It’s National Pie Day this Monday. It’s citrus season. What better excuse for making a lemon pie? Besides, I didn’t get any pie during the holidays—homemade or otherwise—and I wanted some pie. And because I’d been deprived, I decided to doll up my lemon pie with a cranberry coulis (apparently, the holidays are over but I’m not over them!) and limoncello cream. The pie was pure sunshine on a plate—bright and tangy and a little bit sweet. The perfect thing to brighten up a dreary January day.
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About the only thing I’ve managed to cross off my holiday to-do list is baking. But I know plenty of folks who are just getting started on their cookies, candies, and other confections. If you’re going to baking in the next couple of days and are looking for something new to try or just some inspiration, here are a few of my favorites …
Continue reading "Ho-Ho-Holiday Cookies, Etc." »
It’s fall. It’s Halloween. It’s pumpkin season! My favorite time of year. And I’ve been on quite a pumpkin bender of late. A couple weeks ago I was determined to find a really good pumpkin soup recipe. I used to make one years ago that, although I loved the idea of pumpkin soup, I finally had to admit really wasn’t all that great.
I asked for recommendations from the foodie folks on Twitter and scoured the intertubes, and found what sounded like a winner—Curried Pumpkin Soup. I love the pumpkin curry at the Thai joint near work, so soup sounded like the next best thing.
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After taking the summer off, I resumed my Farm Fresh to You CSA subscription a couple weeks ago. My first delivery was a tribute to the end of summer in a box—pluots, grapes, arugula, sweet peppers, and zucchini. And though I can certainly stand to eat more veggies, I was bent on baking that zucchini into bread.
I had just the recipe—one my friend Shelly passed onto me eons ago. I’ve tweaked it over the years, never making it the same way twice. That’s why it’s such a great recipe; this zucchini bread is incredibly versatile. You can add whatever suits your fancy at the time.
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Back in June, I saw a post cross my Facebook feed from Gluten-Free Girl Shauna James Ahern. She was organizing a pie party on the Internet to encourage folks to bake a pie to help them get over their fear of making pie dough from scratch. I enthusiastically jumped on the bandwagon.
I love pie, especially this time of year when fruit is at its best and the variety is spectacular. So any excuse to make pie was a no-brainer. Also, I really enjoy making pie, specifically pie dough. I have always loved tender, flaky crust (almost more than the filling), and I have fond memories of my mom baking little pie crust cookies for me from the leftover dough when I was a kid. And, I have a crust recipe that works every single time. So any occasion I have to pass along this recipe and hopefully encourage someone to try making pie crust, I’ll take it.
Continue reading "Peach Blackberry Crumb Pie" »
Just in time to celebrate our country’s independence, I thought I’d share some of my favorite summer recipes. They run the gamut from cocktails and appetizers to entrees and desserts. Truly, there’s something to suit everyone’s tastes and time constraints.
Happy 4th of July!
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Today’s cookie is a favorite from my childhood—Spritz. If Candy Cane Cookies were my favorites to eat, Spritz were my favorite to make. (Don’t get me wrong, I loved eating them, too!) You could keep your cookie cutters, royal icing, and dragées, nothing was as cool as my mom’s cookie press (more on that in a bit).
Spritz are delicious in their simplicity—a buttery cookie that’s not too sweet and with a hint of almond flavor. There are few aromas that make me swoon, and the fragrance of almonds is one of them. When I make these cookies, they have more than just a hint of almond. I have quadrupled the almond extract in this recipe to suit my tastes; you can adjust the amount to suit your own. You also can make different flavors, including chocolate and lemon. See the original Betty Crocker recipe for inspiration.
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Today’s treat comes from Morry Angell, who chronicles her adventures in food with words and fabulous photos on Fare to Remember. I met Morry a couple years ago; we were introduced by a mutual friend, Cathy Pitts (a.k.a., the dog whisperer), who thought her two foodie friends should know each other. Morry had recently published a cookbook and I was interested in hearing about her experience. (One of these days I’ll get my cookbook off the back burner!) Morry’s approach to cooking is simple—simple ingredients, simple preparation. But don’t let that fool you; she applies the same zest to her cooking that she does to life in general. And her cookie contribution is no different.
Many thanks, Morry, for the sweet post!
Cookies, cookies, cookies. Now, I love me a good cookie every once in a while, but rarely—if ever—do I make them. That's what moms and bakeries are for, no? So when Siobhan asked me to contribute a recipe for FoodFixe’s 12 Days of Cookies extravaganza, I could hardly refuse, and yet, what's a non-baker to do? Luckily for me, my mom was coming to Napa Valley for a pre-Thanksgiving holiday visit, so I knew that I would be in good hands. Let alone, a day in the kitchen with mom would be fun for both of us.
Continue reading "Cornmeal and Ginger Shortbread Cookies" »
I'm taking a liberty (blogger's perogative) with today's post in that I'm republishing a cookie I included in the first 12 Days of Christmas Cookies marathon a couple years ago. Why? Because it is, by far, the most popular cookie I've ever made. For a lot of people I know, it wouldn't be the holidays without Pecan Puffs. Enjoy!
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