From the category archives:

Desserts and Treats

A ‘Depression Cake’ for Our Recession Aches

October 30, 2008

Every day I watch the stock market fluctuate and my heart races when it dips. Our economy is screwed and my hard-earned retirement savings are now half of what it had been just months ago. Obviously, I’m not alone and…

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An Alternative Pumpkin Pie

October 27, 2008

Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite Fall desserts so I was excited to receive two small pumpkins in my recent CSA shipment. My brother invited us over for dinner last weekend and I wanted to experiment with making a…

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Turkish Kabak Tatlisi (Poached Pumpkin)

September 25, 2008

My two-week series on Turkish food draws to a close with this sweet poached pumpkin dessert, Kabak Tatlisi. When I received a small pumpkin in my weekly CSA delivery last week, I flipped through my Turkish cookbook and found the…

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Fresh Fig & Port Sorbet

August 16, 2008

On Friday, I received my weekly shipment of organic produce and was excited to see a small basket of mission figs. I’ll admit that I don’t have much experience with fresh figs aside from eating them plain or in salads.…

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Watermelon Yogurt Ice

August 7, 2008

Today I am pleased to offer this wonderful watermelon yogurt ice which I found from EatingWell.com. It’s lightly creamy without being full of fat and provides a satisfying ‘tang’ from the yogurt. It’s like a combination between sherbet and a…

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Watermelon-Mint Popsicles

August 4, 2008

In the Winter, we crave warm and comforting foods and in the Summer it’s all about cool and refreshing fare. My childhood memories are of eating big slices of juicy, cold watermelon. We raised our own melons and would have…

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Blueberry Oat Bars Recipe

July 22, 2008
Thumbnail image for Blueberry Oat Bars Recipe

Blueberry filling sandwiched between two layers of a cinnamon-infused cookie crust. The result is a comforting, sweet bar cookie that can be dressed up for dessert or left casual as a mid-day snack.

I discovered these delicious blueberry-oat bars on Susan’s blog,…

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Baked Peaches with Amaretti Stuffing

July 14, 2008

Desserts do not get any easier (or more delicious) than this simple recipe featuring fresh peaches. The tender fruit is stuffed with an amaretti cookie mixture then baked until the peaches are soft and the topping nicely browned. I used…

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Figure-Friendly Rhubarb Crisp

May 20, 2008

I’ve held off on baking for a few weeks now and couldn’t resist the urge last night. Although a luscious cake sounded good, I knew something using fruit would be a better choice so I made a ‘crisp’ with rhubarb,…

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Fresh strawberry ice-cream for Spring!

March 30, 2008

Fancy a bowl of springtime-infused, fresh strawberry ice-cream?

This sweet, rich ice-cream is simple and quick to make. It is my entry into this month’s Monthly Mingle hosted by Eat the Right Stuff. The theme is ‘Spring Fruit Sensations’ and what can…

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Indulge in a homemade candy bar

March 20, 2008

Exquisite semisweet chocolate covered homemade Payday bars. Rich. Chewy. Salty-sweet. Pure love in a bar form.

I remember when JLo started to make a splash in Hollywood back in the 90s. She was known first as a dancer, then she moved…

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Chewy and sweet red bean mochi

March 14, 2008

My pantry holds the goods for many recipes I hope to make, some get made while others do not. I bought a box of mochiko (sweet rice flour) and azuki beans (dried red beans) with the intent of making mochi.…

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Sweet polenta cake with caramelized apples & almonds

February 29, 2008

I am a horrible sucker for cheap cookbooks — they lure me in with their big colorful photos and promise of a few good recipes. The books are not written by any particular expert, merely ‘edited by’ a staffer with…

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Orange Sour Cream Cake w/Orange Icing

February 24, 2008

My favorite use of oranges so far — a rich and moist orange cake drizzled with a sweet orange icing. It was the perfect end to our dinner party last night.

The cake is something I’ve been thinking about all week.…

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Orangettes and Meyer Lemonettes

February 17, 2008

We all have our faults. Every winter I feel guilty for not utilizing my orange and meyer lemon trees to their full potential. Two years ago I attempted orange marmalade and it turned out a thick gluey mess. Last year,…

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