Easy Sweets

My grandmother swore she hated walnuts. For forty-seven years, that was just a fact of life, like the way she took her coffee black or … Read more

The neighborhood Halloween block party was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing elaborate themed desserts—witch-hat cupcakes with piped frosting, … Read more

There used to be this tiny bakery tucked between a vintage shop and a laundromat on the corner of Elm and 4th Street that made … Read more

My neighbor Rosa watched me trying to wrangle three sugar-high kids at a block party last December, and she didn’t say anything at first. Then … Read more

My neighbor Rosa asked why I couldn’t just use store-bought bread dough for the Day of the Dead altar. I started to explain why that … Read more

My dad swore he didn’t have a sweet tooth. For fifty-three years, that was his story, and he stuck to it. Birthday cake? He’d take … Read more

My neighbor Kate wasn’t trying to impress anyone that Tuesday afternoon. I’d stopped by to return her measuring cups—the ones I’d borrowed three weeks prior … Read more

It was 11:47 PM on a snowy Tuesday in mid-December, and I was supposed to be wrapping gifts. But honestly, the wrapping paper was winning, … Read more

The PTA Halloween party was in four hours and I’d completely forgotten. My son had reminded me three times that week, and somehow, between work … Read more

There used to be a little bakery in the strip mall by my old apartment, the kind with a cracked bell over the door and … Read more