About Me
Howdy! My name is Christina and I’m here to help you gain 10 pounds. No seriously, I’m here to make your life sweeter. I cook for two and like most people, I like dessert after dinner—but most recipes make enough for 8 to 10 people! I don’t need 8 extra slices of cake tempting me from my fridge. Nor do I appreciate 2 dozen leftover cookies staring at me while I’m trying to eat a healthy breakfast. So one day I started searching for dessert recipes that didn’t make so many servings.
My search for small desserts turned up nothing. So I picked up my wooden spoon, half a stick of butter and set out to recreate my favorite desserts in smaller pans. More than a year later, I’m ready to share my recipes.
Most of my recipes are Southern classics, because I’m a Southern girl—Texan to be exact. But 4 years ago, I moved to beautiful northern California and have been turned on to some new flavors.
So please, give these recipes a shot and let me know what you think. You can reach me at Christina @ DessertForTwo . com (remove the spaces before sending). Don’t be shy!
Five Random Facts About Me
1. I am not a professionally trained chef. I grew up in a family obsessed with food. Every family get-together was (and still is) centered around what we’re eating. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my great Aunt Rose’s restaurant. She owned a small hamburger cafe called Rose’s Bluebonnet Sandwich Shop. Despite its very modest appearance, it was quite famous. Don Henley even professed his love at one of his concerts for her burgers and dedicated a song to her food. Her hamburgers were smashed to perfection on a griddle coated with grease. She served soda in glass bottles only and bags of potato chips on the side. If you got there early, there would often be a small plate of treats sitting just outside the kitchen: cream-cheese stuffed jalapenos, grocery store bought cookies and even bubble gum. Rose fed many people very well throughout her entire life, including the cast of Bonnie and Clyde when it was being filmed in Dallas. In her earlier years, she smoked her own barbecue and served plate lunches to the people working in downtown Dallas. My mom has memories of Rose’s arms being black with smoke. I wasn’t around for that time, but considering people still talk about it, I know it was delicious. Rose worked in her restaurant at the griddle until she died, just 8 years ago. She closed up on a Saturday afternoon and passed away the following Monday. We still sit around and talk about what we wouldn’t do for just one more of Rose’s burgers.
2. I love country music. I grew up on Wynonna Judd, Garth Brooks and Tanya Tucker. Today, I especially love Texas country singers, like Aaron Watson and Kevin Fowler.
3. I have a Master’s degree in horticulture & agronomy. I work in agriculture and I absolutely love it. In my humble opinion, God put me on this earth to take care of people by feeding them nutritious food. Ain’t no better way to do that than by contributing to agriculture research that helps increase farmers’ yields. If you’re lucky, I might help you with any gardening questions you may have.
4. My Mom has big Texas hair. And she’s gorgeous. And I look exactly like my Dad.
5. I have plans to move back to the South someday. Someday soon. I love northern California, but I gotta make sure my babies have Southern roots.
What a great idea! You’re exactly right about the cookies staring you down the next morning…they’ve got a time or two. Thanks for downsizing your favorites for the rest of us!
[Reply]
how do we register? all i find is log in. not very savy when working on computer. help please
[Reply]
Hi Charlie, do you mean register to RSS feed? I’m afraid I don’t have that capability on my site yet. My site is still a work in progress. I will ask my website administrator and get back to you as soon as I know anything. Thanks for stopping by!
[Reply]
Hi Christina! I found your site through Tasty Kitchen and your sweet comment about my Almond + Jam cookies. I also cook for two and am really excited to find out about you. That chocolate pie is especially calling my name!
Happy blogging and cooking!
-Rachel from http://www.acupcakeformoose.com
[Reply]
Hi Christina
Just found your site (off Dessert for Two) and am so glad I did!! Love the small recipes, only make desserts for ‘special’ dinners (and Sundays!) but always hated to make the larger servings.. with no kids/grandkids close by, there is nobody to take the extras off our hands…. and your right, when its ‘staring you down’, you just have to eat it, right? lol
Love what you’ve done so far with your blog, look forward to more recipes!
[Reply]
I just found your blog and it’s perfect for my husband and me. Now I don’t have to have tons of leftovers sitting around tempting me all the time. Great recipes!
