Have you had the pleasure of meeting Lyle yet?
Lyle’s Golden Syrup, that is. It’s pure heaven. It’s not anything like corn syrup, so don’t even think of trying to substitute. It has the texture of very thick honey and the flavor of toasted brown sugar. I’ve seen it called for in recipes many times, but [...]
In my family, we have a celebration on Christmas Eve. Lots of us get together and share a big dinner that everyone helps to prepare. Once dinner is cleaned up, we begin preparing brunch for Christmas day… usually an overnight egg casserole and sometimes even cinnamon rolls. We wake up Christmas morning and sneak downstairs [...]
I used to be addicted to Starbuck’s Pumpkin Scones. I’m not sure why… they’re not terribly moist (pretty darn dry, in fact). I think it was the icing on top that attracted me. And it’s probably more about the luxury of ordering something that looks like it should go well with my Pumpkin Spice Latte. Well… I’m [...]
The chill is in the air… sort of. Well, not really, but at least at night it’s a little bit chilly. It’s around 80 degrees today here in Southern California, and it’s predicted to be nearing the low 90’s by Saturday. That’s our typical September weather, so it’s tough to get into the fall spirit [...]
Yep, it’s almost fall… so the fall recipe experimenting begins! It’s a bit too early though… I went to 4 markets before I could actually find a can of pure pumpkin puree. Apparently, it’s a “seasonal” item. But since I’m one of those people who will drive to the end of the earth to find [...]
Ah, there’s nothing like it… a cup of coffee, the Sunday paper, and the cardboard crunch of a dried-out scone. Yuck. Most scones should be made the morning that that they’re eaten, for fear of turning them into the sort that you may often pick up at a dud coffee shop. These are that sort [...]
I’ve always associated Mother’s Day with brunch. Usually being the one to host this holiday, I almost always put quiches on the menu. I have quite a few quiche recipes that I love, but I’m always looking for something new to try. This one comes from that great spa cookbook that I talked about yesterday: Mushroom & [...]
Rancho La Puerta is a world-famous destination spa in Baja, California (Mexico)- about an hour’s drive from San Diego. I’ve wanted to visit this spa for years, imagining the luxury of a week full of exercise, relaxation and healthy eating, and devoid of internet, TV and the real world. It sits on 3,000 sunny-all-the-time acres [...]
Are you able to get your hands on some Meyers? They’re sometimes found at the Farmer’s Market… try Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s and any other specialty type markets. You simply must find them. And if you have a tree, well then I’m forever jealous. I planted a very small Meyer Lemon tree last spring [...]
Though I’ve tried countless recipes for banana bread over the years, I still find myself hunting for the next best recipe when my bananas begin to turn that delicious shade of black. “Can’t let those good rotten bananas go to waste!” I say. And I can’t imagine turning out the same banana bread recipe over [...]
Dried figs, dates, prunes… they all pretty much gross me out. You wouldn’t catch me snacking on them, and I’ve rarely used them in recipes. In my quest to cook more healthfully and revise recipes to fit into my new lifestyle, I’ve reluctantly begun to let these ugly little dried fruits make their debut as [...]
Happy Holidays to all of my blogging friends and visitors!
It’s that “Gingerbread” time of year… and despite one fun adventure with making a Gingerbread House for the holidays, I haven’t sampled any actual gingerbread cookies this year. It’s safe to say that I’m all ‘cookied-out,’ (for the moment), so I satisfied my craving with a [...]
Disclaimer… there were no actual candy canes used in the making of this Candy Cane Coffee Cake. It’s just the shape people! If you don’t have opportunity to make this for the holiday season this year, you should save it for next season. It’s impressive and delicious.
Here’s the how to:
Make the dough (following the directions), [...]
I view eggnog as virtually one of the most evil decadances invented (I mean that in a good way). It’s brilliant in ice cream, it works in cookies too, and there’s really nothing better than eggnog bread.
I remember sneaking several cups of hot rum with floating homemade eggnog at a family Thanksgiving as a teenager [...]
Once in a while my boys deserve a special little treat for breakfast. Usually it’s pancakes or waffles, or more often than not some kind of muffin. This day, I chose Amish Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Icing. Perfect for downing with a mug of milk before a morning hike.
I started these the night before, [...]
Oh, Fresh Cranberries…
I love you.
You’re so seasonally colorful and blogable. You freeze well and make dishes and baked goods worthy of photographing. And although you’re generally tart and inedible on your own, you pair well with sweets to create a blend of sweet-tart that is quite unique and delicious.
I loved you in these: Cranberry Whole-Grain [...]
This month’s Daring Baker challenge involved experimenting with the Basic Pizza Dough from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. It was a fun challenge, and my family enjoyed the month-long pizza recipe trials.
Since I already have a go-to pizza crust recipe that is very simple, I found the directions for this one to be rather [...]
I’m guilty… of occasionally buying frozen waffles at Costco. It’s never my idea. I sometimes cave to incessant begging from my little one. But I find that the giant box of waffles tends to last forever, takes up my precious freezer space, and they really aren’t even all that good. In fact, they rather stink.
Everyone [...]
The Daring Bakers: Lavash Cracker’s Challenge!
Since Fall is in full swing, I added a little autumn-goodness to my Daring Baker challenge this month… Fresh Cranberry Jam. About this time last year I had wanted to make some things with fresh cranberries and found that in early fall you can only find those little guys tucked [...]
