I hate to say it, but my day hasn’t begun until I’ve had my cup of coffee. I’ve turned into one of them... One of those sassy “don’t you DARE ask me anything until I have this cup’a joe in me” people. I’m not proud. 

Typically, I just go for the plain strong stuff. Little cream, lots of sugar. Every once in a while (and I mean a blue moon), I like a little bit of french vanilla syrup. SO WTF: can I have flavored coffee syrups, homemade-style? Yup. Equal parts sugar and water, boil it down then add your flavoring (vanilla beans, hazelnut or mint extract, etc.). 

Christmas is coming! CHRISTMAS IS COMING! And you don’t want to be that person who shows up at a party with yet another apple crisp. I thought of this idea because of my love for asian pears: they’re in season and a tart, delicious fruit that holds up so well when baking. So, get adventurous (or miss out on something awesome). 

3 medium asian pears, peeled, cored and sliced. 

About 2 cups of your favorite ginger snaps, crushed (I used Trader Joes’ Triple Gingers!) 

3 tbs. unsalted butter

1 tbs. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. honey

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Juice from half of a lemon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and . In a large bowl, mix sliced asian pears with flour, salt, honey and spices. Pour into 9x9 baking dish. Melt butter, and pour over ginger snap pieces. Top pears with mixture, then bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. 

Note for the coolest crisp: So simple and delicious. So simple, I’m pretty sure anyone who has absolutely no baking experience could make it! Asian pears work well with the snaps because they’re really mild in flavor (the triple ginger-ness of them made me quite nervous, but it ended up working really well). Serve with whipped or ice cream!

Popcorn is my favorite snack (I know… that’s a bold statement). To boot, I like it best late at night, in my bed while watching a movie (and I pretty much watch a movie every night so this turns into a problem). SO WTF?! How to I make a healthier popcorn, that I can feel ok about eating before bed?

You air pop it. I know what you’re thinking, so I’ll get this out of the way: No, you don’t need a fancy air popper. All you need is corn, a pan and a fitted lid. 

Put your popcorn in your pan, put on the lid and turn it on medium-high. Hold the lid tight, then shakeshakeshake. Your popcorn should be done in under 2 minutes (the fact that people spend MONEY on an air-popper kinda blows my mind). Top with salt, nutritional yeast, or anything that suits your fancy. 

Everyone has one family member who does it; they use real cranberries instead of the delicious, gelled, can-shaped stuff. And although it’s delicious, I’m sorry but it’s just not right! Thanksgiving day is incomplete without the slapping sounds of canned cranberry sauces hitting the dish. So, WTF: what do I do with leftover REAL cranberry sauce? Strain it, and put it in alcohol. 

…And if you’re so adventurous to make it, here you are: 

2 c. fresh cranberries, chopped 

1/2 c. sugar 

3/4 c. water

In a pot on medium, stir sugar until it turns to caramel. Once bubbling, add cranberries and water. The caramel will solidify, but stir until the water heats up and melts it. Simmer until the cranberries brake down, then strain! Add the syrup to your favorite cocktail to give it a holiday twist.