Just Baking

When I was growing up, these were the brownies that my mother and I, and, on occasion, even my brother and father, would whip up when we needed to “take a plate” to a function. Piano concerts, bake sales, workplace morning teas - these brownies made an appearance at all kinds of events. Incredibly easy to make, […]

These Ho-Ho Cakes, a huge seller at the restaurant where I work, are really simple to make. First, you’ll need a single-layer 10-inch chocolate cake. Using a serrated bread knife, carefully split the layer in half horizontally. Place the bottom half of the cake into a springform pan. Add a thick layer of whipped cream, and then put the top half of the cake […]

Did you know that the origin of the word “cake” can be traced back to the 13th century? It is a derivation of kaka, an Old Norse word. Medieval European bakers often made fruitcakes and gingerbread, but it is only in the latter part of the 19th century that “marble cakes” appeared.
According to the Oxford […]

One thing that I love about summer, other than the sunny skies, are all the fresh berries that I can bake with. One fruit that excites me more that the strawberry is the blueberry.  These small gems can be made into a multitude of different delectable desserts, one being Blueberry Crumble Bars. These bars are exactly […]

I’m not one of those people who relegate certain recipes to specific seasons.  Fruits and vegetables eaten within their season, for sure, but soup in the summer?  Yes!  Apples too?  Absolutely.
I was doing some research for an article I’m writing, and stumbled upon a recipe for Frosted Apple Cinnamon Bars from Land o’ Lakes. I quickly scanned […]

Somehow every Wednesday, and sometimes Friday, I find myself in the kitchen baking. I love baking. I really do. When my mother would entertain a crowd, I was the one in charge of baking dessert, setting the table and frying Dauphine cheese. My brother always teases her about her redundant dauphine cheese and how he […]

Madeleine cookies are fairly new to my palate; I’ve never had one before. A fellow blogger sent me some after being a lucky winner in her blog. One taste of them and I was hooked. I set out to find me recipes and a pan so I could make these at home. I was lucky to […]

Our stimulus check arrived in the mail yesterday. … exactly 10 minutes before our minivan decided it knew exactly what we should do with that money, and sputtered and died. Is that not Murphy’s Law or what? We bought our van new in 2003 and have not had to take it into the shop for […]

As someone who writes for a food blog and other food related sites, and someone who also loves to read food blogs, I can admit that often times I will make something simply because I believe it will be good food blog fodder. This train of thought often leads me to leave out those things […]

In the Pacific Northwest we have all the same months that you folks in the rest of the world have, right up to May. The month that follows May here in the PNW is more commonly known as June-uary. As I sit writing this, the rain is slanting down from dusty gray clouds […]