Honestly, blondies aren’t actually cookies. . .they’re bars. But if you cut them small enough, no one will challenge you. So. Brownie v. blondie? For true chocolate lovers, the latter is likely a sacrilege. But the buttery, caramel-y flavors of blondies appeal to many. Me, included. Legend has it brownies were invented by socialite Bertha Palmer’s chef…
Sweets & Desserts
Cookie Club: Mincemeat Cookies
Mincemeat is that sweet concoction of dried fruits, spices, sugar and nuts (and sometimes spirits) that pops up around the holidays. My family always had mincemeat pie at Christmas gatherings. It was usually the last one to go – the apple, pumpkin and pecan being first. I always enjoyed a sliver of that mincemeat –…
Magic of Miso: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Miso in cookies? What?!? I never heard of it until I saw a recipe on the Bon Appetit site. Experts have weighed in (here’s just one at WSJ) that miso adds complex flavor/saltiness to sweets, making it a perfect addition. We all have our favorite chocolate chip cookie style, which typically falls into one of these…
Feed Your Feelings: Cheesecake
I think everyone has a dish that evokes happiness the moment they see it. One of mine is cheesecake, and as soon as I spot a big beauty, my heart flutters. What is it about that creamy goodness that makes me want to stop everything and grab a spoon? I guess it’s comforting – something to…
Raisin Pie
It’s holiday time and that means baking lots of family favorites! For me, I look forward to meat pie (a French Canadian fave), homemade caramel with pecans, gingerbread cookies and raisin pie, to name a few. Raisin pie was always at Christmas gatherings when I grew up. It was easy to spot on the buffet…
Strawberry Banana Yogurt Popsicles
The first day of Fall is next week, but that doesn’t stop me from making one last ditch effort to highlight a treat that’s fruity, COLD and fun. Now, I’m not one to have lots of gadgets in my kitchen, but I recently bought a $10 popsicle mold. Just for fun. Because, well, the pandemic. I’ve…
Roasted Stone Fruit with Orange & Vanilla
Sigh. . .stone fruit season is coming to a close! We’ve had a good run, but Fall is fast approaching and we’ll soon be focused on apples and hard squash. If you still have a bunch of peaches, plums, nectarines or apricots, but aren’t sure what to do with them (other than making cobbler or…
No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream
There are some things that scream Summer, like dragging a cooler to the beach, lounging on a pool raft, eating watermelon on your back porch, buying roadside-stand tomatoes, and bellying up to an ice cream shop in your wet bathing suit. While I haven’t bellied up to an ice cream shop lately, I have fond memories of…
Fresh Peach Ice Cream
Summer offers so many delicious treats – grilled hot dogs (I like ‘em charred), piled-high burgers (with a tomato slab, of course), buttered corn, cold watermelon and, of course, stone fruits — I especially look forward to these (namely, peaches, plums, nectarines and cherries) because they’re in peak season, bursting with flavor. I’m sure at…
Vintage Seafoam Salad
Summer is on its way and we’re feeling the heat here in Florida. To cool things down, I decided to make a dish that’s not only refreshing, but easy. It even jiggles. Yes, it’s a Jello-O® salad! Jell-O has its origins in gelatin (around since the 15th century), but I recently learned that the sweet, dessert…
Forgotten Cookies
Craving something sweet? I’ve got you covered. This dessert is not only sweet, it’s a vintage recipe that’s easy to make, has no flour, and is gluten-free. What IS this magical dessert? Meringue cookies, of course! My grandmother made these for as long as I can remember. She didn’t invent them (there are tons of posts…
No-Crust Honeybell Pie
It’s my first post of 2020! I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to start a new decade 🙂 For me, 2019 was marked by soul-warming visits with friends and family, countless hours and dollars refurbishing our ’74 VW bus, awesome rides in that bus we named “Luna,” learning how to play the bass…