Kaitlin Flannery

The magic of one-ingredient banana ice cream is truly undeniable. Freeze some bananas, give them a turn in the food processor, and presto — easy, dreamy, dairy-free ice cream that you can feel good about eating. Banana ice cream is a simple, modern classic that shuns fuss and finesse at its core, but why let that stop you from making it a bit more exciting? With just a little extra effort (only two more ingredients!), you can make this frozen dessert into something super special.

I have a special place in my heart for pancakes — especially flat ones like these. Technically, they’re probably a lot closer to crêpes, but to me these are pancakes. Dad always served ’em up in the size of dinner plates, ready to be painted with butter, honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.

It makes me sad how much of my life was spent “hating” monkey bread. It was an unfounded loathing, solely rooted in my own lack of understanding of how glorious such a thing could be. What is there, after all, to hate about buttery, cakey, cinnamon-sugar bread? Absolutely nothing, that’s what. There’s even less to hate when it’s served up in three single-serving sized flavors.

Who doesn’t love a cheese danish? The smooth, creamy filling is such a perfect foil to the crispy, flaky shell. The combination hits every crave-worthy taste and texture a person could want in a pastry, which is why it’s easy to eat so many in one sitting that you feel you’ve overdosed on butter and cream cheese. Until today!

The ice cream truck may have shunned the streets of the deep-woods neighborhood I grew up in, but my parents made sure that my brother and I didn’t miss out on the joy of a Popsicle on a hot summer day. They kept a second freezer in the basement, and though I’m sure it was used for important things like storing meat, vegetables, and the odd set of important documents, it was reliably stocked with what seemed to be a never-ending supply of Flav-Or-Ice Pops.

Breakfast and brunch have long been my favorite meals, largely thanks to the huge variety of options. You can go savory, you can go sweet, or you can even combine the two for the best of both worlds. Honestly, the only thing I don’t like about brunch is having to choose. What if I want the french toast and a lox-topped bagel? One option is to just overindulge, but here’s a better solution: Just make everything mini!

Shamrock Shakes are back! And yeah, that’s exciting news and all, but you can’t ignore the fact that you have to actually leave your house to get one. First-world problem, I know, but sometimes I just don’t want to put on my normal functioning adult disguise (i.e., something besides pajama pants) and drive all the way to McDonald’s to indulge my sweet tooth.

On my last trip to New York, I stopped at Russ & Daughters for a bagel sandwich. I didn’t know the “right way” to order it — I felt anxious and shy with a serious fear of missing out — so I asked the kind man at the counter to make it the way he liked. My prize was heavy, loaded with chive cream cheese, bright red onions, a slice of tomato, and a generous portion of lox.

French toast is incredibly delicious, but it’s not exactly portable — especially when topped with bananas and caramel. Because of this, it’s never been an option for my brunch parties since I just don’t have enough chairs around my dining room table to accommodate my guests. Thankfully, threading French toast cubes onto kebabs totally solves the problem while, at the same time, making the dish more fun.