[Reply]
I feel your convictions about cooking and baking for two…or sometimes for the 3rd member (my puppy-Sushi) of my little family unit.
Yes, I do bake him cookies that we love to eat out of his cookie jar!!!
I do bake quite a bit and of course cannot eat everything at once…therefore, anything that freezes well also is great in my book.
Thank you for your efforts Cristina.
[Reply]
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog! I am a single woman with a sweet tooth and NO self control in the presence of desserts. I can’t wait to try the Texas sheet cake!
[Reply]
Hi ChristinaJust found your site (off Dessert for Two) and am so glad I did!! Love the small recipes, only make desserts for ’special’ dinners (and Sundays!) but always hated to make the larger servings.. with no kids/grandkids close by, there is nobody to take the extras off our hands…. and your right, when its ’staring you down’, you just have to eat it, right? lolLove what you’ve done so far with your blog, look forward to more recipes!
+1
[Reply]
Christina, I saw your post on homesicktexan and found this blog. I too moved to Northern CA about 4 years ago and I do miss the food! Especially when I get a text from my sister while she’s eating at Chuy’s with a Texas Martini *sigh*….thanks for the recipes. I’ll be following.
[Reply]
Thanks for visiting my blog Christina. You really have some wonderful collection of dessert recipes. I am not worried about pounds, the sweet dessert after meal is worth all the pounds and trying to get off those pounds. You’ll find me flying frequently around your recipe posts.
[Reply]
Thank you for starting this blog!!! It makes me depressed to throw away food and somehow cutting the recipe in half doesn’t always work. I was excited to see your post on Smitten Kitchen about visiting the Big Sur Bakery. I recently moved to the central California coast, right near Big Sur, so besides camping or hiking, I have another reason to explore that area. Can’t wait to try your recipes!
[Reply]
Hi! I just found you through the Tasty Kitchen, and am so excited! That banana pudding is calling to me!
[Reply]
Just found your blog through Tasty Kitchen–so cute! Your recipes all look delicious, and very applicable to me since I also cook for 2 (me and my husband) . We can’t seem to get through a pie or cake in a week either, so this could be a solution to all my problems . . .
[Reply]
Hi Christina! It was great to meet you at the Foodbuzz Festival this past weekend! Hopefully we can put together a NorCal blogger meetup sometime in the future. I’m really looking forward to reading more of your blog and checking out some of your recipes (they look awesome!)
[Reply]
I’m in Northern California too! Glad to find other blogs- although your baking creations are much more fabulous than I can ever make!
[Reply]
Hi Christina! I was so excited to finally find your site, David told me about it. I am definately going to have to try out some of these recipies, especially the pies. Thanks for sharing!
[Reply]
What a cute concept! I’m sure there are alot of people out there on the same boat as you. I’m lucky that I have a large family to offload my cakes to. Keep up the good work!
[Reply]
Is that your walk-in closet? Just wondering…
[Reply]
Christina Reply:
May 1st, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Hah, Tim! I wish! Someday
[Reply]
OMG – Mr. Country Cleaver (Ben) has his degree in Crop and Soil Science. He grew up on the family farm and worked for years after college putting his degree to good use. He misses it TERRIBLY, but he is sure enjoying his new career prospects and schooling in Nursing. What a change huh?
Oh reading this totally made my day! ~Your Czech Cookin’ Bloggie Buddy – Megan aka Country Cleaver
[Reply]
Christina Reply:
April 21st, 2011 at 6:05 pm
Crop & Soil Science?! Those are my two favorite things!! How funny!
Maybe #7 should be I’m Czech and I love prune kolaches
Thanks for the sweet note,
Christina
[Reply]
[...] Dessert For Two (need I say [...]
Wow!! This is the coolest blog EVER!!! I don’t know why i never thought to do it myself. I love desserts but have no willpower. These recipes are just what i need!! Thank you so much!!
[Reply]
Hi Christina! I LOVE the concept of your blog. I grew up in Texas (I’m up north now) and usually cook for two so I’m so excited to check out these recipes. Southern desserts are my favorite.
