Lemon Cream Cheese Scones

My oldest daughter has really found her baking groove this year. After a long week of school or whenever she has a moment, she’ll ask me: “Mom, can I bake?” And I, who will take all the help in the kitchen I can get, quickly make room for my cooking buddy. Her specialties are desserts: cookies,Continue reading “Lemon Cream Cheese Scones”

Banana Chip Muffins

Pretty much any time I set foot inside a grocery store, I add a couple half-gallons of milk and a bunch of bananas to my cart. Doesn’t matter the season, doesn’t matter if I went in for a few ingredients or my weekly stock-up shop, milk and bananas are must-haves at our house and weContinue reading “Banana Chip Muffins”

Nana’s Pound Cake

Pound cake was a regular in our dessert line-up when I was a child. It’s so versatile — great plain, even better topped with pureed berries or homemade chocolate sauce or scratch-made whipped cream. My copy of this recipe is one of my favorite kinds: hand-written in my grandmother’s loopy cursive. It’s in my hands becauseContinue reading “Nana’s Pound Cake”

Classic Zucchini Bread

I love to bake with zucchini. Adding it to muffins and cakes and quicks breads makes them all the more moist — and nutritious. The flecks of veggie in my baked good give it a lovely color, a nice chew, a good density. Then there’s the whole using up the (sometimes) copious amounts of zucchini thatContinue reading “Classic Zucchini Bread”

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, it’s just about time to shake openContinue reading “Traditional King Cake”

Build Your Own Grain Bowl

Think of a Grain Bowl as a dinner jigsaw puzzle, where you can put the pieces together any way you like, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines. A Grain Bowl is a bowl filled with one part grain, one part greens, one part protein. Top that layer with veggies (they can be grilled,Continue reading “Build Your Own Grain Bowl”

Super Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Why is it that some of the seemingly simplest sauces are the hardest to make? I have been stirring up my own Alfredo sauce going on 20 years but it was very hit or miss. It all depended on the kind of cream I used or how finely grated the Parmesan was or how muchContinue reading “Super Creamy Alfredo Sauce”

Feeding Picky People

  I’ve been cooking dinner for picky people for a long time, now. Thankfully, my husband is not one of them. He’s a pretty low-key kind of guy who has followed along on all manner of food adventures (Let’s try kombucha! Fermented carrots! Maitake mushrooms!) And has often come away embracing the once exotic. But my kids are aContinue reading “Feeding Picky People”

Chex Muddy Buddies

I’ve come late to the Baking With Cereal Party, but as my kids get older, they are making more and more of the snacks and treats they eat. Chex mix and Chex Muddy Buddies are recipes they can own that are relatively healthy for them. So, if someone says they’re looking to stir up a snackContinue reading “Chex Muddy Buddies”

Classic Lemon Bars

I love cookies. I really do. More than cupcakes or cheesecakes or pies or … well, maybe not more than doughnuts. The point is that if you love cookies as much as I (and, thankfully, my children) do, then you need a long list of cookie recipes to choose from. These lemon bars are aContinue reading “Classic Lemon Bars”