First things first:  yes, those are chocolate cupcakes topped with pudding and THEN coated in chocolate cake crumbs. This recipe comes out of Kathleen King’s book Baking for Friends.  You know Kathleen King, she’s the mastermind behind Tate’s Bake Shop in the Hamptons.  I first heard about Tate’s Bake Shop while watching an episode of [Click to Continue Reading...]

On my most stressful days, I need a bite of cold creamy cheesecake.  But, I never have the time to make a whole cheesecake on days like that.  Enter mini cheesecakes!  One bowl, 15 minutes plus chill time and you’re in heaven.  This recipe makes 4 cupcake-sized cheesecakes. It gets better:  instead of grinding up [Click to Continue Reading...]

Today, we are celebrating! Today is the day Jenna Weber’s book, White Jacket Required, is released!  Jenna of Eat Live Run is one of the best bloggers out there, and I’m so happy to be a part of her celebration!  I completely adored her novel.  It’s a coming-of-age story about Jenna finding herself on the [Click to Continue Reading...]

I pulled these sticky buns together in less than 15 minutes one Sunday morning.  Yes, really! After a quick 25 minutes in the oven, they were ready.  Ooey, gooey and exactly what I wanted in my belly with a cup of coffee.   The hardest part of this recipe was remembering to take the dough out [Click to Continue Reading...]

Three cookie recipes in a row?! I know, I know. But the heart wants what it wants, doesn’t it? Whenever I go home, I bring food gifts because even though Texas has plenty of good food, there are some gifts from California that even a Texan enjoys. There’s a local oil mill near my house [Click to Continue Reading...]

Crème brulee is my ace in the hole. It’s the kind of thing I like to keep in my back pocket and pull out when I need it. Frequently, I have 2 ramekins in the fridge awaiting a sprinkling of sugar and a pass of the torch. It’s not a bad thing to serve when your boyfriend or husband is a [Click to Continue Reading...]

I think Halloween is soon.  I can’t tell since stores started selling candy corn in July.  Ju-ly.  No joke.  And since you’ve all been so good at staying out of the candy, I think you deserve an adult treat. It’s so nice that you’re saving the candy for the kids.  I have personally not eaten 2 bags [Click to Continue Reading...]

When I think of figs, I think of Teva-wearing hippies in Berkeley sitting in trees eating dried figs from the bulk bins of the co-op.  And that’s cool.  Real cool.  I love the restaurants in Berkeley and the food co-ops are even better.  Anyone else having a co-dependent relationship with the daily pizza menu at The Cheese Board Collective?  No?  Just [Click to Continue Reading...]