tuesdays with dorie: tomato and cheese galette

 for this weeks challenge, we have chosen to make tomato and cheese galettes.  sigh.  big sigh...tomatoes are not in season yet here in tennessee.  the spring weather was so cold and wet so late in the season that our tomato plants didn't go into the ground until the third week of may.  oh well, off to market i go. in between stops, i ducked into my local publix supermarke

blueberry muffins

mocha swirl bundt cake

when colors are swirled together, they catch my eye.  the intricate pattern created by the marbleization of two or more colors has always fascinated me.  it can be paint or it can be cake, doesn't matter.  one of my favorite mediums for marbleizing is biscotti dough but cheesecake is a close second.  then there are bundt cakes; my new favorite "canvas" for mixing swirls of colo

strawberry swirl bundt cake

my very own field of dreams

open the newspaper, surf the internet, read a magazine, it doesn't matter which you do to stay informed. when you do, though, you will most likely hear another story of disappearing wildlife due to diminishing habitats.  as a gardener, i take the responsibility of providing a natural setting for all types of wildlife seriously.  we do not use synthetic pesticides and we purposely add nat

vegan strawberry-banana ice cream

my attempts to change my diet are a little hit or miss.  got the cholesterol under control only to lose the vitamin d level needed for strong bones.  frustrating to say the least.  so, to change that, i am spending time outside in the garden during sunny hours and i am eating small amounts of dairy.  one thing i won't stop doing, eating sorbet and ice cream made without dairy p

stuffed artichokes; almost as good as grandma's

growing up in northern new jersey, i knew a few things were certain.  you were likely to be catholic and quite possibly jewish if you weren't catholic.  if you were catholic, like my family is, then the chances that you were irish or italian were pretty high.  for me and my siblings, there was no either or, we are both irish and italian.  like most families, our food traditions

hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing

when it comes to southern desserts, red velvet cake and chess pie are popular choices.  let's not forget banana pudding, t is always on that list too.  and it wasn't until i moved to nashville that i even heard of a hummingbird cake.  since learning to make one, i must say, it is one of my favorite cakes.  when describing a hummingbird cake to someone unfamiliar with it, i alwa

orange-date walnut loaf

sometimes, you just have to do something different.  generally, when i go out to the garden, i take a cake with me.  nine out of ten cakes are some configuration of a bundt; they are baked in one of the many fluted/tube pans on my kitchen shelf.  not this time.  this cake was baked in a large loaf pan. over the years, i have baked date-nut bread many times.  it is a favori

almond poppyseed bundt cake

poppy seeds are often overlooked when it comes to sweets.  they add a mild, nutty flavor and a wonderful crunch to cakes and scones.  and of course, a little chuckle when you realize that you have just spent the last 15 minutes talking to people with the tiny little black seeds wedged between your teeth. honestly, i love to add poppy seeds to a cake flavored with almond paste and lemon z

fresh apple cake with dried figs

you have to love a cake that mixes up quickly and easily.  especially nice is a recipe that can be manipulated to include many different flavors.  don't like apples? use pears.  not a fig fan, fine, use dried cranberries.  not sure what to use that can of roasted hazelnut oil for? bake this cake with it.  just use what you've got.  think outside the box; carrots or zu

for the love of bees

we have a colony of bees in our front yard.  to say it is a conversation starter is an understatement.  it stops people as they drive by the house.  to hear someone ask about honey for sale is not surprising.  we started the colony last year in april and after wintering, they have built up an amazingly strong hive.  we found lots of honey both above and below the queen exc

semolina bundt cake with lemon and thyme

when it comes to bundt cakes, the ones with a pound cake texture are always the easiest to unmold and slice.  if they are scented with lemon and herbs, as this one is, they also seem to be favorites among my fellow garden volunteers.  right now, the herb garden is bursting with thyme in bloom which made adding a few sprigs to this cake the obvious choice.since i bring a cake whenever i g

