Desserts

Vanilla Pound Cake With Apples

Vanilla Pound Cake With Apples

Apples aren’t special enough for showstopper desserts…said no one ever. This Vanilla Pound Cake With Apples is a case in point. Your guests won’t be able to stop talking about how wonderfully the apples complement the vanilla cake. This recipe is  adapted from a recipe…

Flourless Chocolate Cake and a Happy Birthday Wish To A Good Friend

Flourless Chocolate Cake and a Happy Birthday Wish To A Good Friend

Happy birthday to one of the kindest people I know–my neighbor Gene. Gene, a retired high school science teacher, avid gardener and gourmand, is a loyal a supporter of this blog.  He also is celebrating his 87th birthday this month. Way to go, Gene! Gene…

A Slice of Sunshine: Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake

A Slice of Sunshine: Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake

Who doesn’t need a bit of sunshine to cut through the winter gloom right about now? The weather is iffy and the world news is dreadful. Here’s what you need to do to regroup. Cue the music:  “I Can See Clearly Now.”  That’s Johnny Nash’s 1970s number…

James Beard’s Persimmon Nut Bread

James Beard’s Persimmon Nut Bread

This Persimmon Nut Bread recipe comes from James Beard. Beard shaped American cooking for 40 years. He wrote two dozen cookbooks, wrote a weekly syndicated cooking column, operated an eponymous cooking school in Greenwich Village and lived an altogether colorful life. In 1990, Carl Jerome,…

Heavenly Maple Shortbread Cookies

Heavenly Maple Shortbread Cookies

  My good friend Sarah often invokes the help of her “parking angel” when she negotiates impossibly-crowded parking lots. I’ve seen her angel in action a couple of times. Parking spaces do indeed seem to open up–even at Costco! So, in this season of everything…

‘Tis The Season: Thumbprint Cookies with Pecans and Cherry Jam

‘Tis The Season: Thumbprint Cookies with Pecans and Cherry Jam

Cookies. What a beautiful word. No need to feel guilty about eating them either. ‘Tis the season. Being a cookie addict aficionado, imagine my delight when the New York Times ran a special cookie feature  this week by cookbook author and food stylist Susan Spungen. I…

One More Thing: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

One More Thing: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Here is one more delicious dish you might want to add to your table during his holiday season: Alice Waters’ Cranberry Upside-Down Cake.” The cake, with whipped egg whites folded in, is light. The cranberries, baked with a sweet caramel glaze, are sweet and tart…

It’s A Beauty: Ricotta Cake With Raspberries

It’s A Beauty: Ricotta Cake With Raspberries

It’s all about the texture. A generous dollop of ricotta cheese gives this delightful (and simple-to-make) vanilla cake an elegant fine crumb. Throw in some beautiful raspberries and this delicate cake becomes fragrant and even more delicious. Serve it with whipped cream or a scoop…

Want Salt With That? Salted Chocolate Cookies

Want Salt With That? Salted Chocolate Cookies

  I’m nibbling one of these wonderful Salted Chocolate Cookies as I type this post, smearing chocolate on my keyboard with wild abandon. You are in for a treat. These Salted Chocolate Cookies are sophisticated, ever-so-chocolaty and wonderful on a cool fall evening with a…

Woo-hoo! Blue Cayenne is Four.

Woo-hoo! Blue Cayenne is Four.

Cue the music. Wild celebration here. Juliet is salsa dancing down the hall and I’m wearing a silly party hat. This month marks Blue Cayenne’s fourth birthday. Here we are writing our 315th blog post. Who knew?     Thank you for reading this blog…