Dry.Crumbly.Eat it now or it will soon turn into an inedible mass that you’ll need to dip in your coffee to soften enough for consumption.
Those are the thoughts that flash through my mind when I think of scones. So I rarely make them… unless I can eat them now or serve them soon after removing [...]
One of the many things I love about New England is the abundance of enormous, juicy Blueberries! We have access to blueberries here in Southern California but we don’t have cute little plants for picking blueberries anywhere that I know of here in So Cal, and it’s impossible to find the fabulous sort that are [...]
Is zucchini growing out of control in your veggie gardens yet this summer? Try this muffin recipe to get a little green stuff into your children without their knowledge: Zucchini- Chocolate Chip Muffins.
As a kid, I hated zucchini bread. My mother used to make if often since our relatives used to dump loads of zucchini [...]
This month’s challenge was The Danish Braid for us Daring Baker types. Despite the rather long instructions, this wasn’t really a difficult task. Oh, I admit that I was nervous. Pastries are definitely not my thing, and I have absolutely zero experience in making them. And I’m not even adept at braiding hair, let alone [...]
Yep… yet another banana bread recipe. Why not? You always have those aging bananas ready to draw fruit flies sitting on your counter, so mix those with some ripe & juicy strawberries to try a new recipe: Strawberry- Oatmeal Banana Bread.
I drew inspiration for this bread from Chuck at CookingBread.com. If you haven’t checked out [...]
“What’s for lunch?” I pretty much hate that question. I don’t mind creating dinner for a crowd, whipping up waffles for breakfast, or excessive bouts of baking, but for some reason I do not enjoy cooking up lunch. I’m completely content with a quick pb&j so I can get on with my day. But if [...]
I was lucky enough to grow up with a Mom who often did special things for us kids on Sunday mornings. Pancakes, waffles and french toast come to mind. We also occasionally piled into our old green station wagon and made the trip to Winchell’s Donuts, fighting over which multi-colored creations would fill the box [...]
If you’re anything like me, you utilize your treasured ripe bananas for baked goods. Since we thrive on new recipes around here, I’m always trying to shake things up a little bit when it comes to banana bread. Add blueberries… make it whole grain… chocolate swirl… pumpkin. I’ll try anything! This time: Peanut Butter- Chocolate [...]
We had a mad craving for muffins this morning, so I made Blueberry- Maple Muffins. I was finding fresh blueberries at a good price for a while recently, but that great deal seems to have disappeared for now. Costco still has them… that’s probably your best bet if you’re lucky enough to have a [...]
I’m truly not obsessed with Ina. Really. The fact is that I pull a couple of cookbooks off of my shelf and that becomes my reading material for a while. My 6 year old recently asked me if I could… for once, just read a normal book.
“I read normal books sometimes,” I said.
“No you [...]
We’re muffin – lovers around here. They’re nice to have around for breakfast or snacking, so I usually make them once a week or so. My little guy beams with happiness when he sees me baking up a new batch… always a new recipe… he begs to be the first taste- tester. This week: Glazed [...]
I’m *officially* up and around again after my hospital stay, and I’m feeling much, much better (thanks so much for all of the well wishes sent my way.)
I’ve definitely been in need of a little comfort around here, and nothing says comfort like a good, warm, homemade muffin. Not having quite the energy yet to [...]
I have a love-hate relationship with Irish soda bread. It can be dry. It can be underwhelming. And what do you do with the leftovers? I’m a fan of good Irish soda bread. But I’ve definitely tried my share of duds. I find that it makes for a good breakfast treat…. and my 6 year [...]
Happy Weekends begin with comforting breakfasts!When I was little I remember begging my mother, along with my siblings, to go to Winchell’s Donuts for a special treat on the weekends. Once in a while we talked our way into that one. More often though, Mom made special weekend breakfasts… usually waffles, pancakes or French toast. [...]
Since I made that unbelievable Meyer Lemon Curd, I was in need of coming up with a baked treat in which to utilize it. Browsing my baking cookbooks, I turned to Dorie for help. She has a simple Cream Scones recipe in Baking from My Home to Yours. Oh yeah… perfect!
What Dorie doesn’t know (or [...]
I’ve learned something this week. When life gives you Meyer Lemons, you should definitely, without question, most undoubtedly make Meyer Lemon Curd.
Why I haven’t discovered Meyer Lemons until a couple of days ago is beyond me. I’ve already made an unbelievable Lemon Loaf Cake. Left with 5 remaining lemons, I wasn’t about to let those [...]
“What’s for lunch?” my husband asks on the occasion that he has the luxury to work from home. If I’m around, I like to try to find the time to make him a nice lunch that we can enjoy together. Here’s one that we recently enjoyed together… a Squash and Tomato Oven Frittata. This is [...]
We’re muffin maniacs around here. I often try new and different muffin recipes. My son enjoys having Mommy’s homemade muffins for breakfast, so I try to find those muffin recipes that aren’t exactly like “cake.” My little guy is a sweets-lover and would eat Cocoa- Krispies, a chocolate muffin and chocolate milk for breakfast [...]
As self-proclaimed carb-0-holics, our family enjoys all things that are bread and pasta! Here are a few of our favorite new-to-us recipes from 2007.
This Marbled Chocolate- Banana Bread from Cooking Light has been around quite a long time but we only discovered its goodness last year. It’s a wonderfully moist banana bread with a chocolate [...]
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