I have to be honest and tell you that I would love a do-over for this year so far. It's been a difficult one, to say the least. I'll get into some of it in posts to come probably. But - I'm looking forward now, and this recipe is a good place to begin. It's from my old blog actually, but a year-round treat that we always enjoy. The fact that it is dead easy doesn't hurt either. Making bread can seem daunting if it's not been your thing before, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. ... Read More about Stand Mixer Italian Bread
Baking
Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
You don't see that many recipes using grapefruits in baking. I guess they don't have quite the same pizzazz as lemons and limes, and they are not as sweet as most oranges. If you juice them, the flavor isn't really bold enough to hold up much grapefruit flavor - unless you reduce it, and then it loses a lot of it's pop because you lose the fresh uncooked flavor. The trick is to use the fruit itself. I love fresh grapefruits, and don't mind the trouble involved to section them, but Larry can't ... Read More about Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
Soft Cornmeal Muffins
It has been quite a winter around here, and I would be lying if I said it has been an easy one to get through. Not because of the weather - we live where we expect the winters to be fierce and getting a bad one is no reason for sniveling. I will tell you that as I am writing this on March 13th, there are still several feet of snow everywhere around us, and not a single bare patch anywhere in the yard. Even the chickens refuse to range, preferring to sit in the doorway and peer out on the ... Read More about Soft Cornmeal Muffins
Sour Cherry Almond Bars
As I have mentioned a time or two [or 50!], my husband is rather fond of cookies. When our house is in a state of no cookies, it makes him a sad, sad man. So you can probably imagine that he is a huge fan of this time of year. He doesn't think of it as "Christmastime", like the rest of us do. To Larry, this is "cookietime". And now that he is retired, he can devote himself even more fully to the testing of whatever new cookies I am trying out for the blog this year. This makes him a ... Read More about Sour Cherry Almond Bars
Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
It really is beginning to look like Christmas! We're in the middle of a 3-day winter storm that promises to bring us multiple inches of snow which is currently being blown about in a very festive fashion. Which is good, because we are under a bit of pressure here. Due to the nature of our older son-in-law's job, it is rare that he can get off enough days at Christmas for them to come here for the holiday, but this year is an exception. They live in northern NY, so you can pretty much figure on a ... Read More about Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies
Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies with Kahlúa Cream Filling I love spritz type cookies. They have been a lifesaver for me more times than I could ever count. I'll bet everyone with kids has had this conversation, usually held at 9:45PM: "Mom, I am supposed to bringing cookies in for my class" "Okay, when?" "Tomorrow!" This is when spritz cookies come to your rescue - you can churn out a good sized batch of buttery, cute cookies in no time at all. No chilling of the dough, or fooling around with ... Read More about Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies
Molasses Apple Cobbler
A perfect last minute Thanksgiving Dessert Things are pretty exciting around here right now. We had barely finished our fall cleanup chores, when deer season started. Then we ordered a half of a pastured pig. And a split quarter of an organic grass fed steer. And on the second day of deer season, Larry got a deer. So - we had to buy another freezer, which meant we had to completely reorganize our spare room, which also doubles as a spare bedroom. This is all part of our determination to stop ... Read More about Molasses Apple Cobbler
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Every year, I do the same thing. We haven't seen a trick or treater in these parts since the girls were small - we live out in the middle of nowhere, we have a rather long driveway, none of the neighbors have little kids anymore, and we don't turn on the porch light. I leave the porch light off mostly because of Riley, who is not fond of strangers. I can only imagine his reaction to seeing a person dressed up in a costume, with some kind of scary mask on. It would not be good. Still - I like to ... Read More about Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Macadamia Lime Blondies
I am still pretty caught up in fall - in getting everything put up, and in enjoying stuff like winter squash and apples. But fall also means that citrus starts showing up in the stores more, and for better prices, which got me thinking about making these Macadamia Lime Blondies again - and this time, shooting a few photos and getting the post out here on the blog. I think you will be glad. Not only do these blondies have lots of bright lime flavor, but there are also crunchy, buttery macadamias ... Read More about Macadamia Lime Blondies
Banana Streusel Coffee Cake
I actually made this a few weeks ago, after yet another family visit that left behind the remains of a bunch of bananas. Neither of us is at all fond of eating fresh bananas, particularly ones that are getting past their prime. On the other hand, such bananas are just reaching the perfect stage for baking, and we are both big fans of baked stuff with bananas. And if your grandkids happen to leave behind some nearly-overripe bananas and you don't feel like baking with them right away, did you ... Read More about Banana Streusel Coffee Cake
Skillet Pumpkin Fudge Brownies
This recipe solves a pesky little kitchen problem that I will bet anything you have run across. It goes like this: You find a great recipe for some pumpkin muffins, or maybe pumpkin doughnuts. You open a typical grocery store can of pumpkin puree, measure out the one cup needed for the recipe - and don't they all just need that ONE cup - and then thriftily scrape out all of the remaining pumpkin into a refrigerator dish and pop in in the fridge. "I'll make some thing out of that later in the ... Read More about Skillet Pumpkin Fudge Brownies
Pumpkin Raisin Yeast Bread
It is getting to be that time of year. You know - when there is pumpkin everything, everywhere you look! I confess I don't really "get" pumpkin coffee drinks at all - I guess probably because I'm not particularly fond of sweet coffee, unless it also involves chocolate. But, pumpkin everything else, I am very much okay with. Like this Pumpkin Raisin Yeast Bread! Our own pumpkins did well this year - we have quite a nice number of lovely little pie pumpkins to use this fall. This ... Read More about Pumpkin Raisin Yeast Bread