Two years ago, Northern California was ablaze the first of two fall seasons where wildfires raged and devastated communities, and for weeks darkened the skies and filled the air with a smoke that choked and permeated the atmosphere. It was during that first season of fires that, grateful to have […]
Fruit desserts are among my favorite, partly because of their wholesome coziness, as well as some of their colorful names. You have fools, grunts, slumps and crisps, and even more specifically with apples, you get dumplings, brown “betties†and pandowdies. I have yet to make all of these whimsically named […]
Not long ago, I looked up and another year at my blog — and in my life — had passed. We’d taken another 365 1/4 days of a circular trip around the sun. It was hard to believe I’d been at the blog for nine years and going on my […]
I’ve seen a whole lotta matcha these last few years. The concentrated green tea powder has greened up everything from scones to cheesecake, even bringing grassy color to glaze on donuts. [T]hough I love the health properties in green tea (it’s said to pack a wallop of antioxidants, boost metabolism […]
Plums are so unique and uniquely summer. Their subtle sweetness, spicy and floral, extends beyond that into a spectrum of flavors, depending on the type of plum or plum cross (plum/apricot, plum/cherry), with hits of tartness and soft notes of apple, berries and citrus. [I] look forward to plum season […]
One of my favorite desserts is cobbler, specifically peach…the cobbler of my childhood, made by my mother, with what I feel is the true “cobble†of cobbler — a constellation of thick biscuity dough scattered over a pan of hot, stewed fresh peaches, oozing with warm juices and dotted with […]
A few good muffins…it really doesn’t hurt to have a handful of go-to recipes for these underrated (and too infrequently made) breakfast and coffee-time treats. Why don’t I make more muffins? After all, they are easy (even kids can stir them up) and come together quickly. In a matter of […]
Certain ingredients create certain sensations, like those whose tastes create the illusion of cool, despite not actually being a lower temperature. Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar is one…a fine dusting of this soft sweetness automatically tempers any sort of sweet — even one as strongly warm-flavored as coffee or chocolate or cinnamon […]
Certain baked goods win in the comfort category, those old, tried-and-true traditional recipes that make you feel better just to think about them. Homey treats like apple pie, biscuits and chocolate chip cookies have that soothing quality. So, too, in this category are blueberry muffins. Blueberry muffins have always been […]
Sometimes, you can’t see the recipe for the blooms. I’m twisting an old phrase here, but it applies to my obvious lack of perception when trying to decide on a scone recipe for this month. I was set on something with raspberries or white chocolate or coconut. Or white chocolate-raspberry-coconut, […]