In the kitchen with juliyya: Chocolate Mint Chews

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

j’s Sweet Potato Bread, Christmas lights on sun porch

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

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, a failure and a success

There were two recent birthdays which I missed and determined to additionally celebrate with a chocolate party cake filled with two mousses and covered in lots of fudgy icing. I’d wanted to try the same recipe as the last chocolate party cake, the tall one which I felt would’ve been better if I’d got cake … More Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, a failure and a success

j’s Crookies, Chip Snicks and Cinnamon Toast Snicks

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

Leftovers = Wednesday White Cake, Lemon Filling, Vanilla Buttercream

There were discussions last week regarding the flavor or flavors for the snowman cake. At one point, there were going to be three round cakes of various sizes and each was to be flavored differently. One of those flavors was white so I began freezing egg whites for it whenever egg was needed for something … More Leftovers = Wednesday White Cake, Lemon Filling, Vanilla Buttercream

In the kitchen with juliyya: Adorable Snowman Cake for a 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

Mrs. W’s Tamale Casserole. Now with Sriracha. Also leaves, a Seattle crane.

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.