I’ve made plenty of cupcakes over the years, as well as my share of sheet cakes and cookie cakes. But mini cheesecakes just might take the cake as my favorite celebratory sweet. As Valentine’s Day and my birthday are just around the corner, seems like just the right moment to…
Irish Soda Bread
My husband’s father is Irish-American and his mother is Italian-American, which means my husband grew up with an appreciation of both cultures, but a table topped with Italian dishes. So when our family began our own holiday traditions, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day was among them. But there was no cherished Irish…
Traditional King Cake
Once upon a time my husband and I lived in Durham, NC, and had a neighbor who threw a rocking Mardi Gras party on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday every year. He’s the one who introduced us to King Cake — and to a new food tradition. This year, the big…
Not Your Mother’s Green Bean Casserole
Our garden gives us green beans. We blanch and freeze them. Then, come Thanksgiving, we’ve got what we need for that holiday staple, Green Bean Casserole. But it seems a shame to slather our garden bounty with a can of condensed mushroom soup. So here’s what I make instead.…
Celebrating the Season
For my family, this week began with Halloween, continued with two kid birthdays and will end with back-to-back parties on Friday and Saturday. And, as we all know, it only gets crazier from here. I have, pretty much every year, dreaded these busy months of travel and connections, of events and…
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
In a good summer, we grow zucchini, lots of zucchini. I love it baked into breaded rounds, diced and added to pasta or other veggie dishes, fried by the panful. But what I end up doing with most of what our garden grows is shredding the zucchini, tucking it…
Snow Cream
I didn’t grow up in a particularly snowy place and I had never tasted snow cream until I had kids of my own. But now I won’t let a winter storm go by without making a batch. It’s decadent, yet so simple. And let me tell you, there is nothing…
Hot Chocolate
Yes, it’s super easy to heat up some water, open a packet and there you have it: hot chocolate. But, typically, it’s not very good hot chocolate and who knows what’s in those foil-lined envelopes. When the temperature drops and you’re jones-ing for a sweet pick-me-up, try these two…
Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
This recipe pairs moist chocolate cake with ever-so-tasty cream cheese frosting. Barely a birthday goes by that I don’t make these for someone. Whether it’s birthday or holiday or any excuse I can dream up (after school snack?), these are not to be missed. recipe inspired by www.bettycrocker.com Makes 24 …
No Frills Vanilla Cupcakes
As you might have sensed, I typically opt for simple rather than over-the-top, basic instead of bells-and-whistles. My cooking mantra is to use the very best ingredients, letting their very best flavors shine. So here, find a standard vanilla cupcake that can be frosted with ganache, buttercream, cream cheese icing — or,…