A couple of my neighborhood girlies stopped by yesterday with a handmade Christmas card and hand-decorated snowman cookie for me. We decided, together with their mother, that we’d bake a quick dozen of a cookie which I’d wanted to demo in photos for some young family members now living in Minnesota, and thus not here … More In the kitchen with juliyya: Chocolate Mint Chews
I like sweet potatoes baked plain in the microwave sometimes, but for Thanksgiving and Apple Cup and leftovers, I like the gooey version with butter, brown sugar, walnuts and marshmallows. This year I saw a recipe which included a bit of bourbon, no nuts and no marshmallows, so I decided to try it and it … More j’s Sweet Potato Bread, Christmas lights on sun porch
My University of Washington Huskies won the Apple Cup today, a delirious win over the Washington State Cougars, and I think the win may very well have been due to a dish of spicy, cheesy brussel sprouts rather than mere excellent play on the field. Here’s the story. Yesterday I watched the video of a … More Apple Cup Dinner: Lucky Brussel Sprouts
Coincidences between events and the freezer began last week when I found out that I’d missed the birthday of one of the master gardeners whom I admire. I knew that he is quite fond of my blackberry ice cream and that, between his pie crust and my filling and ice cream, he, his wife and … More Blackberry Pie & Blackberry Ice Cream for a belated birthday
Perhaps the reader is acquainted with someone who likes to make mountains out of molehills. Yesterday I got an idea in my head that went something like this: I’d like to make a really complicated: Pudding. Bread. Pie. I’ve got fresh Washington apples, some Rainiers. Recently there’s been a search through some of the handwritten … More j’s Apple Pie Bread Pudding
Recently I experimented with some chocolate shard cookies* made with Seattle’s Theo Chocolate bars and froze some of the dough for further experimentation. Last night I made doughs and completed preparations to bake some newbies this morning and deliver up some sweetness and love to my daughter in her office later today. Some people have … More j’s Crookies, Chip Snicks and Cinnamon Toast Snicks
There was much fun and mixing in my kitchen this week in preparation for the birthday party of a young girl who will be six. She wanted a snowman cake, the description of which changed several times over the course of several days and, indeed, right up to the last moment when she decided that … More In the kitchen with juliyya: Adorable Snowman Cake for a birthday
I spent some summers during university years as a live-in cook/keeper for a family with a “cabin” in a country club on Bainbridge Island where they spent that part of the year. As with any family, they had a rotating menu of favorites for which the recipes were available for whatever cook was in the … More Mrs. W’s Tamale Casserole. Now with Sriracha. Also leaves, a Seattle crane.
Earlier this summer while walking home from the Ballard Viking Days with some neighbors, I picked up a party cookbook at one of the pick-up/drop-off free book bins. There was a recipe for a chocolate party cake featuring three layers, lots of butter and chocolate, lots of work and plenty of time to get ingredients … More Chocolate Party Cake. No party.
A lovely neighbor gifted me with two bars of Seattle’s own Theo Chocolate, a pure and dark variety, which, in this house, means “Bake something with it.” Some people have suggested a deficit in the planned cookie menu for MsChef in Seattle upcoming shops, namely, a chocolate chip cookie. I’ve resisted because that cookie is … More Whoop-tee-doo Chocolate Shard Cookie, V.1, Seattle’s Theo Chocolate
Ms Chef in Seattle 