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April 27, 2016
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Chocolate Prune Croissant Bread Pudding

I figured dessert would be simple and easy and I headed out to the freezer to the cookie stash, but someone had gotten to it before me. It was then I vaguely remembered invading the cookie stash for several tea and cookie afternoons. I kept searching the freezer, looking for hidden treasure, and I found […]

March 14, 2016
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Freshly Baked Blueberry Focaccia Bread

I love fresh focaccia bread. My usual recipe calls for 00 bread flour and requires a triple rise. This requires time, planning, and a fair amount of work. If I wanted to make it for brunch, I’d have to get up way too early. This recipe is just the opposite. No special bread flour required, […]

February 25, 2016
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Banana, Bourbon Fruitcake

I don’t know where this recipe originally came from but it has been in my handwritten recipe collection for at least 15 years. When I first made it, I macerated the dried fruit in amaretto liqueur overnight. As my taste has become more sophisticated, I switched to bourbon. If you don’t want to use alcohol, […]

February 15, 2016
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Individual Baked Croissants with Caramelized Fruit

I’ve been experimenting with ideas for breakfast bread puddings or baked French toast. I didn’t want too much bread and I wanted to include caramelized fruit. When I saw a package of fresh croissants at Costco, the idea came together. I wanted to bake them in individual containers. There’s something very appealing about having our […]

December 31, 2015
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Cranberry Relish Two Ways

I am a big fan of Cranberry Relish, not just for Thanksgiving. It’s great on sandwiches and even with Greek yoghurt for breakfast. For Thanksgiving, I make two different versions. The first is really my favorite, with frozen peaches or mango and crystalized ginger. I always made it with frozen peaches until the year I […]

December 14, 2015
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Gingerbread, Pumpkin Mousse Trifle

I do love pumpkin pie but I get bored making it every year. Also, the part I like the best is the pumpkin filling which I usually eat out of the crust. For the last few years, I’ve played around with alternatives to pumpkin pie. This year, I tried something completely new: a Gingerbread, Pumpkin […]

November 9, 2015
At Home with Friends

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Cardamom Rice Pudding with Peach Chutney

While lots of people remember rice pudding as a beloved childhood food, this is definitely an adults-only Rice Pudding. Adult because it contains Amaretto liqueur and also because of the sophisticated mix of flavors. Cardamom, almond extract, orange extract, cinnamon and a savory Peach Chutney are complex and oh so satisfying. You might think it’s […]