Treats
Chocolate Tahini, the new PB and Chocolate? Bake Some Chocolate Tahini Bread
As a recipe developer, I pay attention to the food trends that are on the move. Some are absurd, like unicorn food, or charcoal in everything. But some flavors rise to the top by just being good. The latest seductive combo I've been flirting with is the merger of...
Make Easy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Crispy Bars
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Crispy Bars Are Calling Your Name! My neighborhood grocery store folks know how our minds work. When you stand in line at the register, they have thoughtfully provided a stack of appealing, easy to grab treats, to tempt the hungry shopper....
Rich, Luscious Truffles, Easy, Fast (and Vegan)
The holiday season is in full swing, and you really should have some treats planned by now. No? Well I'm here with a simple little treat that everybody will think was hard to make. I'm talking about Vegan Truffles. No Special Skills Are Needed to Make Vegan Truffles I...
Bake Persimmon Cookies for a Seasonal Treat
Persimmon and Hazelnut Cookies When the persimmons appear in the stores, you know the holidays are coming. That makes them a perfect candidate to use in a holiday treat, like these Persimmon and Hazelnut Cookies with Pomegranate Glaze. What The Heck is a Persimmon,...
Make Pumpkin Swirl Brownies with Ganache, for a Halloween Treat
Halloween is a candy and costume holiday. I know, I know, there is a history going back to the old country, when they carved turnips into Jack-o-lanterns to scare away the spirits. In my lifetime, it was all about being a kids, putting on a costume, and collecting as...
It’s Time To Bake an Apple Raspberry Galette
At the farmer's market last weekend, as I shivered in the 40 degree air, I marveled at the bounty of vegetables that the end of September brings. Summery sweet corn and tomatoes were there, alongside Fall-ish squash and apples. Strikingly, there was an abundant...
Fresh Fruit Tarts with Lemony Cream are a Summer Treat
For a seasonal treat that will convince your omnivorous friends that vegan desserts rock, try these Fresh Fruit Tarts with Lemony Cream.
Cool Off With Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches
Pick one! When it's sultry out, I have to comfort myself by making ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, and other frozen treats. Whenever I throw a party in the summer, I start preparations ahead of time by making ice cream sandwiches for everyone. So, when I decided to...
When Peaches Ripen, Make a Peach and Berry Crisp
Oh July, you have won my heart a hundred times over. Yes, you were steamy in spots, but we managed to romance each other relentlessly. Of course, July includes a trip to Illinois, where I pick up my annual peach harvest. You may not have heard about the epic peaches...
Cool Off with Homemade Peanut Butter Pops with Chocolate Drizzle
Is it the heat, or is it the humidity? Who cares? It's Summer, and we love every minute of it. Even when we are seeking shelter in the air conditioning, we get to revel in the best summery foods. And that includes easy, homemade frozen Peanut Butter Pops. With...
Buy Local Strawberries and Make a Fresh Strawberry Tart, Feed Your Soul
Strawberries are the perfect metaphor for the sweet things in life. Pay attention, don't take the berries for granted, because they will pass. Change is constant, and the seasons come and go, despite our efforts to cling to what pleases us. Don't let the beautiful...
Make These Easy Rhubarb Strawberry Shortcakes, Celebrate Local Berries
The local strawberries have made their dramatic entrance, red and ripe and ready to add joy to your life. Rhubarb is still booming in my backyard, and the two flavors are a classic, seasonal combination. Because it's so hot and humid out, I planned ahead and baked the...
Wicked Healthy, the Vegan Cookbook that Bleeds
There's long been a trope, a recurring idea that meat eating is an essential part of manliness. Veggies are for girls, and possibly girly men, but real dudes dig burgers. Wicked, Healthy, Beautiful This silliness couldn't be further from the truth, and the latest book...
Can a Valentine’s Dessert Be Decadent AND Light? Crispy Pastry Nests with Aquafaba Mousse and Berries are!
Have you planned your Valentine's Day yet? Forget about going out, it's much snugglier to stay in and have your own private menu. The most important part of the meal is, of course, the Valentine's Dessert. It must be sensuous, it must be chocolate, and if you can make...
Make Mini Holiday Tarts in Six Flavors for a Delicious Dilemma
Do you wrestle with the decision of which pies to make at the holidays? Pumpkin, pear, apple, or even pecan sound so good, but do you really need four whole pies? This time, I'm making six different holiday tarts, each one designed to generously serve one person. This...
