45 Recipes for Memorial Day
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial intro to the summer season. Opened with picnics and parades, we welcome the warm days ahead while honoring…
Alsatian Apple Tart
...and clearly I'm pretty childish because I'm giggling about it. Tarts, tarts, tarts, tarts, tarts. It's not even a part of American slang, somehow…
Amaretto Apple Crisp for Food Network’s Virtual Thanksgiving Communal Table
Holidays are all about coming together with friends and family to celebrate each other. Old and new, close and distant, it's a chance for all of us…
Ambrosia: Food of the Gods
I'm ready for spring. More than ready. Last year, we were already seduced by 70- to 80-degree days, warm sunshine, and gentle breezes, beckoning one…
Apple Pie Bars | I Remember
10 years ago today, I remember getting ready for work. I lived about a mile from my job as a municipal secretary then and we didn't start the day…
Apple Pie Dip
Disclosure: Thank you to the #FreshTastyValentines sponsors for providing the giveaway prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the…
Banana Pudding
Ever since I had my first bite of banana pudding from the famed Buttercup Bake Shop in NYC, I knew one day I'd have to make it at home. And now, I…
Basil Strawberry Pastry Puffs
Disclosure: I developed this recipe in partnership with Gourmet Garden, who compensated me for this post. As always, all opinions remain 100% my own.…
Berry Blue Jello Mousse Pie
As I mentioned yesterday, my co-workers and I threw a party for the Blue Moon on August 31st. The next one won't be until 2015--we just had to…
Biscuits (and how a Northern gal apparently can’t cook like a Southern gal)
Last Friday's trip to BJ's was a serendipitous event. There on the shelves with the other produce--strawberries. Not the out of season tasteless…
Carrot Cake Pie with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
We are well into birthday season here! Sunday was my husband's 35th birthday and while he was out on a mountain bike ride with a buddy, my daughter…
Cherry Blueberry Crumble
Summer is full of so many fabulous fruits, but one of my favorites would have to be cherries. Those little orbs--aside from proving to the Witches of…
Chocolate Eclairs with Pastry Cream Filling
As a child, my father worked as a route salesman for Entenmann's; there was never a shortage of eclairs in our home. A delicious indulgence that was…
Chocolate Pasta
You may recall that Kate at Food Babbles and I made crème brûlée together in July--a first for both of us. This goes back to my list of goals for…
Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding
When life gives you lemons, you're supposed to make lemonade with them. (I prefer adding some vodka, but that's just me...) So what do you do when…
Chocolate Soufflé
I don't watch many television shows with any regularity. It's complicated by the fact that we do not have cable or satellite TV and while we tried an…
Chocolate Truffle Peanut Butter Egg Easter Pie
Disclosure: I received product from HERSHEY'S and a stipend from Global Influence for this post. All opinions remain my own. My family has weird…
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Thanksgiving is nearly here and I haven't even begun to plan. Luckily, we'll be feasting at my sister-in-law's house--my contribution is just a small…
Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
If they serve pie in heaven, I bet this would be the one. And I hope so, too, because then, Mikey could have one more piece of pie, sent up on wings…
Crème Brûlée with Food Babbles
Learning is a process of building on mastered theories and techniques. You figure out a step and use that knowledge to get through the next one. We…
Croquembouche–A Tower of Cream Puffs and Caramel
Last week found me explaining #FirstOnTheFirst to someone who has never seen our posts before. I began with the sfogliatelle fiasco and the caveat…
Crumb Topped Cheesecake
I love New York City. Even though I live only 2 hours away, for many years, I didn't travel there at all. This past summer, a friend reminded me of…
Dacquoise with Food Babbles
Working our way through the list, there were only dacquoise and sourdough left for my goals this year. Kate and I decided to go with dacquoise this…
Deconstructed Ginger Apple Pie
Disclosure: I want to thank Gourmet Garden--my new client--for giving me a chance to develop this recipe for them! They compensated me for this post.…
Dutch Apple Crumble for Support for Sandy
It's easy to take for granted the comforts of home. Running water. Toilets that flush. Refrigerators to keep our food fresh. Ovens in which too cook…
Eton Mess
You have to love any dessert that has "mess" in its title. Doesn't have to look perfect? That's right up my alley! Take a bunch of components, throw…
Fudgy Nutter Pie
We're all so tough on ourselves, aren't we? We hold ourselves up to unrealistic ideals, then feel badly when we fall short of them--even though we're…
Gâteau Basque
Gâteau Basque is a cross between a cake, a cookie, and a pie and supposedly originated in the Basque region of France. There are two versions,…
Guinness Whoopie Pies with Irish Cream Filling
It's become a sort of tradition with my friends John and Crista that, when we get together at a bar, we order the same drink every time. It started…
How To Throw A Memorable Birthday Party
Our kids never had birthday parties. Let me rephrase that, for they've had more than their fair share, to be honest. But they were between our…
Irish Coffee Chocolate Tart for Pi Day: Any Excuse for Pie Will Do!
