As it often happens, I’ll be dining out at a restaurant and love something so much that I want to recreate it at home (case in point, my super favorite Pita Jungle cauliflower and tahini)! This banoffee pie is no exception, but I had no idea it would be so easy to create. It barely requires any cooking at all, and can be ready to eat … Continue reading banoffee pie with pretzel crust
DID YOU KNOW? JULY IS NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH! TO CELEBRATE, AND TO BEAT THE HEAT, I’LL BE BRINGING YOU RECIPES FOR FROSTY, SWEET TREATS ALL MONTH LONG! FROM POPSICLES WITH AN UNEXPECTED INGREDIENT, TO A FROSTY LITTLE ICE CREAM CAKE, STICK AROUND CAUSE THIS MONTH’S SURE TO BE TASTY! What’s better on a hot summer day than an ice cream cone, you might ask? … Continue reading national ice cream month: strawberry + chocolate ice cream drumsticks
DID YOU KNOW? JULY IS NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH! TO CELEBRATE, AND TO BEAT THE HEAT, I’LL BE BRINGING YOU RECIPES FOR FROSTY, SWEET TREATS ALL MONTH LONG! FROM POPSICLES WITH AN UNEXPECTED INGREDIENT, TO A frosty little ice cream cake, STICK AROUND CAUSE THIS MONTH’S SURE TO BE TASTY! In my ever-growing list of recipe ideas, there’s one recipe that has been taunting me … Continue reading national ice cream month: carrot cake popsicles
Most of you may not know this, but I was an art major in college. At the end of every quarter, each student’s work was offered up for critique by our fellow classmates. We would have been toiling for weeks on our projects, trying to inject meaning and substance along the way, and then on the day the projects were due, each student would get to present … Continue reading chocolate cherry soda, two ways
A few years back, I used to go on weekly breakfast outings with my friend Evan. Working restaurant jobs, we both shared a common day off in the middle of the week which gave us the perfect excuse to wake up early and check out different breakfast places around town. One day he recommended Marie Callender’s, of which I was skeptical. I didn’t recall much about the … Continue reading blueberry banana bread
GEORGE: Salsa is now the number one condiment in America. JERRY: You know why? Because people like to say “salsa”. “Excuse me, do you have salsa?” “We need more salsa.” “Where is the salsa? No salsa?” – Seinfeld, Episode 43 “The Pitch” It’s already begun. The ubiquitous gearing-up-for-summertime-heat, and the dread that sets in around this time of year in the Phoenix area because of … Continue reading fresh mango-cantaloupe salsa
Oh, springtime… or as we know it here in Arizona, the not-so-hot time of year before our endless summer. We’re blessed with some truly gorgeous days this time of year, where the sun is warm but the air is still cool — It’s a great time to throw together a berry pie! In my experience, even the best pie crust lacks in flavor. Sure, they taste … Continue reading berry streusel pie with graham crust
When I was a kid, my grandma lived right next door to us. Some memories of visiting my grandma include playing games of rummy at her kitchen table, watching The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, her two snorty little Pekingese dogs, classical music forever playing on the stereo, and leafing through her old copy of the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. When Christmas would come around, it meant sitting on her love seat next to the artificial Christmas tree while gazing at the Swiss Colony catalog that came in the mail every December.
Do you remember that catalog? It seems to magically appear in mailboxes every Christmas season, without fail. That catalog was seriously the best thing ever as an 8 year old. It was the closest thing to taking a tour of Willy Wonka’s factory that I’d ever have. The giant boxes filled with rows upon rows of chocolate truffles! All those cute petit fours! Super fancy cakes! Those almond-crusted cheese logs (for those weirdos without a sweet tooth)! There’s nothing like that catalog, man.
Well, Thanksgiving is over! Time for ornaments, twinkly lights, Bing Crosby Christmas music, and piles of baked goods. Why not start with this one, perfect for wintry morning breakfasts?
I don’t remember the first time I had stollen, but I think it might have come from Trader Joe’s, of all places. I was hooked immediately! Traditionally made into larger loaf shapes, these little fruit-packed German stollen buns are like a more refined version of fruitcake. All the familiar flavors are there, but instead of a sugar soaked “cake”, the fruits are jammed into soft, lightly sweet buns, sharing space with a sweet center of almond marzipan. Doesn’t that sound good to you? It sure does to me.
Continue reading “marzipan stollen buns with crunchy sugar glaze”
Pie is the unanimously expected Thanksgiving dessert. The meal just doesn’t feel complete without a slice of pie at the end! I’m sure most people would argue that pumpkin is the best pie to serve at Thanksgiving, while others might think of pecan or maybe apple. In my eyes, my favorite Thanksgiving pie is mince — meat-free, please!
I have fond memories of waking up the day after Thanksgiving to grab a leftover slice of cold mince pie for breakfast. My mom never made it from scratch, it was always Sara Lee out of a box, but it was delicious to me!
Do you err on the side of safety (and your sanity) and go the frozen/store-bought pie route during the holidays? Do you consider your pie crust efforts to be a surefire recipe for disaster? If so, I’m here to help! Pull on your aprons and turn on those ovens because it’s time to make some delicious, gorgeous, impressive pies of your very own! I’ll show you how to make an ultra buttery and flaky pie crust, a sweetly spiced homemade mince pie filling, and three different finishing options — a full top crust, a lattice crust, and a pecan streusel crumb topping! Let’s get started, huh?
oven + apron 