My favorite fruit: banana. My favorite candy: banana Laffy Taffy (true). My favorite ice cream: Chunky Monkey. My favorite quick bread? Whenever I see a golden bunch ripening in the fruit basket, I’m thinking banana bread. The yummy aroma that fills the kitchen while it’s baking is heavenly, and I think it tastes great with […]
I’m not going to lie – baking doesn’t really appeal to me. I love baked goods. Love, love, LOVE to eat them. Look at those? How could you not love those cookies? And trust me – they taste just as good as they look. I should know. I ate enough of them in the past […]
Includes recipes for Snowflake cutouts, Butter Crisp spritz, Molasses sugar cookies, Italian Christmas Cookies, Nutella Sandwiches, Almond Macaroons, Cappucino Crinkles, Almond Drop, Cranberry, White Chocolate, Pistachio Biscotti, Almond Crescent Cookies, Apricot-Orange Shortbread Bars.
My “Christmas Baking Extravaganza” is this Saturday. You’ll hear all about this wonderful tradition, complete with photos and recipes, in my next post. In the meantime, I’ve been busy baking these: Print Nutella Sandwiches Ingredients 1 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour 1 cup butter 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/3 cup blanched almonds 1 tbsp. […]
No. The stockings are not hung by the chimney with care. Nor is my tree decorated. And the presents remain unwrapped. But I’m having fun baking holiday cookies! And this is probably my all-time favorite Christmas cookie, as it was one of two recipes that my mom would make to kick-off the holiday season. The […]
Today was our first “snow day”! School was closed and all my daycare children spent the day at home with their moms. With Christmas only 16 days away, I wondered how best to spend this precious day off. Write Christmas cards? Wrap gifts? Decorate the tree? All VIP, but not nearly as important as baking […]
I decided to test new recipes for my “Christmas Cookie Day Marathon”. (There’ll be lots more about this annual event in upcoming posts). As if I don’t already have enough cookie books and holiday baking magazines, I went ahead and purchased the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications “Christmas Cookies”. Lots of different recipes! […]
For the past four years, three special friends and I have headed to Ogunquit, Maine, for an October weekend at the Anchorage by the Sea. This is a year-round resort with spectacular views of the ocean and access to Marginal Way; a cliffwalk along the rocky coast that leads to a neat little tourist area […]
Vermont is absolutely breathtaking this time of year. The hills and mountainsides explode with rich, deep fall hues, and devoted leaf peepers make a yearly pilgrimage there to experience the profusion of colors. I sincerely admire their desire to immerse themselves in the brilliance and splendor of the foliage, and I applaud their efforts to […]
This past Saturday was a super special day! Our family declared it “Autumn Harvest Day” and moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered for a day of apple-pickin’, pie-baking, and harvest-feasting. The weather was fabulous as we headed toward March Farm in the “beautiful, rolling hills of Bethlehem, CT”, where we found orchards abundant with […]
My brother-in-law, Victor, is lovingly known in the family as “the big boy”. This is truly a term of endearment, and has nothing to do with his actual size. (well, almost nothing :o) What kind of birthday cake is perfect for a big-boy celebration? A great big cupcake…of course! The Wilton giant cupcake pan is […]
I went blueberry picking (for the very first time!) a couple of weeks ago with my friends, Carol and Lisa. We visited the Evergreen Berry Farm in the beautiful Litchfield Hills of Connecticut, on a hot and sunny afternoon. We hung the clear pails around our necks, toted the buckets they provided and headed off […]
I’m heading to Rhode Island tomorrow to do some clamming and have a little fun in the sun. Actually, I will not do any clamming at all. I’ll sit on a little strip of “beach” with my sister-in-law and watch as our husbands disappear into the horizon, rake and net in hand, to search with […]
It’s hot outside. Not sweltering hot but, according to the weather folks, it hasn’t been this hot since the end of April. My swimming pool beckons me to take my first dip of the season, and I’m tempted to grab a book, go out there, catch some rays and relax. Would have been a fine […]
I always have an end-of-the-year party for the children that I care for, and I try to make it a truly special event. This year’s theme was “Rock Star” and, thanks to Oriental Trading, we had the coolest accessories! The catalog pages were filled with headbands, blow-up guitars & microphones, Mohawk wigs, little Rock Duckies…the […]