I'm sure you've seen the "mind blown" meme of a piece of paper with "3.14" written on it and its mirror image: "PIE." The truth is that any excuse…
Key Lime Pie
I have the best of intentions. Really, I do. Over and over again I buy those bags of limes--sometimes even with lemons mixed in--with the highest of…
Maple Bacon Whoopie Pies
There are few things in life that aren't accentuated by the addition of bacon. Hair would be one. Shoes would be another. But just about any food's…
Mille Feuille with Nutella Pastry Cream
It all started out so innocently... A call upon myself to explore those kitchen challenges I always wanted to try but never got around to. I thought…
Mocha Whoopie Pies
My mom is well-known for her Mocha Frosting. It was a closely-guarded family secret for decades, one that she wouldn't even share with me. Until she…
Nutella Croissant Bread Pudding
When I briefly was employed as a baker's assistant to my aunt 14 years ago (eek!), at the end of the day, the day-olds would be divided up amongst…
Oatmeal Creme Pies
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the movie Julie & Julia, based upon the lives of Julie Powell, an ordinary woman who challenged herself to…
Peaches and Cream Whoopie Pies
We spend so much of our lives trying to adhere to what someone determines to be "the way" or the "right" thing to do. But is this really what we…
Peanut Butter Pie
There truly is a holiday for everything. Friday was National Granola Bar Day. My kids celebrated by eating a ridiculous amount of them. I don't want…
Peanut Chocolate Surprise Pie
After taking a break yesterday from baking/cooking--cleaning the basement instead and then napping the late afternoon away--it was back to the grind…
Pineapple Coconut Empanadas
Yet again, I waited til the last minute to complete the task. And sadly, it did not come out as expected. Case in point: Burnt around the edges.…
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
I haven't had much pumpkin going on in the kitchen. Which feels strange since Fall is in full swing and there's no better time of year to indulge in…
Sfogliatelle Pastry
What is sfogliatelle? I can tell you one thing, it isn't this: Let me back up a little. Kate started work on the project early. She tagged me on…
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Getting Seasonal... When we plan our challenges for First on the First, we try to take the time of year into consideration. Croquembouche, for…
Strawberry Cheesecake Dip
When I was a consultant for a national food-centric direct sales company, I became a bit addicted to their cheesecake product. It was so simple--just…
Strawberry Cheesepie for Pie Party Day
I've been mulling over this post for a while now, trying to decide if I would share it or not. Not necessarily the actual recipe, but the…
Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies
Disclosure: I received coupons from Driscoll's Berries in order to develop a recipe for their Strawberry Shortcake contest. All photos and opinions…
Summer Strawberry Sour Cream Pie
Every once in a while, I fantasize about being a pie genius. Like Jenna in Waitress. I'd invent pies on the spot with witty names and they'd always…
Thin Mints Oven Strudels
March: the bringer of longer days, emerging crocus, and melting snow. Also when little girls dressed in uniforms of brown and green can be spied at…
Toffee Chaos Cookie Milkshakes {gluten-free}
Disclosure: This recipe for Toffee Chaos Cookie Milkshakes was developed in partnership with Goodie Girl Cookies, who compensated me for this post.…
Vanilla Pots de Crème with Lime Tequila Sauce
Abby Dodge is one of the most accessible cookbook authors out there. Friendly and full of support, she'll lend an ear or a helping hand on Twitter…
Vanilla Whoopie Pies with Orange Blossom Water Buttercream
3.14, the rounded version of the incredibly long number known as "pi" in mathematical circles, has come to be celebrated in a much-less scientific…
Waffle Cone Bowls
While my son attends preschool, my daughter and I generally run errands. He's only there for 2 hours anyway so we may as well stay out and make the…
Waffled Ice Cream Planes
I had the best of intentions. I wanted to get up bright and early, do the Donna Reed thing, and greet my daughter with a sunshiney-smile and a…
White Peach Mini Galettes
Summer is for stone fruits. While I love double-crust pies in the Fall and Winter months, summer calls for simplicity. Something a little less heavy…
Whoopie Pies
I know the kid inside me still exists when I make something like whoopie pies and can't resist telling everyone that I'm "makin' whoopie!" C'mon,…