currant-rosemary bread

beth henspiger, raisin rosemary bread

pear cranberry crumb cake with almonds

the calendar says spring but the weather says fall.  we seem to be having cooler mornings as if it were heading into fall.  why just last night, they issued a frost warning for our area.  if only our last frost date hadn't been a month ago, i might not have minded it so much.  we have been working hard in the garden and beds have been filled with plants that cannot withstand su

floral baby cakes; twd/bwj

this weeks tuesdays with dorie challenge was upside-down baby cakes with rhubarb.  sounds tasty doesn't it?  knowing that i would need fresh rhubarb for the recipe, i went to the grocery store and what they were asking $5.99 per pound for wasn't worth a dime.  generally, "my neighborhood kroger" (as they so like to call themselves) carries frozen, sliced rhubarb but they no longer d

guess again cake and the importance of following directions...

there are few scents as intoxicating as the smell of a spice cake in the oven.  immediately, the house feels warm and inviting.  once it comes out of the oven, very few can resist the urge to grab a knife and slice a thick slab.  just be sure to take it out of the pan first...and speaking of that pan, if the directions call for you to grease and flour it, please, for the love of cak

buttermilk cake with fudge frosting: my favorite birthday cake

when it comes to birthday cake, i love a homemade cake.  homemade from scratch that is.  people are always scared to bake one for me though.  they think that because i can bake, that anything they do would never be good enough.  then they either make one from a mix or buy one from the grocery store.  4somehow, that is supposed to be better than anything they could make. &n

sweet potato-cinnamon swirl coffee cake

if you haven't already figured it out, i have a thing for bundt cakes.  whether they are chocolate, loaded with spices or chock full of fruit, i love them.  more than likely, i just love the pans.  i don't eat large quantities of the cakes-just slivers here and there.  but i do love hunting for bundt pans in the thrift stores and i have at least half a dozen different pans to c

chocolate mashed potato cake

when you have the responsibility of bringing a cake to a meeting each week, you can run out of ideas.  after all, no matter how great something is, most people like variety.  luckily for me, i have a large file of recipes and a fearless sense of adventure when it comes to baking cakes.so if you take that sense of adventure and add chocolate to it, chances are you get a good cake.  w

carrot bundt cake with dried apricots and fresh pineapple

carrot cake-you either love it or hate it.  personally, i am in the middle on this one.  while i like raisins, i do not like them in a carrot cake.  raisins in the batter-pass!  give me a carrot cake with lots of coconut, walnuts, pineapple chunks and of course, shredded carrots, and i am a happy baker.  so how can you improve on this perfection, besides slathering it with

meyer lemon syrup cake

for the last 12 or so weeks, i have been attending as many of the master gardener classes as possible.  each week, a small group of certified members has attended in a sort of welcome wagon capacity.  we also bring refreshments for the break.  they have dubbed me the cake lady because i bring a cake each week.  i suppose they could call me worse things than that...a recent trip

raspberry swirl cheesecake

people ask me how i manage to stay thin when i bake so many sweets.  it's easy, i make it a point to not bake the sweets i find impossible to pass up.  that folks, is why i very rarely make a cheesecake!  but every now and then, i bake one just so i can have a sliver or two.when i had my bakery, i made lots of cheesecakes; we sold them wholesale and had several clients that would or

madeleines; twd/bwj

if you ask me, marcel proust was nuts.  he went on about madeleines, or at least that is how the story goes.  after baking them with this recipe, i can only ask why?  what is so wonderful about madeleines?this week, the tuesdays with dorie bakers made the madeleine recipe from the baking with julia book.  to see the recipe, buy the book or visit the blogpage of our hosts for th

potato bread

it's confession time.  i've made this bread before-several times actually.  making it for this weeks tuesdays with dorie challenge was not much of a challenge for me.  actually, i was looking forward to the bread-it is simple and almost guaranteed to work each time.  this weeks challenge is hosted by dawn of simply sweet so if you are looking for the recipe, buy the book o

coconut tea cake

 each week, i bake a cake to take to the new group of students attending the master gardener's classes.  this week, i had to do a bit of foraging in the cupboards-i hadn't gone to the grocery store and my options were few.  for some reason, which i cannot explain, i found 5 cans of coconut milk in the closet.  then, while searching for some shredded coconut, i came across a pac

