Scoop Some Love

Heart-Friendly Chocolate “Ice Cream” Heart-Friendly Chocolate “Ice Cream” Partnered with Valentine’s Day, Heart Month is timed to encourage us to show some love for our hearts and vascular systems. Heart disease remains the #1 cause of mortality for both men and women of most ethnic groups in the USA (1).    According to the Center […]

For a Sweet September…

Apple Spice Doughnuts I’m never ready for the end of summer. I love all it offers – sun-ripened berries, peaches and tomatoes, long days, water play, grilling and dining outdoors. I could whine, but I headed to the kitchen instead. Summer always transitions to fall, and to ease the way, I cooked up a recipe […]

Dad Wants Dessert

Triple Almond Raspberry-Rhubarb Crumble End your Dad’s Day celebration on a sweet note with an old-fashioned “crumble.” A crumble isn’t fancy, it’s good. The secret is to serve it in fancy dishes. Surely you’ve buried some heirloom dishes in a dusty cabinet that are begging for a place at the table. I used my Nana […]

Blackberry Peach Crisp

ENJOY Your Food and Company Growing your own food is deeply satisfying. Foraging for food is just as rewarding. Every summer about this time people with bags and baskets line nearby roads and trails picking wild blackberries. It can be painstaking and time-consuming to brave stickers, webs and spiders for even a pound of berries. […]

We All Scream For…

Peaches and Cream Sherbet What’s summer without ice cream? My new ice cream maker arrived just in time for a gloriously hot summer. I started with a classic – vanilla ice cream made with a whole vanilla bean. It was a hard act to follow but I was just getting started. I just had to […]

Dessert First on the Fourth – Why Not?

Chocolate Shortcakes Except for apple pie, no dessert is more American and more appropriate for the Fourth of July than shortcake, dressed up with red and blue berries and a billow of cream. No matter that (according to Wikipedia) an early recipe strawberry shortcake was found in an English cookbook dating back to 1588.  Shortcake […]

Get Ready for the Holidays: How a Treat Early in the Day Might Help

Cookies for breakfast?  Not my idea but a couple of tasters said these dark chocolate, fig and oat bars make a perfect morning food. Why not?  They’ve made with whole grain oats, a classic breakfast food, nutrient-rich figs and dark chocolate, an ingredient with a definite “health halo.” Some argue that having a sweet treat […]

Baking with Summer Berries

Berry Buckle with Cinnamon Figs Summer in the Pacific Northwest brings a bounty of berries, including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, marionberries, loganberries, boysenberries and strawberries. Summer also brings visitors to enjoy our (mostly) glorious summer weather, trails and lakes.  I like to serve guests visiting my home the best of local in-season foods. This Buckle recipe, […]

Chocolate Mousse for Just About Everyone

Chocolate Mousse Stress and eating often go hand-in-hand – and there are a lot of both during in the holiday season. What do people eat when stressed? Chocolate tops the list for many people.  It’s a popular celebration food, too, starring in cookies, desserts and gifts. There’s science behind the soothing effects.  Cocoa contains dopamine, […]

A Valentine’s Day Treat

Chocolate Baby Cakes with Red Wine Chocolate Glaze What tops your list for Valentine’s Day treats?  Here I’ve combined two of my favorites, red wine and chocolate. Wine experts say, contrary to popular belief, it difficult to find a red wine that drinks well with chocolate. I agree.  To make the two more companionable, I […]