Brian T. Marquis

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Gingerbread Cookies

December 4, 2018

Not sure what led to this cookie decorating itch, but I can’t seem to let it go. It started around Halloween when I attempted to decorate pumpkins and ghosts with royal icing. They came out great, but not fantastic. And then I dropped almost all of them before they dried! I needed to redeem myself for Christmas. And what cookie screams Christmas more than gingerbread cookies? After watching many YouTube…

December 4, 2018 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Millennial and Parents/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

DIY Mrs. Weasley Sweaters

November 28, 2018

Every December, we scramble to find a cute or ugly Christmas sweater for a holiday party. It usually ends in a last-minute purchase with one we aren’t thrilled about. Since ugly sweaters became trendy, prices have gotten out of control. Last year, I searched for Mrs. Weasley sweaters. I was looking for something we could monogram with our initials (like in the film) not just an ‘H’ nor ‘R’. The…

November 28, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Cooking Through Cravings/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ Side Dishes/ Thanksgiving

Chocolate Coconut Banana Bread: Cooking Through Cravings

November 15, 2018

It’s the banana bread that broke the internet. The banana bread that sent people into a frenzy when Chrissy Teigen crowd sourced very ripe bananas. The banana bread of all banana breads. But, what makes this chocolate coconut banana bread so amazing? The chocolate? The coconut? Yes and yes. Chocolate Coconut Banana Bread Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of revenue from your…

November 15, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Comfort Food/ Lunch and Dinner

Creamy Garlic Tuscan Chicken

November 7, 2018

While we were on parental leave, we continued to cook. Everyone told us we should make freezer meals or order take-out. Yes, we ordered take-out (thanks Edwin), but we continued to cook. For us, cooking is a stress reliever. While we were so tired in those early days, cooking gave us a chance to trade-off and take a mental break. We tried new things, made our favorites, and indulged. One…

November 7, 2018 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

DIY Jack-O-Lantern Halloween Costumes

October 24, 2018

Every Halloween, Fatima and I do a couple’s costume. In college, we were Peter Pan and Tiger Lily, then themed to Shondaland’s Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, went easy and comfortable with Salt and Pepper, and then Harry Potter. Last year, we stayed in and sat on the couch dressed up as a pregnant married couple. Now, we have a third wheel that has to be themed with us. Our…

October 24, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Cooking Through Cravings/ Healthy Living/ Lunch and Dinner/ Side Dishes/ Vegetarian

Sweet Potato and Pomegranate Salad: Cooking Through Cravings

October 17, 2018

The more proper name for this salad should be ‘Harvest Salad’. This will make a great starter or side salad for Thanksgiving or compliment any fall meal. While pretty basic, this sweet potato and pomegranate salad is delicious. Everything works together really well and the garlicky honey-dijon dressing pulled it together. The original salad was filled with butternut squash, which would be just as delicious, but we substituted it out…

October 17, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Celebrations/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ Halloween

Apple Dumplings

October 3, 2018

This post was originally published November 6, 2012. Photos of the Apple Dumplings and some of the text have been updated below. What’s better than apple pie? Apple Dumplings! These are so easy to make and are so delicious. I stole this recipe from my sister who made these for my parents back home. I never tasted hers, but I’m pretty sure these are better ;). Apple pie is one of…

October 3, 2018 By Brian

DIY/ Millennial and Parents/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

DIY Starry Night Baby Mobile

September 26, 2018

Liam is nosy. If it moves, makes noise, stands still, is colorful, lacking color, or not visible to the naked eye, he stares at it. He even has conversations with things around the house, like our shiny doorknobs and the corners of any room. Once his sight began to expand and his focus developed, we knew we needed to give him a mobile to focus his attention. However, every mobile…

September 26, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Breakfast and Brunch/ Comfort Food/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Cinnamon Rolls

September 19, 2018

Breakfast in bed. Airports. Extended vacations at the lake house. Snow days. Christmas morning. These are some of the things that come to mind when I think about cinnamon rolls. They are the comfort food of all comfort food. A Cinnabon cinnamon roll is the greatest indulgence when you’re waiting at the airport. You can’t just walk by the store, smell the warm cinnamon and sweet icing, and not buy…

September 19, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

New York Style Cheesecake

September 12, 2018

Cheesecake and I have a love-hate relationship. It’s not that I don’t like to eat cheesecake, I love it, but I fail at baking it. Towards the end of Fatima’s pregnancy, she started to crave cheesecake. A few Magnolia Red Velvet Cheesecakes later, she still had her cravings. Even after our son was born, the cheesecake cravings remained. She was looking for a true New York Style Cheesecake. Fatima says the best…

September 12, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Comfort Food/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ Snacks

Edible Cookie Dough

September 10, 2018

My favorite part about baking cookies is eating some of the cookie dough. Our friend, Stephanie, took us to a place called DŌ. It’s a shop dedicated to edible cookie dough. I fell in love. Since that visit, I haven’t had a chance to go back. Instead, I made my own edible cookie dough. Surfing Facebook one late night of trying to soothe Liam, I stumbled upon an edible cookie…

September 10, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Carrot Cake

August 29, 2018

My mom’s favorite cake is carrot cake. With her birthday coming up, I thought I’d find a delicious recipe to try. Spoiler alert, it’s delicious. I was so hesitant to dive into a carrot cake recipe because it’s very easy to ruin. They can be too dense, too dry, too much carrots (ironic), and full of unwanted fruit. The worst one I had was filled with giant, juicy raisins. Yuck!…

August 29, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Comfort Food/ Cooking Through Cravings/ Lunch and Dinner/ Side Dishes

Onion Rings: Cooking Through Cravings

August 22, 2018

I’ve never been able to make rings, until now. Every attempt leads to failure. While looking for something to make for our cook-in dinner, I consulted our Cravings cookbook and I landed on these onion rings. Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by Lilies and Loafers. Since we were staying in for Fourth…

August 22, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Dessert

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

August 8, 2018

Since The Chew was cancelled and is currently living off repeats, our new favorite show is The Kitchen on Food Network. About a month ago, Jeff Mauro showed off his No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. As the segment went on, we found ourselves drooling over it. We had to make it. When it’s hot out, it’s annoying to turn on the oven. Even with the air conditioning on, when the…

August 8, 2018 By Brian

All Recipes/ Birthday/ Celebrations/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ Family Fun

Harry Potter Birthday Cake (From Hagrid)

July 31, 2018

Happy Birthday Harry Potter (and J.K. Rowling)! We recreated the birthday cake Hagrid gave Harry on his eleventh birthday in first feature film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This cake makes the perfect addition to any Harry Potter party you’re throwing today. So how did we make this Harry Potter Birthday Cake? Fatima and I love Harry Potter. When the books first came out, I remember going to Barnes and Noble…

July 31, 2018 By Brian

#LoveSummer/ All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Cookie Monster Cheesecake

July 25, 2018

This Cookie Monster Cheesecake was originally published on June 7, 2013. We updated the photos and made a few edits to the story below. “C” is for cookie! Cookie Monster is my favorite Sesame Street character. Maybe it’s my love for the color blue or the addiction to chocolate chip cookies, but we were destined to be best friends. I couldn’t tell you how many Cookie Monster stuffed animals I…

July 25, 2018 By Brian

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