mocha chip cookies; twd/bwj

when you join a group of bloggers dedicated to preparing every recipe in a specific book, you do not always have a say in what is made next.  we put it to a vote but as votes go, the recipe with the most votes is the one chosen to be prepared next.  some recipes are simple and quick, others are time consuming, stretching across several days from start to finish and the latter describes o

this year's baking of the bread, joan's irish soda bread

can you believe it is that time again?  well it is, and i did it again.  every year on or around st. patrick's day, i make a loaf (or two) of my aunt joan's irish soda bread.  this year was no different except that i took it out to the garden to share it with my volunteers.  since i have posted the recipe before, here is the link.  my request, bake a loaf and make a promis

dinner for two: barley risotto and roasted brussel sprouts

my quest for a lower cholesterol level continues.  over the last year, i have taken to preparing vegan dinners several times a week.  generally, i make sure that there are leftovers as well so i can also get a lunch or two out of them.  luckily, there are so many good books and websites out there to guide me.  and before you think that vegan cooking is simply utilizing meat sub

cinnamon swirl coffeecake

as always, when i head out to the demonstration garden, i go with a cake in hand to share with my fellow volunteers.  a simple vanilla cake with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar, nuts and chocolate chips is a pretty typical choice.to make it look pretty, first choose an interesting pan.  i have many tube pans in my collection and some are plain while others like the one i used, have patterns.

this is how i roll; croissants, anyone?

 so, if it is tuesday, it is time to bake with julia, right?  oh, that's right, it's wednesday and i am a day behind.  such is life, my life, a day late and a dollar short.  whatever.  luckily for me, this week's challenge was one that i was really excited about.  back in the day, i made croissants daily.  but back then, i did it with a dough sheeter, not a rolli

valentine's day at the beard house

it has only taken a week but i think i may have finally caught my breath and gotten some sleep.  after a 17 hour bus ride up, two jam packed-action filled days and another 17 hour bus ride home, i can truly say i have had a real career moment!  at times, it was a little overwhelming-to just think about where i was and who else had been there.  at others, it was just plain fun; we we

macarons: how to relax and reload...

if you live in nashville, then you know where i have been.  last week, a few of my coworkers and i made a 17 hour bus trip to new york city to prepare a special valentine's day dinner at the james beard house.  don't worry, at some point this week, i will post pictures and links to all of the clips and coverage.  but after a three day whirlwind trip and another 17 hour bus ride home

sundried tomato focaccia

 when it comes to simple and easy bread, focaccia is the only one you need to make.  you can slice it into strips and serve it with a salad, cut squares and stuff them for sandwiches or you can simply eat pieces of it.  there isn't any intricate shaping or special pan required; just your finger tips will do.  the best part, the dough is so forgiving that mistakes are hard to se

that next big thing...

some people have jobs, some have careers.  some work because they have to and others work because they cannot imagine not working; it's more of a "calling" that a job.  for those of us who have careers and callings, we are lucky to also find ourselves in love with what we do.  our lives become punctuated by big moments and accomplishments that more often than not, include our profes

gingerbread beer bundt cake; a winner!

it's a winner alright.  like everyone else, i love a good contest.  especially when i know i have the winning recipe.  isn't it funny how that winning recipe never wins anything?  maybe not so funny, but it doesn't stop me from trying.  and try i did when food52.com ran a best recipe with beer contest this month.  i knew i had the winning entry-who else would bake a c

so many bakeries, so little time

when i visit new places, or even areas that i have been to before, i always look for bakeries.  big surprise isn't it?  not really if you know me-baking is what i do.  it always interests me to see the trends in other cities.  atlanta is such a diverse "food" city.   if you take a good look in the showcases of bakeries all over the city, there won't be any shortage of well

french apple tart: tuesdays with dorie

 as a person who bakes a lot of pies, i can honestly say that there isn't much you can do to improve an apple pie.  sure you can change the type of crust or add different things to it but in the end, you still have an apple pie and what more could you want?  chocolate may be my first choice in all other types of desserts and sweets but when it comes to pie, apple is always my favori

