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
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
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.
Last week one of my nieces put up a wee Facebook post about Wednesday cake. It set off my make-cake-bells and I went to the crisper to retrieve some bananas that I’d put there to ripen slowly for some baking purpose. Sadly, overripe, so the banana-nut cake that I had in mind? Nope. Substitute cake? … More Sunday Cake: Banana Nut with Creamy Nut Icing. No nuts.
Having missed an opportunity to provide a friend with birthday goody, I asked what he’d like. Cake? Nah. Pie? Yes, please, real Southern Pecan Pie, dark and gooey, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. As much as I don’t like to make the crust, I did it anyway, making a single butter crust. There … More Southern Pecan Pie for a friend on my birthday, Crispy for me
Having discovered a neighbor’s taste for Mexican chocolate, I decided to surprise her on her birthday today, August 12th, with some fudgy brownies made with Ibarra chocolate, well-known to bakers. A little goes a long way, so the icing was a simple, plain fudge. She loved them. In honor of her birthday, in addition to … More Mexican Chocolate Brownies & garden art for a birthday girl
Two brothers, one is 9, and the other, 12, have been visiting for a few days in the neighborhood. The 12 year-old likes to bake and, with his younger brother’s birthday upcoming, I thought it might be a good time to teach him how to make a cake that he will be able to bake … More In the kitchen with juliyya: Passing on a Favorite to a new generation of bakers: Crazy Cake
My mother’s birthday is tomorrow and my acknowledgment is always something that I make for her. I do the same thing for the other holidays. Some years I paint a card; she likes and saves them. Other years I bake a goodie of some sort. She’s very fond of crispy butter cookies and I had … More Lavender Butter Cookies
Just so happened that I had an appropriate ribbon for a tin with five types of my cookies inside on their merry way to somebody with a birthday tomorrow. I had no clue — when I baked a fresh batch this morning of Chewy Walnut & Fruit Bars and four Ginger Snicks with Molasses Caramel … More Cookies and Cats: A Love Story
The sweet little girl who lives next door to me had her 5th birthday on the 8th of this month, but the BIG party is today. My contribution is the cake, not nearly as pretty as those decorated in every grocery store, but full of homemade goodness, real butter and not whatever grease it is … More Vanilla Vanilla Birthday
Ms Chef in Seattle 