I’ve had ginger on the mind lately.  I think all the rain has had this spoiled California girl dreaming of warm sunny places and cool cocktails made of ginger and lime.
With rain in the forecast for tomorrow, that sunny beach I’ve been yearning for will have to wait (and really, we go to the beach sunny or not, it’s just a little harder to enjoy chilly cocktails when fending off chilly wind).  In the meantime, I think I’ve found a …

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December was my Daring Bakers’ maiden voyage.  Yes, there was champagne and confetti (though this is the way it always is around my house, so, the part about it being my first challenge was just a coincidence).
The Daring Kitchen is an online community of bloggers who “get together” each month and make a challenging baked good.  It’s very cloak and dagger.  Even though we get the recipe at the beginning of the month, it’s all hush hush until the reveal …

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I love oranges.  Navel, blood, tangerines, mandarines, tangelos–love them all. We even used an orange motif (both the fruit and the color)  to tie our wedding together.

Table number: My mom; Photo Credit: Betwixt Studio
So, when a recipe I was making called for candied citrus peel, I jumped at the chance to make my own.  I researched several recipes and finally chose the one below from the Food Network kitchens.
This recipe would work with any thick-skinned citrus fruit. I used some …

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Well, really, it’s Mr. Chang’s neighborhood.  As in David Chang of Momofuko Milk Bar (I say that like I’ve been there…which I haven’t).
Several months ago I started “hearing” about something called crack pie.  Further research determined that crack pie is actually a baked good made at Milk Bar that is so good, people willingly pay $40 for it.  If my ninth grade geometry is correct, this means that people are happily shelling out around 30 cents for each cubic inch …

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In my holiday baking each year, I try to include a little something for everyone.  There is always the sweet.  And the nutty.  And the chocolatey.  And the simple.  These profiles are easy.  It’s the fruity I struggle with a little.  In years’ past, the jam thumbprint has served me well.  But, as solid as that recipe is, I feel it’s a little played-out.  This year my search for fruity brought me to a simple cranberry-orange shortbread.  Well actually, I …

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I’m sorry Michelle Rhee, just for the afternoon, Denise Vivaldo is going to have to be my hero.  If you are a Fan of Cake Wrecks, you’ve already seen this.  If not, the following is my holiday gift to you. Remember, I’ve never, ever claimed to be the bigger, more mature person.  Especially when it comes to Sandra Lee.
Happy Holidays
Though…I will admit…I now might be just a little tiny bit inspired to develop a Festivus Cake.
(function() {var s = document.createElement(‘SCRIPT’), …

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If, by some remote chance you happen to be my Aunt Kris, please stop reading now.  Every year about this time, TD and I wait in hungry anticipation for a package with a Santa Maria, CA postmark to arrive so that we can demolish the wrapping and dive into the tin of my Aunt Kris’  homemade almond toffee.  More than once TD and I have nearly come to physical blows over the last little crumbly bits stuck to the bottom …

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Each year I do a lot of holiday baking.  Planning takes weeks.  There are baking schedules and distribution spreadsheets (why yes, they are color-coded).   There is the search for a novel way to present and package them.  And, there is the purchase of a whole lot of butter.  A lot a lot.  I lost track after 20 lbs. The whole thing takes about two weeks–from the day after Thanksgiving to the second Sunday in December.  And in the end …

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