There are a two holidays where most people are inclined to throw caution to the wind when it comes to monitoring their sugar intake: Christmas and Valentine’s Day. So I saw no reason to hold back on these beautiful embossed Brown Sugar Cutout Cookies. After covering them with embossed homemade fondant (a yummy combination of white chocolate “dough” and melted marshmallows), I lightly dusted them with confectioners’ sugar for an elegant highlight. You’re welcome!

Gingerbread Valentines? Why not? If someone you love happens to L-O-V-E gingerbread, then gingerbread cookies are the best sweet treat you can give them for Valentine’s Day.

It’s easy to feel invisible as your social interactions shrink to fit into a small box inside a 40-minute Zoom meeting. As thankful as I am to be able to connect online in this way with colleagues, friends, and family, I yearn for more. Surprisingly, my wish was granted by doing something for someone else. In return for my help, I have been rewarded with hours of exchanging ideas, life experiences and hopes for the future. I found out for myself the truth of the saying that “it's better to give than to receive.”