our own. Our addition of mint and rosemary is pretty unique to a pesto, but the mint provides a nice (not overpowering) fresh, clean zing, and the rosemary just makes the pesto more fragrant.

Since we both work in the academic world, we’re back in the swing of busier schedules (goodbye, summer) and are sometimes scrambling for a quick, tasty meal. This is pesto is great for a chaotic weeknight meal. If you make a few batches of this stuff and store it in the freezer, you can easily thaw it and add fresh flavor to any pasta or chicken dish, or even serve it as a side with pita.

Eclipse Cookies

Eclipse Cookies

Once upon a time I was falling in love (with these cookies), now I’m only falling apart (because we ate them all)…

Eclipse Cookies

NOTE: This post is from 2017, but now applies again in 2024! How cool is that?! St. Louis isn’t in the path of totality this year (99%), but we’re close enough to experience the excitement. Enjoy! Here’s the original post:

Monday is the GREAT AMERICAN TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE and folks here in St. Louis (including us) are PUMPED. People are taking off work, scrambling to find stores that are still selling eclipse glasses, and some schools even called off. Our house is in the path of totality, and we’ll get about 1 minute and 33 seconds of darkness. So of course, to celebrate, I made cookies! These cookies are super simple to make, and you can use store-bought ingredients to make them if you’re in a pinch for time. Since the eclipse is tomorrow, that might be a good option. If you have time to make sugar cookies from scratch, we recommend this recipe.

New Orleans

nola

This summer Neil and I traveled to New Orleans. I had been a few times, but Neil had never been. Since we both enjoy good food and music (and with Neil’s jazz background), we decided it was time to journey down south and as they say, let the good times roll. We stayed in an Air B&B just off Magazine Street, away from the touristy French Quarter, and close to public transportation so we could take the bus or streetcar wherever we’d like. It was the perfect location. For six days, we explored the city, eating and drinking our way around the unique historic town. At the end of each day, we wrote down every place we visited that day. Below you’ll find that list, along with our thoughts on the place and a few pictures.