Not too sweet and loaded with fresh fruit, Easygoing Apple & Pear Bundt Cake is a nice, simple treat to have around the house. Recipe below.

THE HOLIDAYS ARE ABOUT THE BIG, FABULOUS, FAMILIAR THINGS, in vast quantities, and that is just as true for food. Entire birds! Gravy by the vat! Carb-forward sides—five different ones! Pie! More pie! And there’s so much of all of it, and it is just so heavy, and it just keeps coming. Continue reading “Easygoing Apple & Pear Bundt Cake is just nice to have around the house” →

Whoopie pies go seasonal, with pumpkin cookies and two different cream cheese fillings—lemon and maple nutmeg.

PUMPKIN FLAVOR IS EVERYWHERE RIGHT NOW. Some car care places are even playfully advertising that “Pumpkin Spice Oil Changes Are Back!” My personal favorite pumpkin-flavored seasonal thing is, well, pumpkin pie. In fact, it’s what I choose instead of birthday cake. But Marion’s pumpkin whoopie pies are a delightful close second. Continue reading “’Tis the season for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies” →

Available briefly in the fall, Italian plums are the star of this simple, sweet cake. Recipe below.

I LOVE FALL. I love breaking out the turtlenecks and the sweaters, and watching the leaves turn, and even the bittersweet moment when I put away my beloved sandals and shift to my beloved boots. I love how the cat’s fur gets thicker, and the rosebushes in the garden surprise us with a few last, gorgeous, huge flowers, and Terry gleans what remains of the basil for a couple last batches of pesto. It is all so melodic. And part of the melody of this time of year for me is that brief moment when we can get Italian plums. Continue reading “Enjoying a fall harvest find: Olive Oil Ricotta Cake with Italian Plums” →

Earl Grey tea and culinary lavender give butter-rich shortbread cookies an elegantly subtle floral/lemony lightness. Recipe below.

AFTER A WEEK ON THE ROAD, WE WERE BACK HOME. In our house, in our familiar kitchen. Doing our familiar things. And suddenly, we were in the mood to bake—something simple and cozy. These shortbread cookies were exactly that. Continue reading “Buttery rich, elegantly light: Earl Grey Lavender Shortbread Cookies” →

GALETTES ARE PIES’ LESS FUSSY COUSINS, with the filling simply piled in the middle of an unbaked, rolled out crust and the edges of said crust folded up and crimped around it. Imperfections aren’t just allowed—they’re part of the rustic beauty. Continue reading “Beautifully rustic, beautifully easy: three galette recipes” →

Rye flour adds a nice nuttiness to these luscious chocolate cookies. The small batch recipe helps avoid overindulging. Recipe below.

I AM GIVEN TO RANTING ABOUT HOW I DISLIKE BAKING COOKIES. So much fussing, so much stickiness, so many sheets and sheets of blobs of dough and so much anxious peering into hot, hot ovens—by the time everything is done and cooling on masses of racks, I am beyond done. I don’t even want to eat them. Continue reading “Deliciousness served in small batches: Double Chocolate Rye Cookies” →

Homemade apple butter makes pumpkin pie creamier and subtly sweeter. Recipe below.

WHEN TERRY MADE CHRIS SCOTT’S LOVELY JOHNNYCAKES AND APPLE BUTTER a couple weeks back, the apple butter recipe was small compared to most, but it was still a lot of apple butter for a two-person household. We heroically slathered it on waffles and toast and pork sandwiches, but there was still some left. That was when I stumbled across this recipe for apple butter pumpkin pie. Continue reading “Two traditional favorites create one delicious dessert: Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie” →