Baked Lemon Glazed Mini Doughnuts

So, I was browsing around Sur la Table a few months ago, minding my own business, when suddenly, through no fault of my own, a jar of bright pink baking decorations grabbed me by the sleeve and demanded that I purchase it.  I tried to explain that I don't usually do much with cute, sprinkle-laden sweets but it would not hear it and forced its way into my cart.  So I brought it home and parked it in my little baking cupboard to cool its heels over the winter while I wondered what on earth I would do with it.

Almond Frangipane Tart

I've always had a love of almond flavored sweets. It started when I was very little and my father would sometimes come home from work with a little mazipan treat for me. Sometimes on the weekend he would take me to the Elk Candy Company on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was an old world, European style confectioner with all kinds of lovely sweets to choose from. But I always chose one of the tiny cakes with layers of marzipan and chocolate. Elk Candy is long gone but I've found bakeries with more adult style almond and mazipan pastries to replace them.

Happy Passover!

This evening is the first night of Passover and the time when Jewish families will gather for a Seder. Some can be long and quite formal but, since there won't be any young children at our table, we'll do a simple celebration. The traditional requirement to avoid regular flour and leavening means there will be matzo instead of bread and dessert will be a rich, chocolaty flourless souffle cake. We'll also be serving some light and fluffy matzo balls and we'll take advantage of the matzos in the house with breakfasts of sweet matzo brie. But whether you celebrate Passover or Easter, we wish you a very happy holiday filled with family, friends and love.

Minty Pear Mojito

So, according to the calendar, it is now spring. Yay!  I love spring! OK, technically it's still snowing in New York but we're going to pretend. We're going to turn on the heat and sit under a bright lamp and pretend that mother nature is not currently being a heartless bitch. And we're going to drink a warm weather cocktail while we pretend. Actually, if we drink enough of them, we'll start to believe it.

Chickpea Burger with Israeli Salad

For the past few days I've had the biggest craving for some Middle Eastern food. Hummus, falafel, tahini...I love them all. Chickpea burgers combine a lot of those flavors and are wonderful, versatile foods. Apart from the basic ingredients, you can customize them by adding in whatever you have on hand. Grated carrot, zucchini, peppers or mushrooms would all be great. The chickpeas are also loaded with protein and fiber and I just love it when healthy food is so delicious.

Cream Cheese Crumb Cake

If you read this blog on a regular basis then you know by the now that there are some twists I just can't resist adding to desserts. For example, if it tastes good on its own then it's bound to be better with a crumb topping. And, if there's a way to get a layer of cheesecake swirl into it, I will do so. But considering all that, I just don't understand why I needed someone else to show me that adding a cream cheese layer to my beloved crumb cake would be a good idea. I'm going to have to go see a doctor or something.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread Biscuits

Last year, an Irish-born colleague introduced me to my favorite version of soda bread. Simple and sweet, almost like scones but baked into a loaf. It was delicious! I said I wouldn't wait until next St. Patrick's Day to make it again but, somehow the time got away from me. Oh, well. I baked up a loaf last weekend and the delicate aroma made me fall in love with it all over again.

Creamy Broccoli and Cheese Soup

You may have heard me mention, several dozen times, that I don't like winter. Technically spring will arrive at the end of this month but you'd have trouble believing that lately. Oh, I know, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But we're still very much in lion mode around here. We had snow, then torrential rain, then more snow than more rain. Sigh...  This past weekend we got a tiny little taste of what's to come. Not that it was warm but at least we could walk from here to there without risking frostbite.

Bailey's Irish Cream Cheese Trifle

With St. Patrick's Day a week away, a group of my fellow food bloggers and I are taking this opportunity to share some Irish inspired recipes. Now, technically I'm not Irish in the technical sense, if you're going to be all technical about it. But I do live in New York, a giant melting pot of nationalities, religions and cultures. Every year we have a huge St. Patrick's Day parade and our Jewish mayor and Italian governor proudly march. Besides, how technically Irish do you need to be to appreciate delicious food?

Bananas Foster Bundt Cake

For most of my life, if you'd asked me my favorite flavor, I would have said banana. As a kid, I loved banana flavored anything and I didn't care much if that flavor was natural or artificial. As an adult, I've gotten much more discerning and the fake, extract flavors found in most commercial products just won't do. So I eat a banana every day and periodically bake the over-ripe ones into a banana bread. There are always bananas on my counter and bananas in my freezer (for smoothies).

Cheesy Quinoa and Asparagus Bake

Today I'm joining a group of bloggers to help raise awareness of heart disease. The group was organized by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita's Cocina, both of whom have parents personally touched by the disease. Jen's stepfather suffered a heart attack and Kim lost her mother to the disease when she was only 15. In memory of Kim's mother, she and Jen asked that we share our own personal stories as well as a heart healthy recipe.

Asparagus, Feta and Oregano Pasta (plus a tasting box and discount coupon from Gourmet Spotting!)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Gourmet Spotting, a subscription service that sends out monthly curated tasting boxes. Each contains between 4 and 6 gourmet products sourced from eco-friendly, organic and fair trade companies. In addition, every time they ship out a box, they donate a meal to charity.

Cheese Stuffed Brussels Sprouts

I think Brussels sprouts must be the most maligned vegetable because all I see are recipes that promise to turn their haters into fans. Granted there are good and bad ways to prepare these little cabbages but even the best way still leaves you with... well... Brussels sprouts. I happen to like them and have since I was very young but they do need to be prepared correctly in order to taste good. Undercook or overcook and you get an unpleasant bitter taste which is what, I think, most non-likers have against them. The overcooking places them in the "lunch lady" group of foods that were boiled to death by school cafeteria workers. Asparagus was a frequent victim as well.