I have discovered how to make millennial pink food! Have you heard about that trend? Here is a great article but apparently this soft orangy-pink is the official color of millennial women. It is all kinds of silly but the color is pretty gorgeous so I can kind of get behind it. (kind of...)
Read MoreWhen I was a kid you convince me to do just about anything by bribing me with donuts. Swim practice, sure as long as I get those Dunkin Donuts munchins after. Church, great as long as I am allowed to eat those those Publix glazed donuts they served after. Don’t judge but this may still holds true as an adult.
Read MoreI have discovered the secret to the perfect chocolate chip cookie- you know the cookie that is all crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.
Read MoreThe rain has finally stopped and the sun is shining. It had been raining for days and days on end. So much rain it is hard to remember when it started. It just always seemed like it is going to rain. I am not complaining because goodness, the whole state of California was about to shrivel up before it started but I am excited that it is over... for now at least. With all this rain comes the good stuff like all of the flowers in boom and everywhere you look seems to blanketed in bright flourescent green. It is a sign of spring and what's to come. This time of year is always so special in Oakland because I am reminded of everything that grows in this area - there are citrus trees, jasmine, magnolias, roses - the list could go on. I have become a horticulture dork in my old age and love walking the streets staring at everyone else's front yards, especially since ours is pretty busted.
Read MoreWhen I lived in NYC (in what seems like a lifetime ago) I worked at the @MetMuseum. It was a pretty dreamy job if you liked art and history. On days when I wanted to venture out for lunch I would walk over to this little bakery on 78th and Madison where I would just have cake for lunch. I was 25 and running marathons at the time so this was totally acceptable in my mind. It wasn’t just any old cake, it was a slice of crepe cake from Lady M Confections.
Read MoreI recently professed my love of supermarket cakes to someone in the food world and they were appalled. It is the nostalgia that gets me and I will take a supermarket cake any day over a fancy schmancy cake. I grew up on Publix cakes in the southeast and I can still smell the way that bakery smells all these miles away.
Read MoreLet's talk about how I have become this crazy pie lady! I don't know where it came from. Actually scratch that, I blame my family. We never had cakes growing up - we always had pie. Fast forward to my cooking career and my love of pie has basically taken off. I wrote a cookbook on pie when I was in the Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen and have loved, loved creating videos out of pie. It is universal, everyone loves a good 'ol pie
Read MoreIt is crazy how sunshine affects my motivation. There is a reason this south florida raised girl has landed in California! I crave sunshine. It was raining non-stop for the past three months in LA (which is great for the drought, but bad for my motivation). When it rains all I want to do is curl up on the couch with the dog and read a book. But when it is sunny, I feel like I could rule the world. So to the sun is finally out and I am ready to celebrate. Blueberry lemon bars seem like a good thing to celebrate with right?
Read MoreButterscotch pots de crème are my dinner party secret weapon. Every time I make them, they are met with rave reviews. Plus they are best made ahead of time, which is perfect for entertaining.
I made these pots de crème for New Year's Eve this past year. We celebrated at a friends house and I brought over a bunch of these little Weck jars filled with butterscotch goodness. I only recently retrieved all of those jars and it reminded me that I need to show you all how to make this simple and delicious dessert.
Read MoreOne of my favorite meals ever was Valentine's Day a couple years ago in San Francisco. We had dinner at Cafe Jacqueline where they specialize in soufflé. We literally had a meal that only consisted of souffles and it was more amazing than I could have ever dreamed.
Read MoreI spent this past Thanksgiving up in wine country. We rented a wonderful house right outside of Sonoma. We were staying at a rental, and I wasn't sure what the kitchen would be like, so I decided to make as much of the meal ahead of time, so we could drive it up. Also I didn't want to have to cook while everyone else was out wine tasting. I found this recipe on Food 52 and decided to adapt it. Even a day later, this cake was everyone's favorite thing on my Thanksgiving menu.
Read MoreWhen I was home for the holidays I think I finally discovered why I love pie so much. My whole family was there and we were telling family stories (as you do after a couple glasses of wine). Somehow it came up that my brother remembered reading an article in my dad's high school newspaper where my dad declared that his favorite food was pie. Not sure how my brother got his hands on my dad's high school newspaper, but regardless it showed that my love of pie, is in my genes! I can't help it, I was born to love pie!
Read MoreBelow is my recipe for the perfect tart dough. I like adding in some almond flour to give the tart shell a little heartiness and texture but feel free to skip. Also make sure to refrigerate the tart dough at least an hour before baking, this will help prevent it from shrinking.
Read MoreI am going to the Golden Globes! What alternate universe did I just fall into? I keep on thinking they are going to email and say just kidding, your invitation was meant for someone else, someone in the “bizz.” Since that hasn’t happened yet at least, I have teamed up with Lindt Chocoalte to create a “golden” Meyer lemon and white chocolate tart in honor of the 74th Golden Globe Awards.
Read MoreI have no self control when it comes to the peppermint and chocolate combo and this bundt cake is everything I love and more
Read MoreThis recipe has been in the works for a while because I was trying to figure out how to make it easier, since babka is a pretty involved process. Here is simplified my version - the true babka makers may say this is just a nutella and raspberry swirl bread but either way I am pretty happy with it.
Read MoreNext up in my Thanksgiving recipe series is pie! Because is it really Thanksgiving if there is no pie? Well I have taken the traditional pecan pie and added a twist to make it even better, enter bourbon!
Read MoreHappy first day of November. Do you know what that means? Thanksgiving is nearly here! I love, love Thanksgiving, it is by far my most favorite holiday.
Read MoreI have got the perfect fall dessert for you! My pear and blackberry crumble. It is filled with fall flavors and really easy to throw together. Plus it tastes like fall all in one bite.
Read MoreJust call me pie lady. I feel like all I have been making these days are pie. Which is totally fine by me, because I love pie, it might just be the perfect food. But I promise to start sharing recipes for other things beside pie, soon but not today.
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