"Why did Lena make a Christmas cake if she's Jewish?" "Why is Lena posting a Christmas cake on January 18th?" "Why hasn't Lena posted anything in five months?" Good questions, reader! First off, I made this cake for a friend to bring to a Christmas party. I spent Christmas Day driving to New Jersey with [...]
if i'm making something like cookie dough stuffed brownies or chocolate layer cake — desserts i've made once a week for the past few years — i can bake for hours without actually thinking about the baking itself. it's nice, because i can watch netflix, listen to music, or just let my mind wander while my muscle [...]
today's my senior prom! i'm actually feeling pretty sentimental; it will be my fourth and final year of attending. freshman and sophomore years were great (i felt very cool being surrounded by upperclassmen), but i think this year will be the best. there's something special about attending as part of the graduating class. but it's also crazy and sad that it'll be [...]
it's so hard for me to choose a favorite between chocolate and vanilla cake. with most sweets, i have a clear preference — vanilla ice cream, chocolate pudding, white chocolate chips, chocolate cheesecake — but not with cake. i think chocolate cake is easier to "get right," because cocoa powder is deliciously complex while naturally [...]
since i was born on the last day of january, i won't get to experience my golden birthday until i turn 31. that'll be in more than a decade! because i have to wait so long, i've been living vicariously through other people's golden birthdays for as long as i remember. people usually either forget [...]
after the sixth harry potter movie came out, there was some dispute over whether the movie promoted underage drinking: neville serves drinks to his comrades, harry splits a bottle of mulled mead with his professor, hermione is tipsy after a few sips of butterbeer. WELL, the BOOKS never disclosed whether or not butterbeer contains alcohol. they [...]
i'm declaring this the new avocado toast! breakfast and brunch places have long caught on to the trend, but upscale places could adopt this new dish and i think it'd be a huge hit. start with a soft pasta dough, subbing avocado for one of the eggs (yay fatty omega-3s). roll it out thin, cut out circles, [...]
makes nine cupcakes i rarely make cupcakes. they're easy to overbake, underfill, overfrost, you get the idea. i also try to avoid the title of 'cupcake girl.' all of that being said, you should DEFINITELY make these. the rich darkness of the cake finds a divine pair in the tangy blackberry preserves. the white [...]
LENA'S LUNCHBOX 