Nothing says autumn in Seattle more to me than a warm pumpkin spice latte. I got my first cup of the season and sipped it by the lake under the colorful autumn leaves. Ahh… To recreate the flavors at home, I made a batch of pumpkin spice latte muffins. 🙂 They are filled with a […]
Tonight is a blustery and rainy night in Seattle. Perfect for a bowl of hot soup and warm pumpkin dinner rolls! I transformed my recipe for whole-wheat dinner rolls with dill to make these pumpkin rolls. I love creative and fun pumpkin recipes at this time of the year, so when I discovered different versions of this […]
It’s that time of year again for all things Halloween! For my first treat of the season, I made Irish Halloween bread called Barmbrack. Since the holiday began with an ancient Celtic festival, I thought this bread would be a nice way to celebrate the history of Halloween. I also love the tradition that goes […]
I made two desserts for our sweet sixteenth wedding anniversary dinner – The blackberry cabernet gelée I blogged about earlier, and these lemon verbena whole-wheat shortbread cookies. I love the bright citrusy flavor of lemon verbena, which is a nice compliment to these buttery cookies. They were the perfect ending to a beautiful summer evening celebration! […]
After the main course of duck breast with a farmers’ market plum sauce, the grand finale of our anniversary dinner was a duo of desserts. (Since this anniversary was our sweet sixteen, I thought two desserts were in order! 😉 ) I made blackberry cabernet gelée accompanied by lemon verbena shortbread cookies. (The cookie recipe […]
This weekend, my hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary! This year was our sweet 16. 🙂 Every year I love to make a special meal for the occasion, and this year was no different. This year’s dinner featured the beautiful summer produce that I found at our farmers’ markets. All of the dishes were […]
I hope you have enjoyed your summer so far! For me, it has been a summer filled with time at the beach, several good books, and visits to local festivals. But summer isn’t over yet. 🙂 I am trying to savor the last of the warm weather before it’s time to enjoy autumn’s pleasures! Before […]
Today I am celebrating 21 years living in Seattle and 18 years in Leschi! Seattle is full of coffee shops, so I couldn’t think of anything more fitting to make to celebrate my home than an espresso dessert. In honor of the day, I made cappuccino panna cotta! I used the creamy gelatin dessert recipe […]
Nothing says summer to me more than the classic pairing of orange and cream. To get into the season, I made these layered gelatin desserts. The white layer is lusciously creamy, even though there is no actual cream in the recipe. And the orange juice layer gives it the perfect amount of tang and sweetness. […]
For the grand finale of our Fourth of July dinner, I made red, white, and blue parfaits layered with tart cherry and vanilla yogurt gelatin topped with a layer of blueberries. 🙂 Yum! The little desserts did take a bit of time to make since I needed to wait for each layer to set before […]
Happy Fourth of July! I made Northwest salmon burgers for dinner tonight to celebrate the date. 🙂 They were summery, festive, delicious, and easy to make. I will definitely keep this recipe in my collection for future summer celebrations. Northwest Salmon Burgers Based on a recipe from The New York Times 1 ½ pounds wild-caught […]
I just finished a delightful summer book called A Lowcountry Wedding by Mary Alice Monroe. It was the fourth book in a series I have enjoyed over the past couple of summers, and the finale was just as entertaining and satisfying as the first three novels! As in the first three, the story is set […]
My hubby just returned from a business trip to Danang, Vietnam. While he was gone, I spent a lot of time learning about Vietnamese food! Cooking is one way I like to explore different cultures and “travel” in a way. Since I couldn’t go with him on this particular trip, spending time in my kitchen […]
Today is National Wine Day! I think that is definitely a reason to celebrate. 😉 I love to make interesting, unexpected, and fresh dishes to celebrate special days, and I couldn’t think of anything more festive for this occasion than these chocolate cabernet cupcakes. 🙂 These little cupcakes have a good amount of wine in […]
The traditional cocktail of the Kentucky Derby is the mint julep, which has been associated with the race ever since 1938. Along with the horses and the hats, the cocktail is one of the things that makes the Kentucky Derby what it is. I wanted to bake something inspired by this iconic drink for the […]
Today is Derby Day! Even though I’m not from Kentucky, I love the creative hats, the beautiful horses, and the Southern traditions that go along with the race. To get into the spirit from home, I decorated a wine bottle with festive artwork I found online from Hostess with the Mostess. The design I chose […]
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I love to celebrate this festive Mexican holiday every year. It gives me an excuse to make some delicious Mexican food, have a margarita, and imagine I’m on a beach in Mexico watching the sunset. Ahh…. Oh, right, I got a little distracted…back to the kitchen! 😉 This year I decided […]
I painted our living room a fresh new color this month as a part of my spring cleaning. The light gray I chose is called “white pepper.” (Don’t you love all of the creative names paint companies come up with for different shades?) To celebrate the new look, I baked a dessert! I made a […]
I made a cake today. Just an average, ordinary cake. I promise, nothing weird, nothing out of the ordinary. OK, so maybe not everyone goes for mashed potato frosting. And chive sprinkles might be a little unconventional. But it all makes sense when you know the cake is a meatloaf! 😉 Welcome to my April […]
What’s better for Easter brunch than Scotch eggs? Two different kinds of Scotch eggs! 😉In addition to crab Scotch eggs, I made one more version with cute little quail eggs encased in smoked halibut mashed potatoes. It was a festive little dish that was a perfect accompaniment to our Easter brunch.Quail Scotch Eggs with Smoked […]