I once had a recipe for the perfect summer dessert bar: White Chocolate Brownies. The photo was luscious 80’s elegance, a stack of pale squarely sliced bars drizzled with a grid of dark chocolate and arranged on a red plate. They looked picnic ready and utterly delectable. I swooned and clipped the page…
Chocolate Bar Pie is a simple recipe. All you need to make it is two basic ingredients along with water, a pinch of salt and the pie shell of your choice. Still it is a crowd pleaser. Aunt Hen recognized the value of such a recipe. Classically light and sweet, it was easy to make, easy to enjoy and still made her guests feel special.
I love February. I like the way it sounds, beginning with a frisky fricative followed suddenly by the pairing of two unlikely mid-word consonants in a mismatch that invites us to think before speaking. I like the way it begins with that famous rodent checking the shadows for promises of […]
Silken Tofu makes a wonderful addition to this Simple Amaretto Chocolate Mousse. The recipe is super easy, wholesome and delicious…plus few would ever guess the secret ingredient in this creamy smooth chocolate mousse unless you told them.
Testing Tradition With traditional meals and family favorites on my mind it can be a real challenge to think of new ways to add variety to the menus of the season. Recently, updating my Thanksgiving Menu Planner, I felt like I was in the company of old friends. Would they […]
Rosemary in the Garden… As autumn approaches, rosemary has become the star of my garden. In my new yard in Tennessee the serpentine retaining wall near our small vegetable garden is topped with a row of five rosemary bushes. As the other herbs and vegetables begin to play out these […]
This French version of King Cake is surprisingly easy to make using frozen puff pastry. Simply stir together four ingredients to make a luscious almond filling, slip a whole almond into the mix, then tightly seal the edges of the pastry. Score a pattern of your choice into the top, then bake. Dusted with powdered sugar and finished with a decorative gold crown, a Galette des Rois makes a beautiful addition to a festive brunch or dinner.
Cookies don’t have to take lots of extra work to be special. These Scandinavian Almond Cookies, for example, are neatly trimmed and generously adorned with sliced almonds and a drizzle of frosting. All said, they are quite appealing and still relatively easy to prepare.
The first week of blueberry season I bring home a half flat from the Farmer’s Market and set it on my kitchen counter. Everyone, from neighbors to friends to window cleaners, marvels at the size of the berries, asks for a taste, and before I know it they are gone. […]
Lavender Flowers make a beautiful addition to simple Meringue Cookies. These small Lavender Meringues add an intriguing taste of summer sweetness to an afternoon break with tea or lemonade.
This rich soup is a traditional Spanish recipe made with stale pieces of rustic bread, garlic, olive oil and salt. White Gazpacho, or Ajo Blanco, is quite flavorful and best served cool and in small portions. Add it to the menu for your next picnic and enjoy a sunny taste of Spain.
The sky has been gray and stormy for the beginning of Holy Week in the Pacific Northwest. It is the perfect atmosphere for introspection…