[Reply]
Hello! I just found your blog and I’m really enjoying browsing through it. I really like the idea of Dessert for Two, I always have leftover dessert and tend to overeat when there’s so much in the house. Plus, I’m a huge fan of variety so Desserts for Two is a great resource to solving those problems. I can’t wait to read more!
[Reply]
I just stumbled on your site and it has made my day! I’m a single woman with a love of baking…and no self control. These scaled-down recipes are just what I need. The pictures all look amazing – I can’t wait to try out your recipes!
[Reply]
I just found your blog through Cooking for Seven and I am so excited! I love to bake frequently and often find myself with too many recipes, too little stomach-room.
I’ll be checking back often for inspiration!
[Reply]
aah!! this is perfect! So glad I found you… I googled cake for two and you popped up in the search results! I, like you, love desserts, but is not good to have leftovers around when wanting to eat healthily!! So thank you, and I look forward to making your yummy recipes! Perth West Australia
[Reply]
Hi Christina!
I am so glad I found your site.. I love experimenting and I have always wished for recipes that didn’t make too much servings.
Thanks again!!!
[Reply]
The Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes sound especially good right now. I think I will try this recipe on our harvest crew. For sure I will need to double or triple the recipe, but it will be well worth it!
[Reply]
What a lovely lovely site! I was so excited by your About Me section _ I cannot BELIEVE Don Henley mentioned your grandmas burgers in a song – that is totally amazing!! Im obsessed with him.
xox
ANyway – still reeling from that but off to check out some of yoru recipes – I definitely know what you mean about not having cookies starting at you over breakfast!
[Reply]
Seriously how could one leave NorCal to go back? You must not live in Wine Country!
[Reply]
I just lucked upon your blog and let me tell you it was lurve at first, bite, I mean sight. My litle family consist of me and the Hubs and we don’t do desserts often because we would sit and eat them all in a day or two. Now we can indulge and I can not wait. Do you take any request to scale down a dessert? I would lurve to see a coconut cream pie if it ever crosses your mind.
Thanks for all the scale down recipes I am excited to try one soon. As soon as I do I will be giving you a shout out on my blog.
[Reply]
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have found your blog! There are so many cookbooks about *cooking* for one or two, but their dessert chapters are mighty short, aren’t they? Small-scale baking is where it’s at — like you, I don’t want a sheet cake staring me down for a week! Are you going to compile your recipes into a book? You should! In the meantime I’ll enjoy the blog and try out the recipes. Happy New Year to you!
[Reply]
I love all of your recipes. by chance do you have a cookbook full of all of yoru deserts for two?
[Reply]
I love the concept of your blog! I totally agree, I do NOT need to have extra cookies laying around when all I wanted was enough for two in the first place.
[Reply]
I love your blog! I, too, live in Northern California though we hail from Long Island and Manhattan. As a member of the DAR my relatives would roll over in their graves knowing my sons who are nascar engineers live south of the Mason-Dixon line. I’m trying to acquaint myself with some southern food, preferrably those that do not include cans. A science geek with too many degrees and 20 yr as a physician has left me with a love of the art and science of cooking but baking in particular. While I love the idea of making smaller quantities of the, ahem, less healthy, dishes, I loathe cleaning and so does my lupus and arthritis. I’ve managed to translate and morph recipes into smaller sizes often freezing or giving away extras. A recent, terribly wicked, glue on my muffin top recipe was a pumpkin 4 layer cake with pralined pecans and browned butter cream cheese whipped icing. I made it in four x 6″ diameter pans and slit each layer in half. I doubled the topping and frosting even though I’d just as soon eat it with a spoon. One of the best gifts as well as a show-stopper at our small New Year’s celebration. Thanks for your blog!
[Reply]
Love your blog. Discovered it through another cooking/baking site, and it’s awesome. Rather than just a recipe, I’d absolutely adore a tutorial on how to store stuff I make in small portions (say a recipe for 4, divided in two), how to wrap, freeze, or keep so it remains fresh and we can eat it later. Somehow I’m only good at making cookie balls and freezing them individually, lol. I sure could use your gift: now the boys are gone all we have are large items.
I also follow you on Facebook and twitter (just tweeted!)
[Reply]