Easter 2017
I’m deep into prep for tomorrow’s Easter party, so that means it’s time to see what we did last year! Our traditional Easter menu never changes, but I always mix it up with the cake…which was gorgeous last year! Continue reading
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Aunt Anna’s Easter Bread
Aunt Anna’s Easter Bread
I don’t know who Aunt Anna is…probably my mom’s aunt or maybe even her great aunt, but her bread will live on in my family for generations if I have anything to do with it. I’ve been eating this bread since I was a baby and making it for about 12 years now. It is DIVINE. You could just call it “Challah with raisins” because, well, that’s basically what it is! It’s soft, chewy, a little bit sweet and best the day it’s baked with a hefty smear of good butter. Continue reading
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Yummy Homemade Trail Mix Bars
I discovered the most delicious trail mix a few weeks ago at World Market but I realized the cost per ounce was insane so I decided to make it myself after my son and I downed the whole bag in a few days. A week later, I had already ordered and received each ingredient in bulk from Amazon Prime and got ready to mix it up. After filling a few of the giant-sized baggies with all the mail order yumminess, I realized I had a big problem…I have a tendency to eat trail mix like it’s popcorn…could I handle this much trail mix? Could my thighs? No. Probably not. Continue reading
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Last Minute Valentine: Slice and Bake Butter Cookies
I adore a simple, crunchy, lightly sweet slice and bake butter cookie. They are lovely rolled in colored sugar, chopped nuts or coconut. For a quick Valentine’s Day treat, I rolled my cookie dough log in homemade colored sugar and shaped it into a heart when it was partially chilled. Once it was completely firm, I just sliced it, revealing darling heart cookies with a red sugar edge. Super simple and a gorgeous little gift! Recipe after the jump. Continue reading
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Valentine’s Day Cupcake Sandwiches
Last year, I couldn’t think of what to bake for Jeff for Valentine’s Day when I ran across an adorable heart-shaped Whoopie pie/muffin top pan in Michael’s and inspiration struck. He loves red velvet cupcakes so I decided to make him a sort of whoopie-pie-cupcake-sandwich hybrid. The result was gorgeous, super tasty and a less messy version of a cupcake to boot! I used the Magnolia Bakery recipe exactly, so no need to reprint, but be sure to check the cakes often because they don’t take long when they are in a shallow pan.
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Simply Wonderful Tomato Soup
There’s just something about homemade tomato soup in the winter (yes, even in LA) that warms me to my toes. I was never a fan of the canned stuff growing up, but real tomato soup is the perfect accompaniment to almost anything. When my friend served us this family recipe one night last year, I was blown away by how perfect it was and I’ve been making it two to three times a month since that dinner! Her recipe is a little creamy, a little tangy and a little spicy. It also freezes well which has been a lifesaver during busy months. I recommend pairing it with a grilled pimento cheese sandwich or sweet corn muffins! Continue reading
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Delicate Milk and Rice Flour Pudding
Longing for something simple and creamy, we ordered “rice pudding” for dessert from our favorite Mediterranean restaurant one evening. What we got was anything but simple and I immediately became obsessed. After lots of recipe research, my best guess is that it is actually called Malabi, an Israeli milk and rice flour pudding. The texture is smooth, creamy and soft. It holds its shape easily like a flan, but the rice flour and rose-water gives it a light, delicately floral flavor. The restaurant drizzled their version with a rose water syrup and sprinkles it with coconut and pistachios, but the flavors and toppings vary from recipe to recipe. Once I found my favorite version of the pudding itself, I made it a few times to perfect my version. It is extremely quick and simple to make…and our toddler adores it, so it’s a great recipe to introduce new and exotic flavors to a child who might be a little skeptical. Continue reading
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On the 10th Day of Christmas…Get Kitschy in the Kitchen!
It’s pretty rare that I get to bake elaborate and ridiculously fun things in the kitchen, so when Christmas comes, I like to go big…really big. I had some leftover trees and a skiing Santa from the year’s snow-globe wreaths, so for our annual Christmas party, I made a ginormous ski slope cake bordered with a gingerbread cityscape and little candy house cupcakes! I spread the baking out over a week to make it less stressful and it came out just how I had envisioned it…equal parts kitschy, homey and magical. Continue reading
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On the 8th Day of Christmas….Slow Down and Slow Cook.
I love my crock pot and I use it all the time, but when winter comes, I like slow cooking in the oven instead to warm up the house. Our friend made garlic confit last year for her New Year’s dinner and it’s taken me this long to finally ask her for the recipe for our Christmas party. I couldn’t believe how simple it was to make, not to mention the glorious, warm, sweet smell of roasting garlic that filled my house. Continue reading
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On the 7th Day of Christmas…Speculaas!
Okay, I’m not gonna lie. Speculaas cookies are a total b#*@h to make…but you can’t deny it, they are so lovely. I tend to shy away from things that take a lot of time, but I’ve had my speculaas molds for about 6 years and they were still brand new. Not anymore! I did it. I spent 12 hours pressing, cutting and baking these puppies to ship out to friends. Now my molds can go back into the cookie cutter drawer for another 6 years until I conveniently forget how tedious they were to make and then I’ll try again! I know I’m not really selling this to you as a cookie recipe, but what good is winter if not to zen out a whole day and make something completely beautiful in the kitchen? Continue reading
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