SHF: Asian Invasion

As promised, I’m back with more information on this birthday cake. Ramona’s birthday is on Tuesday and she said what she would really like to have is a steamed sponge cake such as could be found in a bakery in Taiwan, but sadly unavailable in central Illinois. Just knowing that there was a [...]

SHF: Baking With Candy

When I saw Candy Recapper’s theme for January’s Sugar High Friday (started by Jennifer of Domestic Goddess), two recipes came to mind, and both of them are from Pillsbury Bake Off cookbooks. One of my great auction finds a few years ago was a box of PBO cookbooks, starting I think with #5 and [...]

SHF: Comfort Food in Shades of Orange

It’s truly fall now. Tartlet 1 says it’s Autumn when the leaves are changing color, but once they fall off and have to be raked up — it’s Fall. Autumn is prettier, a little warmer, a nice relief from the humidity of summer, but Fall wags her bony twiggy fingers at us, [...]

A is for Apples and Alcohol

I think I’ve mentioned here at an earlier time that in grad school one of my guilty pleasures was a glass of Camas Winery Palouse Gold Mead and a sliced apple. It was a perfect dessert, so I completely understand why our wonderful host for Sugar High Friday, Andrew of Spittoon Extra, chose a [...]

Here Figgy, Figgy!

I first had fresh figs about 10 years ago on the pecan farm of friends in New Mexico and haven’t had them since. A couple of weeks ago I found some lovely fresh figs in the Grocery, but I passed them up not wanting to buy a treat that might only be enjoyed by [...]