Thumbnail image for PB&J Cheesecake with Poured Ganache (how-to video).

PB&J Cheesecake with Poured Ganache (how-to video).

January 30, 2013

Peanut Butter and Jelly is a staple in most children’s diets. In fact, I just read that Americans will consume billions, with a B, of them every year. I can believe it, since my kids picked it for lunch 9 out of 10 times, until very recently. I’ve gone through what must be 100s of [...]
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Thumbnail image for Banana Bread (and Pear Bread) – One Recipe, Two Flavors.

Banana Bread (and Pear Bread) – One Recipe, Two Flavors.

January 23, 2013

The fact that Bosc pears taste like spicy, buttery perfume (I mean sweet, pure essence of pear, not old lady soap), may be second to their beauty. I admit I bought this bag of pears to decorate my kitchen. They’re so sleek and statuesque that most every still life painter from Van Gogh to Picasso [...]
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Cranberry-Raspberry Upside Down Cake

December 11, 2012

The color of this cake alone is enough to bring me great joy these days. It is snowing here in MN, which is a blessing and a curse. Snow is a blessing, because it brings new life to the cold and allows my boys to go snowboarding and sledding in the evenings. It’s also a [...]
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Thumbnail image for Chocolate Caramel Monkey Muffins

Chocolate Caramel Monkey Muffins

December 4, 2012

I think monkey bread was the first thing my younger brothers ever baked. They loved the gooey mess of making them as much as the caramel goodness of eating them. Truth told, when I leave the house for any amount of time, my husband makes them with my own boys. He waits until I leave, [...]
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Thumbnail image for Dreams Do Come True…A Cookie Swap with Ina Garten!

Dreams Do Come True…A Cookie Swap with Ina Garten!

November 27, 2012

(photo by Quentin Bacon) This summer I got an email that I thought was spam. It said something to the effect of…”Ladies’ Home Journal would like you to attend a private brunch and cookie swap with the Barefoot Contessa!” I sat on the email for about 30 seconds and then decided..what the hell, what if [...]
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Thumbnail image for Puff Pastry Pears

Puff Pastry Pears

November 13, 2012

Everything tastes better wrapped in puff pastry. Just like bacon, it makes everything near it better, no matter if the filling is sweet or savory. It’s the thousands of little layers of dough and butter that bake up together into a gorgeously flaky package. Last week I poached a bunch of pears in chai tea, [...]
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Thumbnail image for Chai Poached Pears and Sorbet

Chai Poached Pears and Sorbet

November 8, 2012

This is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. It can be made days ahead, doesn’t require any oven space and is decadent with flavor, but light enough to follow your Thanksgiving feast. The poaching liquid is homemade chai; a blend of sweet spices and black tea. Once the pears are finished poaching, the liquid can [...]
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Thumbnail image for Pumpkin Cheesecake with Almond Crunch and Amaretto Cream

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Almond Crunch and Amaretto Cream

November 1, 2012

Pumpkin is an ingredient I get obsessed with every year at this time. Its bright orange shell is such a relief, during a season when color is fading away and the grey of winter is settling in. In fact, I am determined to paint a room the color of roasted pumpkin this year. But, my [...]
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Halloween Mummy Cakes

October 26, 2012

Every year at this time, I try to find some new ghoulish and creepy way to terrify my sweet young boys (in a motherly-love kind of way). Nothing like a coffin shaped cake, with a mummy laying on top to make them squeamish and thrilled to go at it with a fork. The vanilla cake, raspberry [...]
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Thumbnail image for Homemade Caramel Apples

Homemade Caramel Apples

October 24, 2012

My boys are called to the apple bins at the grocery store these days like a siren song. Framing every bin are rows of gooey caramel apples, studded with nuts, candies and chocolate. Seriously, I can’t blame them for being drawn in, they are irresistible. But, then you bite into them and they are always just [...]
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Thumbnail image for Apple Galette – Pie without a Dish

Apple Galette – Pie without a Dish

October 15, 2012

This is a rustic French tart with a rather fanciful name, galette, but at the end of the day it is just a pie without a plate. It is simple to make and imperfection is part of its old world charm. No fancy fluting or lattice top crust to worry about and yet the flavor [...]
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Thumbnail image for Plum Cake – a fall affair

Plum Cake – a fall affair

October 10, 2012

As the weather gets chillier, at least here in the upper Midwest, we turn our attention over to apples and pears. The summer fruits and berries are no longer available, with the exception of the Italian plum. It has a short little season, which gives one hope and the ability to make it through a [...]
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