pizza with onion confit; tuesdays with dorie/baking with julia

this week, the tuesdays with dorie challenge called for making a pizza topped with an onion confit.  sounds like dinner to me.  and it was, literally.  after a trip to the garden to pick some fresh lettuce and arugula, i made a big salad to accompany the pizza.  this was such an easy recipe that i think everyone should try it.  if you do not already have a copy of baking w

ess eff oh...back to the bay

right before christmas, we had the pleasure of traveling to san francisco.  yes, you can read that as slightly sarcastic.  traveling at the holidays is stressful.  no matter how smoothly it goes, and our flights went very smoothly,  there is always a rushed atmosphere and a sense that no matter how many hours in the day, it will never be enough to get it all done.  even wh

dogs and donuts; atlanta's finest

we may have donuts here in nashville, we even have the coveted krispy cremes(and no, i am not a fan-at all).  shipley do-nuts, fox's donut den-both fixtures in nashville and sadly still, none of our shops have ever been voted the best bakery in america.  big deal, right?  sublime doughnuts of atlanta was.  yes, a donut shop was voted best bakery in america by bake magazine, a t

nobody living there calls it hotlanta

in 2011, my daughter packed up and moved to atlanta.  i am pretty sure the ink wasn't even dry on her college diploma.  there was no stopping her-not even the offer to live at home for a few months, rent free, to build a little nest egg.  nope, she was gone just as quickly as the party trash was hauled to the curb.  a year and a half later, she is still there, living the dream.

next big thing

you gotta love working at home when it means chocolate cookies, chocolate whipped cream, whipped cream and raspberries.  all part of the next big thing on my plate.  my only regret, no fresh raspberries to decorate the plate.

happy new year

how i rang in the new year, working on the next big thing.  what that is, keep watching...in the meantime, enjoy some photos from my kitchen.  have a safe and happy new year!

leftover night; homemade pho with duck

gotta love leftover night.  all those containers of stuff-do you even know what that is, or was?  after being out of town for a week, my husband roasted a duck out on the grill for our first dinner together after his return.  the smallest one i could find weighed 5 pounds so there was quite a bit left over.  he saved the bones for who knows what but i had ideas of my own.while

gingerbread baby bundt cake; twd

when did they turn on the holiday season?  i could swear that it was summer yesterday and now, it is december.  wow...well, since it is tuesday, it must be time to bake with julia.  this week, our hostess, karen of karen's kitchen stories is proud to bring us gingerbread baby cakes.  luckily, it is a simple recipe that did not require much work.  since i have so much going

foodie pen pals

it is reveal day for the foodie pen pals!  my box came to me from geneva, a california participant.  she sent me a wonderful mix of treats, homemade goodies and fresh fruit!  along with the box came a beautiful handmade card and a recipe from geneva's grandmother.look at all of those goodies!  kiwis and pomegranates too!cookies, sweets and chocolates galore!homemade kahlua and

best ever brownies; tuesdays with dorie

once again, it's tuesday so that means it is time to bake with julia.  this week's adventure is brought to you by monica of a beautiful mess.   if you read the title of this post, then you know we made the "best ever brownies."  that is one opinion, just not mine. first off, i did not care for the way the instructions were written.  it is always a challenge when a recipe is spl

buttermilk crumb muffins

what a week it has been!  hopefully, everyone is recovering from the monster storm that ate the jersey shore.  for those of you affected by the flooding-i feel your pain.  it has been 2 years since the big nashville flood of may 2010 but the memory is still with us.  the power of water is like none other.since i live in nashville and was not affected by the storm, i was not onl

foodie pen pals

while using my time productively...let's not go there.  when i was a kid, i had a pen pal.  the unknown stranger from across the country who would exchange letters with me.  it didn't last long but it did leave an impression on me.  so recently, when i happened upon a monthly event known as the foodie pen pals, not only was i reminded of my long lost "friend" i was compelled to