I have always been a sucker for poppy seeds. If there is a tray of pastries that includes poppy seed bread or muffins, that is what’s going on my plate. That nutty flavor is just irresistible. That being said, I rarely bake with poppy seeds, for some reason. I had to change that, and what …
Continue reading “‘Poppy’ in the kitchen and try some beautiful scratch-made cupcakes”
Every week, I go have lunch with my Little for Big Brothers Big Sisters. We solve the world’s problems over school food and Uno cards as only a 13-year-old and a 39-year-old can. Recently, we discussed the nature of sandwiches. Is a hot dog a sandwich? How about a taco? Where do quesadillas come into …
Continue reading “A crustless pie recipe can really take the cake”
I have been thinking about this week’s recipe for nearly a month. I was asked back then if I would be willing to make a dessert for Peace Connections’ annual soup supper and dessert auction. The event is a fundraiser for the Harvey County Circle of Hope, which does amazing work in helping families, and …
Continue reading “The best ‘tart’ of a fundraiser is the dessert”
I would normally tell a little story to kick off my column, but if you have read ahead, you know that I have a monster of a recipe to share with you this week. I took this cake to a Friendsgiving meal with friends, and it was definitely a hit. Beware, though, you will spend …
Continue reading “Get ready for the ‘mousse’t complicated pumpkin dessert”
Before I married into the Young family, I was pretty coffee agnostic. I would basically drink whatever was in front of me and be happy with it. The Youngs, though, are coffee people, by which I mean they know how to make a fantastic cup of the stuff. If you want proof, just pop by …
Continue reading “‘Chai’ can’t believe I managed to make these lattes at home”
I learned something new this week that totally blew my mind: how to create muffins with perfectly domed tops. It’s been a mystery for me for a long time how bakeries and other super bakers manage to get their muffins to rise so tall, puffing perfectly over the edges of their cupcake liners. This week’s …
Continue reading “New baking technique delivers ‘dome sweet dome’ for muffins”
So much sour cream. Seriously, you should see the nearly literal vat of sour cream in my refrigerator right now. We hosted a catered meal about a week ago, and I ended up with the leftovers in my fridge. I’m not complaining, mind you, because the meal was absolutely delicious, and I’m never going to …
Continue reading “Lots of leftovers results in some recipe (sour) scheming”
I caught Joey eyeballing the bowl of peaches sitting in our fridge this week. “I’m going to use them this time,” I promised him. “They won’t end up in the freezer until next summer.” His facial expression betrayed a lack of confidence in my promises, so of course, I had to do some baking this …
Continue reading “Fresh peaches are ‘muffin’ short of delicious for breakfast”
We were able to spend a fantastic evening with some great folks this past week for a celebration of Christmas in July. We hosted the meal last year, so it was our friends’, Adam and Samantha’s, turn to do it this year. They decided to celebrate the theme of the night by creating an entire …
Continue reading “Make their tummies ‘rum’ble with tropical cake”
This weekend, I stumbled on an article by Gabrielle Drolet called, “In Defence of Garlic in a Jar: How Food Snobs Almost Ruined My Love of Cooking.” It’s a long read, but Drolet makes the point that cooking shortcuts are a great way to make the kitchen more accessible to people who have disabilities. She …
Continue reading “Make ’em go ‘coco’nuts for fudgy, layered brownies”
