Hot cross buns are a traditional treat for Easter weekend that originated in England. When I was researching them I found lots of interesting history and superstitions. For instance, hot cross buns were said to last a year without spoiling if they were baked on Good Friday; they were thought to cure illness and protect from evil spirits; Continue reading “Hot Cross Buns With An English Accent”
Butterscotch Caramel Sauce On Fig Banana Bread
Everyone loves banana bread, right? My Mom’s banana bread recipe is something of a legend in our family and a while back I gussied it up and posted my recipe for Strawberry Banana Walnut Bread. Then last month, Valley Fig Growers invited me to compete in an Instagram photo contest. They sent me two free bags of dried figs to use in their recipe for California fig banana bread and I decided to turn my entry into dessert by topping it with ice cream and drizzling my favorite butterscotch caramel sauce over the top. Continue reading “Butterscotch Caramel Sauce On Fig Banana Bread”
Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
I love quick bread recipes because they’re so…well, quick! When you need to round out a meal but you don’t have time for a yeast bread recipe, you could make corn muffins or a rye loaf, but for those of you who love a good biscuit, here’s my copycat version of Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits that’s easy to make and jam-packed full of flavor. Continue reading “Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits”
Malted Wheat Sandwich Bread For The Perfect PB&J
My recipe for malted wheat sandwich bread has an ingredient that you’re probably familiar with (malted milk powder) and one that’s almost certain to be new to you (malted barley syrup). I hadn’t bought malted milk powder in a long time until I made chocolate malt cake with vanilla malt frosting for our Easter dinner this year. Now I have it on hand all the time for baking…and for old fashioned ice cream malt emergencies. Continue reading “Malted Wheat Sandwich Bread For The Perfect PB&J”
Chocolate Malt Cake With Vanilla Malt Frosting
I was trying to choose what kind of layer cake to make for Easter this year, so I went back through my previous posts and considered making a carrot cake, then I thought about a white cake, or maybe a coconut cake. Still undecided, I ran across a recipe for a chocolate malt cake with vanilla malt frosting in “All-Time Favorite Sheet Cakes & Slab Pies” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, their new cookbook just released at the end of 2017. I immediately decided that malt would be the flavor of our Easter cake this year! Continue reading “Chocolate Malt Cake With Vanilla Malt Frosting”
American-Style Irish Soda Bread For St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is on Saturday this year so I suspect that there’ll be more than the usual green apparel, green rivers, green beer, and shenanigans all over the country, but Joe and I will follow our long-standing tradition of celebrating at home with family and friends and enjoying our own version of corned beef and cabbage. Last year I made 4-leaf clover rolls, but usually I make a traditional “everyday” kind of Irish soda bread to go with our dinner, so this year I decided to change it up and make an American-style soda bread. Continue reading “American-Style Irish Soda Bread For St. Patrick’s Day”
A Pi Day Escape with Piña Colada Pie
You may be familiar with Pi Day which is celebrated on March 14th every year because, as you learned in high school math, π is 3.14 For Pi Day 2017 I did a post about a silky smooth chocolate pie and a previous post featured a crazy good citrusy beach pie, so either of those would be a good choice anytime you’re in the mood for an easy homemade pie. But when I was trying to decide on a pie recipe to make this year, I happened to hear the catchy 1979 hit “Escape (the Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes Continue reading “A Pi Day Escape with Piña Colada Pie”
Honey Apple Bundt Cake With Apple Caramel Sauce
THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS BEAT THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS IN THE NFC DIVISIONAL ROUND GAME LAST SUNDAY!!! To celebrate that stunning victory, I developed this recipe for honey apple Bundt cake with apple caramel sauce using as many Minnesota products as possible. Continue reading “Honey Apple Bundt Cake With Apple Caramel Sauce”
Walnut Topped Spicy Chai Bundt Cake
“A party without a cake is just a meeting”. That’s the Julia Child quote on the napkins that I received as an add-0n Christmas gift from our youngest daughter; they’re the ones in the background of the photos below. I love that saying and this chai Bundt cake with its topping of creamy icing and toasted walnuts is ready to party! Continue reading “Walnut Topped Spicy Chai Bundt Cake”
Absolute Best (And Cheapest) Bundt Pan Prep!
I love cakes baked in Bundt pans and I’m like a kid in a candy store when I’m at the Nordic Ware Outlet store in Minneapolis. They have a fabulous selection of their Bundt pans and other baking and cooking tools. They also sell Bundt pan seconds there at phenomenal prices and, if we had the room to store them, I’d own one of each. Continue reading “Absolute Best (And Cheapest) Bundt Pan Prep!”