Berries with Balsamic Vinegar and Pepper (A Fast Dessert) #WholeFoods #Giveaway

My favorite Spring dessert is berries. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries; they all  make me thing Spring. As their prices fall and they are sourced from places closer to me, they seem to become tastier. Whole Foods is one of my favorite places to find fresh berries. When looking for strawberries I try to find those that are all red, not those that have white tops. You know

Raspberry Crumble Tart

Lately I feel like I've been thinking in the color gray. Denver has been inundated with rain. And more rain. And then a few more thunder showers just for variety. I came to Denver years ago and one of the reasons I stayed was because of the sunny, dry days. I am not used to gray days which might be the reason I have been so attracted to all things spring, particularly in the grocery store.

Easy Raspberry Meringue Cake with Chocolate Ganache

The first time I made a meringue cake was during Passover. Flourless and usually dairy free, well, that is if you serve it with just fruit, meringues make a perfect, usually light dessert which makes them well suited after a heavy, filling meal. In this case, with a ton of chocolate and exquisite raspberry flavored filling, this cake made for a decadent affair. I think everyone kept the

Rhubarb and Black Pepper Shortbread Bars

Last weekend found me in Chicago for another family occasion. I haven't seen this much family in years! There was not a spare moment to be had and I came home exhausted and playing catch up. It wasn't until Sunday afternoon that Zoe and I finally made it into the city. We set off on Michigan Avenue, took a few quick pics at Millenium Park,




grabbed some Garret's caramel corn and headed to

Tin Roof Chocolate Peanut Bars and Missing George

Some days, well, some days are just that. The last few days I've been waking up sad and very unfocused. I'm not saying that I'm the most focused person as it is, but I just couldn't quite figure out what's been bugging me. Manservant has his faults, but I knew it wasn't anything he did. (Well, I probably shouldn't look to hard!) Nope. It wasn't. And then I remembered. Not that I've forgotten,

What To Do with an Ugly Chocolate Fudge Loaf Cake and Happy New Year!

"What to do with an ugly cake!"





Zoe flew back to Philly yesterday, which meant I spent a day doing nothing. Before leaving we woke up early and she snuggled in my bed just to get in a few extra moments of each other's company. My daughter will always be my child no matter her age, and I am grateful for that. It was hard to let her go after being surrounded by so much love for two weeks,

Caramelized Candied Mandarins and Cranberries are Simple and Good!

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you will know that I am a big fan of St- Germain. It was served to me in a cocktail a good four years ago, and I haven't stopped drinking it since. I love this blended with wine, champagne or prosecco and of course, in cocktails. St-Germain has a lovely, fragrant, floral taste and unlike many liquors, I think it is of the subtle variety. I often

Maple Pecan Cream Cheese Pound Cake and a #Whole Foods Giveaway

"A perfect dessert for Thanksgiving...Maple Pecan Cream Cheese Pound Cake"







I made Manservant very happy. Not that I don't make him happy often, and maybe it was the fact that I'd been gone so long; in any case... he loved this cake. It's a splurgie kind of cake in the sense that I use real maple syrup on it and in it. Real maple syrup is a treat and so much better than the corn syrup

Magic Pumpkin Butter Bars with Pumpkin Seeds and a Gingersnap Crust

It is turn around day - meaning unpack, wash clothes and pack again. I'm not used to this! After having had a fabulous time with Zoe exploring the Brandywine Valley, it is now off to Phoenix where my landscape will be a sea of boxes! Though I am still not feeling 100% about my parent's move, I will be happy to have it over with. 

So very quickly, as I have way too much to do, I will

Apple Brown Sugar Sharlotka and a #Whole Foods #Giveaway

  
October is here and to me that means apples and pumpkins and lots of leaves to rake! I've already filled my freezer with tons of applesauce and my fridge is filled with grape, plum and raspberry jams. I still have to make the last of my oregano and basil into pesto and then I might be ready for the chill of winter. But I'm skipping ahead, aren't I?

Fall is one of my favorite times of

Flourless, Gluten Free, Passover Fudge Cake and My Passover Menu

Ach! Such a crazy title for a very simple cake. I'm not sure when flourless chocolate cake became the rage, only to be followed by little molten lava cakes, but I know that every restaurant seems to have one or the other on their menu. And just like they are everywhere so are the numerous recipes that extoll their virtues. I'm not sure how old I was when my mother gave me the recipe for her

Coconut Rum Tres Leches Cake and A Special Request

 I'm really good at special requests. And they make me feel so special. I mean no one asks you to do something unless they think you can do it- right?  And that, to me, is flattering. I get it all the time in my small business because all I do is custom work. Now that wedding season is upon us I am doing lots of custom gifts for people needing special gifts. Generally, I take

Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Glaze or Nobody Doesn't like Sara Lee

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Glaze




 Growing up my mantra might have been "Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee!". If you know the jingle from  their television commercials I apologize for this being stuck in your head for the rest of the day. And even if you don't know the jingle I hope you know Sara Lee. Sara Lee was cheesecakes with cherries and graham cracker crusts all in a foil pan

New Orleans and King Cake

King Cake






  I’ve got New Orleans on my mind. Way back in the 80’s
we were able to visit several times. Twice for a conference, once just for fun,
one with sadness attached. I love New
Orleans. I love the energy that it gives me. N’awlins
makes me feel like I’m in another world and I could use that feeling right now.
When I think of the Big Easy I think of my husband’s relations

Brown Sugar Scotch Pudding to Soothe the Soul

Brown Sugar Scotch Pudding





Some days I need to be
soothed. Yesterday was one of them. I am tired of people that assure you they
will do something and then they don’t. Ok, let’s give them credit for trying. But
just like yellow ribbons didn’t matter when my kids were small (they knew only
the blue counted) trying doesn’t really help. And promising makes it worse.



 Yes,
I’m feeling a bit

Chocolate Fudge Cake and an 81st Birthday

Chocolate Fudge Cake





It is a
new year. It will be a good year. (I’m supposed to say this twenty times a day
for 3 weeks and then my brain will start believing it.) I read that somewhere
but I won’t bore you with the other 19. It will
be a good year but right now I feel more optimistic telling you what will taste
good this year. I have made this triple layer chocolate fudge cake  for

Marshmallows and Matzoh S'mores

Marshmallows and Matzoh S'mores


                            A smiling face is half the meal. (Latvian Proverb)



Marshmallows and Matzoh S’mores



The truth is I really don’t like marshmallows. My daughter loves marshmallows. She likes those Peep things that are in the really bright colors. So I make these for her. And this year I made them pastel pink. (A little food coloring is OK, right

My Mom and Martha Mervis's Coffeecake

                          My Mom's and Martha Mervis's Coffeecake

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti



A few weeks ago I went home. Well, not really home, because it wasn’t where I grew up. But when I see family it conjures feelings of home.

Kadaif or Middle Eastern Cheesecake

Kadaif





St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone. I did not see a rainbow or find a pot of gold. However, I did make a delightful new dessert that glistened with honey which may be as close as I ever get to a pot of gold. A friend came over on Sunday to see the photos of my trip and I decided to make a Middle Eastern Spread. Just the mezze (appetizer) part-after all, us girls have to watch our

Hot Fudge Cake

Hot Fudge Cake




 I love Friday. Though I never have any weekend plans I like to believe I’m entitled to lay in bed and read the paper. And oh, that feels so good. But my weekend starts with Friday night and I usually try to make a comforting dinner. You know-to start things out right. So when I got home from Israel I didn’t find much in the fridge. However I did find a clean house and clean