January brings with it a bounty of good intentions to eat better. The problem is that for those of us in cold climates, it’s winter which means that we rarely want salads and smoothies. (Even if occasionally a citrus, avocado, and shaved fennel salad or a pineapple mango ginger green smoothie is worth the chill.) …

It’s cookie baking season! The holidays are coming. December’s whirl of office parties, school events, family gatherings, friendly visits is nearly upon us. These are some of my favorite holiday cookie recipes–the treats that I love to share with friends and family and coworkers (back when I worked in an office). They go beyond the …

We’re in the long slog part of winter. The holiday season is far behind us, and spring in Chicago is still months away. This is, for me, the toughest time of year. I get stir crazy. I long for sunlight that stays past five o’clock and for sidewalks that don’t end in ankle-deep gray slush …

It’s a brand new year. I’m not a big believer in detoxing, but I am a believer in balance and moderation. When the pendulum swings too far into holiday indulgence, I like to pull back, reset, spend some time reading, walking with the dog, catching up on podcasts, sitting huddled under a blanket with my …

Here. Have a Spanish coffee. It’s a warm, bittersweet coffee cocktail, perfect as a dessert drink when you’re staying up late on a cold night. I don’t do dessert drinks very often. I’m more of a spirit-forward cocktail kind of girl. (I tend to go for Brooklyns, and Sazeracs, and Torontos, and sometimes Walnut Old …

Eggnog is a divisive beverage. It inspires strong feelings. There are some who look forward to the time of year when it’s socially acceptable to down a glass of frothy nutmeg-topped egg and cream, and others who consider it a gloppy scourge of the holiday season. I have always fallen firmly into the former camp. …