Hey friendsā£ļø Happy Sunday (and Easter and Passover!) Iāve had a fun week ~ we spent a couple of days in beautiful Minneapolis for a Springsteen concert. My husband, daughter, and her boyfriend all went, but Iām not much for crowds so I mostly tagged along for the ride š The drive was supposed to take 4 1/2 hours, but Siri had other plans and we ended up at 7 1/2 ~ winding along the Mississippi River was stunning. Yesterday I boiled up 2 dozen eggs to dye with my granddaughter. We made...
about 15 hours agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø Iām sharing one of my most popular cakes today ~ my lemon olive oil cake. Itās been a reader favorite for years. And I know, olive oil in a cake can sound a little strange if you haven't tried it, but itās exactly what makes this cake so good. I use a mild olive oil and the fruity flavor just melts into the background. The texture is soft, rich, and stays moist for days. I tend to make it around Easter, but itās the kind of cake that fits right into the whole spring season....
4 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø Happy Sunday! Have you got your spring holiday menus all planned out yet? I like to start the wheels turning about a week ahead ~ enough time to plan, but still room to be spontaneous. If I spot beautiful berries, I might make a chantilly cake or triple berry muffins. And if Iām lucky enough to find rhubarb, itās absolutely going into a rhubarb tart. Spotting the first rhubarb of the season is probably the most dramatic moment of my cooking year. It gets my heart racing in the...
8 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø We've been eating salad for dinner like crazy lately. It's become kind of a game for us...can we put it on a salad? That's a big yes in most cases, burgers, salmon, shrimp, tuna...but for lots of us the holy grail of main course salads turns out to be, you guessed it, chicken! Spring Chicken Salad Recipes We're big believers in the whole āsalad for dinnerā idea. I love it because no matter how the dayās gone, I can count on dinner to catch me up on my veggies. A few years back I...
10 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø Easter has never been a formal affair in our family, and I love a low-stress holiday. Iām all about pretty but effortless recipes that are fun to make and make people feel at ease. This lineup works just as well for a casual holiday spread as it does for that first spring dinner out on the patio. The latest in my ever-growing collection of approachable desserts is this coconut lime tart ~ it captures the moment perfectly. Coconut Lime Shortbread Crumble Tart Quiche is one of my...
11 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø How about a day trip to France? Rustic French Dessert Recipes If the mere mention of French desserts brings to mind the three āFsā ~ fussy, fancy, and finicky, think again. Unlike the intricate pastries you see in elegant patisseries, these homemade desserts focus on flavor over perfection. Take my apple galette, above ~ caramelized apples and buttery pastry come together in the most perfectly imperfect way. These are the kinds of desserts that invite you to roll up your sleeves...
13 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø They say eggs are natureās perfect food, but can I just put in a plug for peanut butter? šTodayās recipe is all about that creamy, salty, not-too-sweet magicā¦ Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting How to use your new favorite frosting Turn a classic chocolate cake, into a peanut butter layer cake ~ you get that classic Reeseās inspired flavor combo. You can do cupcakes, sheet cake, or a layer cake. You can use it as a filling for this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. Fill fudgy...
14 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø Happy Sunday! I hope your weekend is going well. I started mine with a recipe experiment ~ cute mini Easter cupcakes served in an egg carton. I got halfway through before I lost interest. Mini cupcakes are tricky like that ~ they donāt keep well, so you have to make and serve them the same day. Fun, but not exactly practical. But even though I wonāt be posting this one, it is a cute idea ~ and if you stick to one flavor cake itās much more doable. Minis take about 8-10 minutes...
15 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Hey friendsā£ļø Fresh out of the oven, my newest recipe just happens to be perfect for a lovely Spring Equinox menu. The combination of almond and raspberry can't be beat. frangipane (fran-zih-pan)A classic French almond filling that bakes up soft, golden, and incredibly fragrant ~ the kind of thing that has you going back for another slice ;) Raspberry Frangipane Tart For Gluten Free: The almond frangipane is nearly flourless ~ just sub the 2 tablespoons of AP flour for your favorite gluten...
17 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read