Mashed potatoes is one of the quick fixes you can have with your whole family but then making them has one challenge: eliminating the lumps. You can avoid all the struggles and extra time you spend when trying to hack a smooth, creamy and fluffy dish by investing in the right tool. Now let me […]
Italian Whole-Wheat Walnut-Raisin Bread
Sunday September 3, 2017 With the close of the California grape harvest comes the fresh crop of dried grapes. Picked from the end of August until late September in Arizona and California, the fall crop of Thampson seedless and red Flame seedless are ready to be consumed now. Left on the vine longer than wine grapes […]
Luscious Fruit Curds
Lemon Curd is a thick, soft and velvety creamy custard made from fresh fruit juice that has a wonderful tart yet sweet citrus flavor and thick smooth texture. It is almost like the custard as it is cooked on the stove and is thickened by eggs alone. It is used as a spread for scones, […]
The Original Tunnel of Fudge Cake
The Tunnel of Fudge Cake is somewhat of a legend in cake making land and precursor to the now-hot restaurant dessert of individual chocolate cakes with a oozing, under baked center that looks like a thick sauce. Tunnel of Fudge was a Pillsbury Bake Off Winner decades ago and has never lost its appeal. The […]
Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
One of the best meals is a steaming pot of Italian sausages cooked with sweet bell peppers. This adapted recipe was always known as Frank Sinatra’s Sausage and Peppers, from his mother Dolly, and became a kitchen staple after Dinah Shore put it into her cookbook “Someone’s In the Kitchen With Dinah” decades ago. It […]
Rice Cooker Tamales
Sunday March 19, 2017 Fillings are often made from shredded chicken or pork flavored with chile and spices, but once you become familiar with them, or have traveled in Mexico, you can find as many meat or vegetable fillings as there are cooks. One of the most luscious and satisfying is a stuffing of fresh […]
The Baker: Hominy Tortillas
Any serious cook or baker eventually tackles making homemade tortillas. I was lucky as one of the staff in my bakery was from Mexico and was happy to show me how to make them. But even she had problems when the dough wasn’t just right. The dehydrated cornmeal specifically used for tortillas is known as masa harina […]
Everyone’s Favorite White Chocolate Ginger Cheesecake
This cheesecake is as close to divine as food gets. It is an uber-creamy, standard cheesecake with lots of sweet-hot candied ginger, a hint of ground ginger in the cake, and a gingersnap cookie crust added in. It is a perfect Easter dessert. It is easy to make. Bake the day before, as the cake […]