Snickerdoodles are a New England favorite, but the exact origin of the cookie seems to be a mystery. The Joy of Cooking claims that Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln, which mea…
My sister called me raving about these muffins that she had found in the Williams-Sonoma “Muffins and Quick Breads” book, so i was excited to test the recipe. They’re not overly sweet and have a nice delicate peanut butter flavor. They’d be great served wit…
The Alaskan Fudge Company ( http://www.alaskanfudge.com ) is located in beautiful downtown Juneau, Alaska. They claim to have the best fudge in Alaska and after purchasing several boxes to take back to the cruise ship (and having none left to bring home) ,…
Executive Chef Franck Tieban of Holland America’s Westerdam (click to see ship -- Holland America Westerdam ) took time out of his busy day to give me a tour of the ship’s enormous kitchen. Chef Franck is extremely talented and very friendly, and enjoys tal…
Poke Cake was created by Jell-O in 1969 to help increase sales of their product. I saw this recipe on a cooking show a couple of months ago, and they had updated the method to include real strawberries (and less Jell-O) which made the dessert more appealing…
If you’re looking for a new twist on a classic cookie, this recipe is worth a try. It’s a nice combination of chocolate and oatmeal, slightly crisp on the edges, chewy in the center. Great cookie for chocolate lovers.
Basically a peanut butter cookie topped with a Hershey’s Kiss – but what a winning combination. They became an American cookie jar favorite when Freda Smith entered them in the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1957 and are still an all time winner.
I love rustic tarts – they’re so easy to throw together with any seasonal fruit. I usually keep a couple of rounds of dough in the freezer so that I can make these whenever I have extra fruit (or unexpected company!). I like adding some of St. Dalfour Sprea…
Citrus cakes are great in the summer with some fresh berries. This cake stays nicely moist thanks to the sour cream. Using orange juice concentrate gives it a stronger orange flavor, but you can easily make the glaze with freshly squeezed orange juice as well.
Very similar to American French toast, this dish is served for dessert in Spain, especially on Sunday. Chef Sandro di Marco from the Palace Hotel in Madrid
Strawberry Shortcake seemed to always mark the beginning of summer when I was growing up. Although we get strawberries almost year round in California, they always taste best in early summer. We always made our “shortcake” with biscuits. This is a pretty fo…
Basically a peanut butter oatmeal brownie with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter frosting – what’s not to love! This recipe came from the cook at my elementary school and has been a favorite ever since.
These are exceptionally delicious peanut butter cookies. Based on a recipe from Cook's Illustrated (I added a little maple syrup to mine) these cookies are slightly crisp on the edge and chewy in the center, and full of flavor with addition of freshly groun…
When I first tried this recipe, I was very skeptical. I didn’t like the idea of instant Jello pudding, but I must admit, it has become my favorite Key Lime Pie. It’s sweet and creamy with just the right amount of tartness.
This is an easy tender cake topped with a nice sugary crunch. You can use raspberries or any fresh juicy berry from your local market. You can substitute fresh buttermilk with Saco powdered buttermilk – following the Saco instructions just add the powder (2…
Do not overbake these cookies. The edges should be brown but the rest of the cookie should still be very light in color. Parchment makes for easy cookie removal and cleanup, but it’s not a necessity. If you don’t use parchment, let the cookies cool directly…
Panna Cotta is a heavenly Italian dessert that literally means "cooked cream". This custard-like pudding has a rich flavor and silky smooth texture, in fact, the texture is what this dessert is all about. This is the perfect dinner party dessert as it is ca…
This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated and I had my doubts when I first saw that it used Vodka. It does however produce a wonderfully flaky crust and because the alcohol adds moistness without aiding in gluten formation. I still prefer a traditional pate br…
This a great chewy buttery giant oatmeal cookie. By using large size scoops of cookie dough, the centers stay soft and chewy and the edges are nice and crisp. Tart cherries are a welcomed change to traditional raisins, and complement the dark chocolate perf…