Last week I was in the mood to be a little more creative and remembered a post I saw on Facebook demonstrating how easy it is to make pastry roses using puff pastry and sliced apples. Hmmm...great idea! I had puff pastry in the freezer and apples sitting on the counter. And so I set to work, first thawing out the puff pastry (1-2 hours in the … [Read more...]
Apple Pie Cake
I love the beginning of Fall. Temperatures turn cooler and the leaves on the trees turn beautiful shades of red and gold as the days shorten. Fall also bring two of my favorite foods for baking--apples and pumpkin! I recently took a trip to Apple Hill, (a California community of apple growers and wineries set in the Sierras west of Sacramento) … [Read more...]
No Knead Bread
As the days shorten and the weather cools, my mind turns to baking--cookies, cakes, quick breads and, of course, yeast breads. The easiest of the yeast breads, at least in my mind, is Jim Lahey's "No Knead Bread" from his book, My Bread. Mix together four ingredients, let it sit for 12-18 hours, shape it, let it rise, then bake it. Easy … [Read more...]
Individual Peach Cobblers
Summer has ended (or nearly ended) but there are still summer fruits like peaches and plums in the markets. Last chance to make use of those summertime fruits! You can use just about any fruit you like in a cobbler. The fruit is topped with a biscuit-like topping which is then baked to a golden brown. Cobblers can be made in large baking … [Read more...]
My NEW favorite (Salted) Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe
I have been making chocolate chip cookies pretty much all my life. For the last decade, I have used a modified recipe I acquired at a cooking class I took years ago at our local cooking school. I love that my chocolate chip cookie recipe bakes up perfectly every time and that they look and taste great. And I was happy with them...until now, that … [Read more...]
Entertaining in the Morning with Scones
I am an early riser, and by early I mean about 4:30 in the morning. During the work week I rise at 4:30am, meditate for 30 minutes and then pop over to LEAP Yoga to open the studio and practice with my sunrise yogis. Then it is off to 9 Rounds Fitness for some serious punching and then home before 7:45am to shower and start my … [Read more...]