Alright, here I go – a simple and sweet post for your Monday! :) This weekend we celebrated Shep’s first birthday as a family, and our treat of choice was a chocolate raspberry pavlova. This is one of our signature family dishes – I was introduced to it almost 14 years ago by John’s older sisters. At the time (high school), it seemed an incredibly intimidating and incredibly elegant recipe to try at home, especially compared to the box cake mixes that were more my family’s speed. (No shame in that game – I still contend there isn’t a homemade brownie out there that is better than Betty Crocker’s!) June is incredibly into cooking and baking these days, always pulling up a chair next to me! :) Having since made this pavlova dozens of times for special occasions big and small, I can confirm that it is, indeed, incredibly elegant (and delicious!), but hardly as intimidating as I once thought. In fact, it’s actually quite simple – the only tricks are being patient as you whip the egg whites, allowing enough time for the pavlova to cool in the oven, and adding the sugar just one tablespoonful at a time. The chewy chocolate base, the pillowy cream, the tart raspberries – it is, as Nigella says, “a killer combination.” If you’re looking for a delicious treat to celebrate something special this summer, here you go! I’d love to hear: what’s your favorite birthday treat? June has requested ice cream sundaes and vanilla cake with sprinkles the last two years, respectively, and has already put in a request for strawberry cake next January. John’s July birthday go-to has been an ice cream cake since forever. My favorite is a chocolate raspberry layer cake, and we always celebrated my Dad’s birthday (August