Double Batch Chewy Salted Caramels

The holidays are a stressful time.  There are presents to buy, parties to plan, trips to take.  In the middle of all that, taking a few hours out of your day to make something delicious may seem a daunting task.  But I've found that some dedicated time in the kitchen can be a great way to unwind from all the holiday stress.

Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Hello, Gentle Readers.  Long time, no post.  Those who know me in real life have seen that it's been a busy time for me at work.  After all, Halloween parties and haunted houses have to get their cadavers from somewhere.  With Halloween behind me, though, it's time to turn to that most glorious of food holidays: Thanksgiving.

Honey-Glazed Triple Berry Cup Pies

Well, I've done Hannibal and Wonderfalls, so it seemed a little silly that I hadn't yet done a recipe for showrunner Bryan Fuller's other super delicious show, Pushing Daisies.

No-Bake Strawberries 'N Cream Icebox Cake

It's getting to be that time of year.  All the windows stay permanently open, every fan is blowing, and there's always iced tea in the fridge.  It's summer in L.A. 

Blood Ice Cream for the Hannibal Finale

It's a rare group of people who will sit down to a meal themed after a cannibal.  I consider myself lucky that I've managed to find friends who will rise to such an occasion with gusto.

Nutella Mousse Crunch Cake

 About a month ago I saw a link floating around facebook titled "What crazy national holiday falls on your birthday?"

"Hey, I don't know!" I thought, and so I clicked on the link.  Turns out, my birthday is also known as...Disaster Day.  Uh, yikes.  I mean, I'm sure I was as whiny and obnoxious as the next baby, but calling my birth a disaster seems a little harsh, man.

Cookie Butter Apple Tarts

The Trader Joe's in Burbank sucks.  Actually, that's unfair.  The workers are friendly and the food is yummy and inexpensive, but because of that it's always crowded and the parking lot's full, so I dread going there.

Apple Cheddar Hand Pies

pusheen.com

Pusheen knows what's up.  Fall is a time for pie.  Warm, comforting pie that fills your house with the scents of cinnamon and nutmeg.  And since today's Halloween, let's make pie into a fun-size treat.  You may not be able to hand homemade baked goods out to trick-or-treaters these days, but you can still give those miniature snickers bars a run for their money if you bring some of these to your Halloween shindig.  It's time for hand pies.

Pumpkin Spice Donuts & Muffins

I walked into the living room this afternoon and felt a little chilly.  That's when I realized the window was open.  Let me repeat that:  The window was open in the afternoon and it was chilly.  In Los Angeles, every summer it starts to feel like this day will never come.  But it has arrived, ladies and gentleman:  Fall.  So,  to welcome it, I made pumpkin donuts.

Blue Velvet Heisenberg Cupcakes

Tonight marks the return of everybody's favorite show about meth cooks for its final run of episodes.  I've been inspired by Breaking Bad in the past, and hadn't planned on another Breaking Bad-themed dessert, but then I spotted these large sprinkles at Michael's.

S'mores Cookies

S'mores are the best.  We've discussed this previously.  I don't know who that first person was to toast a marshmallow over a campfire and sandwich it with chocolate between two graham crackers, but they struck gold.  I do know the Girl Scouts were the first to publish the recipe in 1927, because those Girl Scouts know their irresistible desserts.

Lemon Velvet Tart

I'm sure I'm not the only who's experienced this.  You try some new food at a party, a potluck, or a restaurant, and you fall in love.  What is this amazing thing?  How can I get more of it?  But then no one knows who brought the awesome cupcakes to the party, or your friend refuses to share that mac n' cheese recipe because it's a family secret, or that restaurant never carries that pie again.

Pumpkin Hand Pies with Maple Glaze

Sorry for the hiatus folks, but don't worry, I've got plenty planned for the coming weeks.  After all, with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, 'tis the season for Holiday baking, which is my favorite kind of baking.  Cold weather flavors are deep, rich, warm and comforting, like a blanket for your mouth.  Actually, that sounds disgusting, forget that.  I need to work on my metaphors.

The Flavors of Fall

This week something magical happened:  It got cold.  Well, it got chilly.  Ok, it got slightly cooler than warm.  In L.A., the word "cold" is relative, but when I have to put away the jean shorts and tank tops, I say it's officially fall.

I might be a wimp about cold weather, but there is one very big benefit to the yearly drop in temperature:  the food.  It's not like people have to be a slave to the seasons when it comes to cooking, but there are certain flavors that just feel more appropriate when there's a crispness in the air.  Pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, nutmeg...they're warm and comforting and fill your home with inviting fragrance.  And it's just not the same when the temperature in your oven is the same as the temperature outside.

Lemon Bars

We're 3 days out from the official start of Fall, but, apparently, nobody gave L.A. the memo.  The sun's still blazing away out there while we puny humans huddle around our fans and air-conditioning vents in the shade of the indoors.  Well, if summer's going to overstay its welcome, then I'm going to make the most of it.  Make lemons into lemonade, if you will.  Or, in this case, lemon bars.  

5 Ingredient Nutella Mini Brownie Bites

Nutella is a dangerous thing.  Sure, it looks innocent with its cute little jar and its use of "wholesome" ingredients like skim milk, but let's not kid ourselves - this is pure chocolate-y, sugar-laden, spreadable indulgence.  And it's far too easy to keep a jar in the pantry for use on toast, fruit, pretty much anything you can get your hands on.

Thick & Chewy Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies

Like many bakers, I'm constantly in search for The Perfect chocolate chip cookie.  I make batch after batch of cookie dough, varying the ingredients by degrees each time in the hopes of one day biting into a fresh cookie and knowing - this is The One.  I'm starting to think that day may never come.  I'm also starting to think that might not be a bad thing.  It just means I'll never stop making chocolate chip cookies.

"Fish Fingers" and Custard

For those of you familiar with Doctor Who, this dish requires little explanation.  For those of you who aren't, here's a crash course the good Doctor and the origin of "fish fingers and custard".

Fig and Strawberry Ricotta Tart

Another Saturday, another trip to the farmer's market, and another new inspirational ingredient.  Figs are in season, folks.  And I made sure to snatch up a few along with my usual fruits and veggies.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them,  but after the recent and very rich S'mores Pie,  I knew I wanted something light and fresh.

S'mores Pie

Some desserts are so universally good, you feel like they could probably make you 100 new friends, end decades-long feuds and generally make the world a little better if only everybody could have some.  This is one of those desserts.  S'mores Pie.  Who doesn't like S'mores?  Nobody.  Nobody is the answer to that question.  Even people who think they don't like S'mores are probably just mistaken.  They'll figure it out one day, and then they'll look back at their old, S'mores-hating self and laugh at how wrong they were.