MARION’S GINGERBREAD IS AN ABSOLUTE GO-TO DESSERT for our family. With dark molasses, black pepper and Chinese five-spice powder, it is a big-flavored gingerbread with plenty of spicy bite. So imagine our delight when she recently devised a simple, delicious upgrade: chocolate. Continue reading “Serious gingerbread, with an easy chocolate upgrade”
Fresh zucchini brings impressive health benefits to this decadently satisfying bread. Recipe below.
I’M NOT GOING TO GO INTO HOW WE HAPPENED TO COME INTO POSSESSION OF A GIGANTIC ZUCCHINI. A big, fat, smug zucchini the size of a healthy, lively newborn. (A healthy, lively newborn happened to be on hand for comparison.) I just want to say that, when you and your friends are planning your personal gardens next spring, you should collectively agree that only one of you—just one—should be the designated zucchini grower. That will still mean dozens of zucchinis in your culinary future, but at least you won’t end up with more zucchinis than all of you, along with everyone else in your neighborhood, could possibly consume. One delicious way to consume at least some of the zucchini overload is this Zucchini Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips. Continue reading “Hello, healthyish! Zucchini Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips”
Six delicious baked fruit desserts to keep us happy and safe from cyclospora.
DELICIOUS SUMMER FRUIT IS IN FULL SWING RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately, so is a health alert advising us to cook our fruit as a safety precaution. Cyclospora, the dastardly parasite wreaking digestive havoc across the country, is most effectively killed by cooking fruits and veggies to 158ºF. Well, these desserts bake at 350ºF or higher for long enough to hit that internal temp. Done. Continue reading “Sweet summer fruits, deliciously, safely cooked”
Glazed Strawberry Bread comes together easily to create an impressively delicious dessert. Recipe below.
DON’T YOU LOVE IT when a recipe is way easier to make than it tastes? This simple Glazed Strawberry Bread is exactly that. Continue reading “Simple, delicious Glazed Strawberry Bread”
APRIL IS NATIONAL PECAN MONTH, the National Pecan Shellers Association tells us, adding that the name “pecan” is a Native American word of Algonquin origin that was used to describe “all nuts requiring a stone to crack.” It is said that Native Americans first cultivated the pecan tree. The US Forest Service says that “pecans (Carya illinoinensis) are a commercially important species of nut native to the American Southeast. Pecans are now grown extensively in the southeastern United States and are a prominent part of the regional cuisine.” Pecans are high in antioxidants and can help reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. They contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals—in particular, according to Prevention, pecans are rich in copper, an important mineral for the nervous and immune systems, and thiamine, a B vitamin key for energy production. Pecans are also rich in zinc, another key nutrient for immune function. And they’re a natural, high-quality source of protein—a current dietary holy grail. Here are eight recipes to help you celebrate this delicious, healthy nut. Continue reading “Eight recipes for celebrating National Pecan Month”
Modestly sized Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with a maple cinnamon cream cheese icing pack big flavor. Recipe below.
WHEN IT COMES TO BAKING, MY VERY FAVORITE BLOG IS SALLY’S BAKING, a great site for bakers at every skill level. Want to make mille-feuille, or baked Alaska, or a checkerboard cake? Sally’s got you. Want to make cornbread, or dinner rolls, or pizza dough? She’s got you. She’s also got you if you are completely inexperienced and baking-curious. She and her team explain everything with a friendly clarity and precision and her site, in operation since 2011, is chock full of excellent recipes. I never fail to learn a lot, and all her recipes taste just great. Case in point? These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Continue reading “Small in size, big on taste—Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls”
This easy-to-make carrot cake is topped with equally easy-to-make dulce de leche/cream cheese frosting—and the results are so delicious. Recipe below.
I AM A CARROT CAKE LOVER, but my sole previous foray into baking one was, to be honest, a mess. I’m still not sure what I did wrong, probably every possible thing, and the whole fiasco put me off trying to bake carrot cake for quite a few years. Up until the other day when I stumbled on a recipe that nudged me into giving it another shot. Continue reading “Carrot Cake with Dulce de Leche/Cream Cheese Frosting”
Pecan Tassies are buttery, rich pecan pies made bite-sized with shortbread crusts. Recipe below.
AS IT HAPPENED, THIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS, we did not host Thanksgiving. One of our daughters got married in the spring, and we now find ourselves part of a big new family of the nicest, kindest, most fun people walking the earth. We spent Thanksgiving out of town with them, in Milwaukee (which admittedly is not that far out of town for us). I committed to bring a number of dishes, and among them were pies. Continue reading “Pecan Tassies (think teeny tiny shortbread pecan pies)”
Fresh blueberries and raspberries, brown sugar and sour cream create a delicious not-too-sweet snack cake. Recipe below.
SINCE WE CAME BACK FROM OUR TRIP, I’ve been blundering around with simple, fruit-laden quick bread recipes. One that I was very optimistic about included oat flour, cinnamon and fresh chopped apples. That smelled great and looked so comforting, and it was a lot of fun to whiz up rolled oats in the blender to make the oat flour. But in the end it was an aesthetic disaster, totally falling apart when sliced and even when speared with a fork. Yikes, no idea what I did wrong. Then I remembered some of the simple Polish cakes of my youth, featuring sour cream, blueberries and loads of sugar. Continue reading “Quick Berry Cake—berry, berry delicious”
These rich, chewy, chocolaty brownies are topped with a delicious two-ingredient icing. Recipe below.
THE OTHER DAY, OUR NEIGHBOR ROSA INVITED US TO A COOKOUT in her backyard in honor of her sister Lorena’s birthday. We love her cookouts—there’s always great food and great conversation and her yard is an elegant, shady oasis—even on the hottest days, she somehow conjures cooling breezes. And we love Lorena, so celebrating her birthday? in Rosa’s yard? sounded like a perfect evening. Continue reading “Rich Fudgy Brownies with (or without) Pecans”