Bake Some Cranberry Sweet Potato Scones for Wintry Breakfasts
Not Just For Holidays Anymore Did you know that Wisconsin is the biggest producer of cranberries? Take that California, with your sunny, temperate weather. The snowy Midwest is the source of 60% of the bright red berries that we eat by the bushel at the holidays. As...
Naked Barley Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ancient Grains Make Great Pastry
If you read last week's post, you know that I've been playing around with beautiful naked barleys from Oregon. This week is another installment in the theme. Instead of making rolled barley into bars or pudding, I ground whole, naked barley into flour and made...
Start Seeing Barley-Make Purple Barley Pudding with Fruit
Barley doesn't get much play these days. This ancient grain was once the staff of life in some parts of the world. Analysis of archaeological sites in the Fertile Crescent find genetic evidence of it being domesticated and cultivated there 10,000...
Time To Bake With Rhubarb- Rhubarb Almond Bars with Rolled Barley
The rhubarb plants in my garden don't care whether I ever get around to them. Every Spring, their crinkled leaves start growing under a coating of snow or ice, sure in the knowledge that it will soon pass. The moment the snow melts, they unfurl with great resolution...
Matcha Pistachio Halvah “Eggs” For Easter or Anytime
My Halvah Surprise The last thing that I thought I would rediscover in Amsterdam would have to be halvah. On my recent trip to the city of Canals and VanGogh, I was wandering from shop to shop, just checking things out, when I happened into a place called Sum Sum....
Traveling? You Need Packable Snacks. Bring Airplane Cookies!
If you follow me on instagram, twitter or facebook (and why wouldn't you be?), you know that I've been traveling. But before I left, I made sure I had packable snacks for that looooong flight to Amsterdam. Travel Should Be Fun Aah, travel. Getting there should be half...
Throw a Spring Brunch, with Lemony Pear Cake
Aaaah, Spring! Time to clear away the old and move forward with new growth. It's also a good time to get social, and stop hibernating inside. A brunch, or even a tea party with some delectable, lemony pear cake is just the thing. These days, I'm not staying up late...
Happy Pistachio Day! Try My Pistachio Matcha Blondies on for Size
National Pistachio Day is February 26th I remember the first pistachios I ever laid eyes on. They had bright red shells, and had arrived around the holidays. As a kid, the color of the shells drew me like a magnet, and I just had to get a handful of this new, exotic...
A Valentine’s Treat With Aphrodisiac Magic
Valentine's Day Meets Aquafaba Perhaps Valentine's Day comes along in February for good reason. Winter has been with us a little past its welcome, and we need a little motivation to get convivial. Give the sweatpants and hoodie a rest and at least make an effort to...
Chocolatey-Crispy Energy Cookies and Yes, Win a Vitamix!
Sometimes, you just want a cookie. Comfort me with chocolate, if you want me to keep on keeping on. There are times for rich desserts, surely. But I like to have a little energy cookie on hand that I can nibble before a workout. Those times when you don't need a full...
Party with Smoky Almond Butter Popcorn and Mandarin Chocolate “Shots”
Holiday entertaining is so fun, so necessary, and too often, so stressful. I know, I know, you have enough to do without having to clean the house and make food for a bunch of people. But I promise you, it's worth it. This is the end of the year, the big holiday...
Blender Baking? Yes You Can Make Holiday Cupcakes in The Vitamix
Jazz Up Your Holiday with Lemony Pear Cupcakes It's holiday time, and we are all rushing to find some fast and easy treats to serve our guests. Preferably something a little different from the standard sugar cookie. This is not the time to push anything too healthy,...
Spooky Pumpkin Spice Buckeyes, Halloween Candy to Feel Good About
T'is the season for pumpkin spice to invade our every waking moment. The Grinch in me used to hate this phenomenon. In fact, I only recently tried a Pumpkin Spice Latte at the coffee shop. That's because I have one hard and fast rule when it comes to food. All foods...
Blueberry Peach Bars with Spelt, Celebrate Ancient Grains
This summer was the summer of road trips. I know I clocked many hours in the car, trekking from Minnesota to Illinois to see my Mother. It's a journey I've made many times, and I have learned a valuable lesson along the way. Always, always, pack food. Because unless...
It’s Peanut Butter Month-Enter A Peanut Butter Recipe, Try Mine, too
It's a fun little game to play: Ask yourself about things you'd take to a desert island. If you could only have one book, one record, etc. So think about it, if you had to pick one single food to take to the desert island, what would it be? (And if you could make up a...