Recently, thumbing through Donna Hay’s delightful book, “Christmas Feasts and Treats” (2018), a book I purchased a few years back and continue to peruse (whether it’s Christmas or not)… I really thought I wanted to make nearly everything in it. [T]he book is beautiful, so visually appealing in its offering […]
Recent Posts
Downsizing holiday pies
I’ve been fond of miniatures since I was a girl, and at one point built my own dollhouse (from a kit), decorated and furnished it. The collecting of tiny, to-scale household items, particularly for the kitchen (to which I even made tiny baked goods), was a large part of my […]
Cookie of the Month: Biting into Bouchons
I have been lucky enough to be in proximity to some amazing places. Some are majestic, like the Golden Gate Bridge and the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco; others encompass the beautiful landscape of Sonoma and Napa valleys, where all sorts of treasures can be discovered. One lucky […]
Cookie of the Month: Dipping into graham cracker territory
Over the years, I’ve been known to eat a graham cracker or two. Actually, that’s an understatement. Graham crackers are as much of a staple in my home as flour, butter and coffee. My bedtime snack is often a graham cracker smeared with nut butter. The crackers (a childhood favorite), […]
Cookie of the Month: Folding a homemade Fig Newton
A Fig Newton is one cookie I don’t feel too guilty about eating. It’s filled with dried fruit filling, right? And it’s not terribly sweet, its modest cookie crust is minimal, so you almost feel as if you are eating something more akin to a granola bar. I won’t dissect […]
Bread of the Month: Loafing beyond pumpkin spice
Despite my love of autumn, I have to admit I get sick of all the pumpkin spice. There, I said it. Maybe it’s more the homogeneous mainstream concept that pumpkin spice represents that is less appealing to my taste.Yes, it’s become the hallmark of the fall season (which, according to […]
Bread of the Month: Looking to a kids’ cookbook for baguettes
I sort of stopped paying attention to kids’ animated movies (Disney Pixar, etc.) after I saw “Ratatouille†in 2007. The level of artistic excellence in this film brought it to another level. And its theme of following one’s passions no matter what made it seem as appropriate for adults as […]
Cookie of the Month: Bringing best of everything to bars
A couple of years ago, or so it seems, I saw a video recipe for something that looked extra delicious. The recipe, from Bob’s Red Mill (https://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes/how-to-make/cherry-lime-butter-bars/), featured an almond-y cake type of crust (made with almond flour, lots of butter and lime zest). On top was a filling of […]
Cookie of the Month: Comforting with softness and sprinkles
Nearly every grocery store I’ve ever entered has had some version of a Lofthouse cookie. It seems to be standard to carry these ultra-soft, ultra-sweet vanilla cookies topped with fluffy frosting in an array of pastel colors, embellished with a finish of sprinkles. I’ll admit that I’m neither much of […]
Bread of the Month: Feeling fully corny with muffins
Around the end of May, my usual love and admiration for all things corn amped up a bit. I mean, I’ll put corn in anything, but I took it to an extra corny level as corn season approached, exploring recipes related to my favorite vegetable. Working ahead on my column […]