I love chocolate chip cookies. Who doesn’t, right? But sometimes creaming the butter, measuring brown and white sugar, cracking eggs--it’s just too much to deal with, even for me--and I love to cook. Also, sometimes, my daughter, who is heavily into the “do it myself” stage, wants to make cookies herself. She’s pretty good in the kitchen, but the traditional recipe definitely requires adult help.

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My favorite spring cleaning ritual is using up all of the frozen produce in my freezer from last summer. Some people find it crazy that I bother to freeze the bounty of the farmer's markets like herbs, berries and vegetables and use them, bit by bit, all winter long. It is true that most of these things can be found in stores year-round, but, I swear, freezing them fresh is the way to go. A frozen berry from last July still tastes better than anything I can buy in the store in January.

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I know I wrote about rhubarb just a few weeks ago, but since it's in season I have to give you one more recipe that is simply awesome. This recipe for Rhubarb Hazelnut Oatmeal Bars has been passed around my hometown of Cooperstown for almost two decades and is still going strong. My Mom and I have adapted it to have less sugar and more flavor from the addition of hazelnuts. In the spring I love to make them for picnics, luncheons, or just to have around the house. I’ve even been known to eat one or two for breakfast with a dollop of cool yogurt.

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I cut up the most delicious cantaloupe I've had in ages this morning. My 3-year-old and I enjoyed wedges straight from the cutting board while I threw chunks into my trusty Beaba Babycook with a few leaves of fresh mint for my 6-month-old.

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Popbar will be your go-to location for quality gelato this summer. The handcrafted "gelato on a stick" is made fresh daily and, as a bonus, the preparation is visible to guests through a white-tiled Poplab behind the counter. The menu includes gelato, sorbetto and yogurt in various flavors and delicious dips. Popbar is not only yummy, but interactive: The website features Kids' Corner - kids can download popbars to color and view photos taken at the store. The Popaholic feature is used by adults to upload photos of their popbars. Located at 5 Carmine Street (at 6th Avenue). To learn more about popbar, visit pop-bar.com.

I'm in a summer state of mind and that means ice cream, popsicles, stone fruit paired with fresh herbs and CHERRIES! Cherries make me incredibly happy. Not only are they divine fresh and completely unadorned, but they are also delectable in my favorite desserts: pies, crumbles and crisps (like this Cinnamon Cardamom Cherry Crisp... DROOL.) But, alas, for now, I'm trying to avoid such desserts. And so I almost avoided cherries all together. Seriously. Using cherries to make something buttery, cinnamony and cakey is that tempting. But, then, of course, I thought better of it.

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There are two types of people in the world. Those who love coconut, and those who hate it. I am of the firm belief that those who fall in the latter camp, just haven't had it in the right way. I am here to change all that with these coconut toffee chew bars.

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Whenever I get a new cookbook, I flip through looking for both new and exciting desserts, and classic "crowd pleasers." These double decker brownie and blondie combination fall squarely in to the latter category, with a fun twist on a classic bar cookie. 

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It's my dream to have my very own test kitchen. The ability to try out different recipes all day - maybe a bit more chocolate in there, perhaps a little more cinnamon here - and of course have someone else do the dishes at the end. So I took advantage of a surplus of butternut squash to try this recipe for a loaf cake in two different versions - one made with oil, the other with apple butter.

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Heres an idea for some hands on fun to do with your children on the next stuck-at-home snow day. Dessert sushi is exciting because it looks like real sushi, but without the raw fish concerns. Making these mini masterpieces is a good way to spend some quality time with your kids, while encouraging creativity and kitchen skills.

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