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
Today I made a special dinner for a lawyer friend of my daughter’s in exchange for some excellent legal advice. I’d asked what her culinary preference was since I’m familiar with several. She suggested Middle Eastern and mentioned having had Iranian cuisine frequently at home while growing up, perhaps a nanny, so I decided to … More Roundabout Middle Eastern Dinner
My cousin grows Royal Velvet culinary lavender and decorative lavender on the farm she and her husband share along a river in southeastern Idaho. She suggested that I might use the culinary lavender in my cookies and specifically in a cookie like the one I made today as the first experiment. Since I’ve a taste … More Lavender Mini Teacakes
This cookie came about during the Christmas baking season and there was a leftover bag full of the Hershey’s Dark Mint Truffle-filled Kisses. My lovely niece Alexa and grandniece Miley are moving to Kauai at the beginning of March, AND they missed out on this cookie when I sent the whole tin full of them … More Valentine Snicks with Kisses
Example 2 in the short series of baking as therapy for struggling with someone trying to get in my front door is another variation on a known and an unknown. Bran muffins with banana, raisins and dried cranberries are tasty. It is known by bran muffin lovers worldwide. Molasses caramels are also tasty, and molasses … More Baking Experiments as Therapy, Example 2: Bran & Fruit Muffins with Molasses Caramel
To diffuse some leftover adrenaline from fighting off an attempt by someone with a knife to get in my door in the middle of the afternoon last Thursday, I did one of the things that I find comforting. Bake something. Get in the kitchen, measure things, put ingredients together in a certain manner, take care … More Baking Experiments as Therapy, Example 1: Chocolate Chip Bourbon Cookies
Today is my adorable downstairs neighbor Hannah’s third birthday. I like to make their birthday cakes and asked what type of cake she might like. She’s seen only chocolate (spoken in a whisper?) and angel food with strawberries in one form or another, so when offered the choice between the two, she chose STRAWBERRIES! It is my … More Winter Birthday, Strawberry Well Cake
One of my favorite nephews has recently begun a new job in Hawaii and will be moving his family there from Washington in the next week. His favorite of the the Christmas goodies is the Chewy Chocolate Mint, so I made a batch of the drop version just for him on Thursday so they’d be … More Snicks with Kisses
Well, here’s the first set of tins full of cookies and candies ready to make their way to … this person and that person and this family and that family. Fourteen, that’s 14, [Update upon looking at actual list: 16] different offerings this year, even though every gifted tin will not have them all. Sorry. … More Christmas Goodies in Tins, Star well-earned
Leftover Christmas candy canes were the inspiration for these soft, cheesecakey and Heavenly peppermint cookies that everybody in my family wants (read: expects) in their tin of Christmas goodies. They are pink, BTW, not because I’ve added food coloring, but because the candy cane maker did and I don’t want to use the white canes. … More j’s Peppermint Cream Jones, huge Star
Ms Chef in Seattle 