It’s Pumpkin Spice Latte season! And we went full pumpkin this year by reading the delightful PUMPKIN SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc and then creating a Pumpkin Coffee Cake Muffin.
Read MorePairing the ideal bake, with a good book I am reading, has become a bit of a sport. My reading goal for this year has been to read one book, per week. Factor in motherhood, working and my own writing, and sometimes I make it and sometimes I don’t. In September, I started to dabble with fall reads, books about magic, ghosts, baking. Cozy reads. Even when it was 100 degrees outside. But hot weather usually means I try to stay inside …
Read MoreThe elegant scone is a blank canvas for creativity. Add raisins, dried fruit, lemon zest and nuts, but just have fun and remember that having dessert for breakfast is THE BEST.
Read MoreThere is nothing quite like jumping off the deep end when learning how to work with pâte à choux, it is for reals. I don’t think I ever imagined that I could create these delicate desserts — but somehow with enough eggs, flour, butter, and heavy cream …
Read MoreI spent a week in Paris, while never leaving my couch! Finally got to read Ruth Reichl’s latest novel, THE PARIS NOVEL. A fun read that touches on literature, food and fashion.
Read MoreFestivals are still festivals, no matter how you slice it.
Read MoreEscape with one of the many culinary cozy novels out there for ones sweet tooth or savory hankering.
Read MoreA conversation about croissant making turns into a conversation about what it takes to become a person and a croissant.
Read MoreIn this particular recipe, the bourbon adds a depth of flavor that takes a regular “nice” sugar cookie and turns it into something naughty. Which makes for the ideal Christmas cookie.
Read MoreRevisions are my least favorite part of the writing process. I’m trying to learn to love it, but in the process, I’ve turned to baking as a way to avoid the hard work of revisions. Meet my favorite revision pie, fresh pumpkin pie, which is length in steps, but worth it in the end.
Read MoreTwo different books that use dessert as a way to inspire.
One inspires being kind.
The other, murder.
Both of them — a good time!
Read MoreA bounty of lemon desserts helped end 2021 with a hint of sweet and tart. What more can you ask for?
Read MoreMy picks for January. Better late than never!
Read MoreYears ago I wrote a Christmas Novella for an anthology called Merry & Bright: Six Tales of Christmas Cheer. I was thinking about this short story when my sister told me she was going to reread it this year! I decided to package it up and place it on Wattpad so others could read it for free. It’s an homage to my time living in the Central Valley where I was a food writer and to the delightfully quaint Gold Country towns I discovered while scouring the county looking for food stories. Happy Christmas reading!
Read MoreIt has been a long and rough 2020, am I right?
I am careening to the finish line with a few books that I have read this month, including one that I haven’t finished yet. Enjoy some escapism from the hash reality of our current lives, with some fiction and holiday romances that transport you to another place.
Read MoreI Like Pie has found a niche for itself serving tiny pies to those who want just a few bites of their favorite! Their arrival in the college town of Claremont has proven to be a success, even during COVID-19 when the community turned to the pie shop for a bite of comfort.
Read MoreAn easy-to-make Indian pudding that hits all of the flavor tones for a cozy fall treat .
Read MoreParenting during a pandemic has proven to be the final straw to sanity.
But, there’s always banana cake with cardamom cream cheese frosting.
Read MorePatience grows thin as we make our way into the second month of the pandemic.
Sheltering in place, means not getting to see people I love and who were normally a part of my life.
So what’s a girl to do?
Turn on some hair band music and get baking.
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