Citrus Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies aren’t high on my list…they just never have been until now.  I find them to be, quite frankly, boring!  However, add some citrus juice and zest and you have a sugar cookie that won me over.  According to The Oxford Companion to Food, the American habit of making up rolls of cookie dough…

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Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie

Meyer lemon merignue pie

Bring a bit of sunshine and warmth to the dinner table with this retro classic dessert!  Lemon meringue pie has been a celebrated dessert in my family for generations and was always made from scratch.   Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange resulting in a slightly sweeter lemon flavor with…

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Raspberry Zabaione Fool

raspberry zabaione fool

I’m taking liberties here by marrying two countries (Italy and England) to come up with this dessert – part fool and part zabaione.   A fruit fool is an English dessert made with whipped cream, crushed fruit and is gently folded together.   Zabaione is a custard-like dessert.  I’m not a fan of desserts bathed in alcohol…

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Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Sorbet (sɔrˈbeɪ) is a frozen dessert sweetened with water and flavored with fruit juice.   The first time I made sorbet was when we were living in Bangkok and I served it as a palate cleanser…what a treat on a sticky, hot day!  The next time was last year in the humid heat of New York. …

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Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake

This is such a pretty cake it’s hard to imagine any leftovers.  And, it’s relatively easy to make.  The frosting might take a bit longer if you want to decorate it as shown.   I don’t usually bake cakes, not that I don’t like them, but because there’s just the two of us and we’d be…

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Ooey Gooey Cocoa Brownies!

Ooey Gooey Cocoa Brownies!

  The brownie was born in the United States and while there are many stories as to its origins, everything points to Fannie Farmer.  In 1905 she adapted her chocolate cookie recipe to a chocolate bar cookie baked in a rectangular pan.  The brownie is classified as a bar cookie rather than a cake because…

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Candy Cane Meringue Kisses

Candy Cane Meringue Kisses

According to Snopes.com the candy cane came to being in Europe during the latter part of the 17th century but they were plain white.  The red stripes appeared in the beginning of the 20th century.  Christmas cards produced before 1900 show plain white canes while striped ones appear on many cards early in the 20th…

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Rum and Chocolate Cake in a Jar

Rum and Chocolate Cake in a Jar

Desserts like this one, while look fancy, are easy to make and the taste – well let’s just say the jars will be squeaky clean!  The key to making this cake scrumptious is to use good-quality ingredients and that means using chocolate that contains 70% cocoa.  Do not use milk chocolate in this recipe as it…

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Cranberry Pecan Muffins

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

While baking these beauties, I pondered where do you draw the line between a muffin and a cupcake?  While a muffin might be considered healthier than a cupcake, once you start adding ingredients such as chocolate and streusel-like toppings or glazes it starts to resemble a cupcake.  And, when you use cupcake liners for muffins…

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