At 28, Jessica Fechtor was immersed in graduate school and her new marriage, thinking about the possibilities of starting a family. Then one day, she went for a run and an aneurysm burst in her brain. She nearly died, and lost her sense of smell and the sight in her left eye. In Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home, she chronicles her journey to recovery, which began in the kitchen as soon as she was able to stand at the stove-top and stir.

Jessica shared her recipes with us for a buttery five-fold challah bread, that doesn't use any butter and a scrumptious butter almond cake.You can find the recipe for her challah here and her adapted butter almond cake here. Try the recipes out on your own and share the final product with us on Twitter (use our handle @LeonardLopate) or share on our Facebook Page! (Or tell us how it went on the showpage below!)