I made these lemon meringue cupcakes a couple of weeks ago, though I can’t claim to have followed the linked recipe exactly. I am completely unable to make any sort of white cake, so I doctored up a white cake mix with lemon juice and zest. But I love the rest of this recipe because of [...]
Archive for the ‘In the kitchen’ Category
2 May
Toffee caramel cupcakes
At some point last fall, I apparently agreed to bring cupcakes to our 25-member strategic planning steering committee. I completely forgot about this (I also forgot my email password and my home phone number, so I’m not surprised). I finally made good on my promise last week, and brought two batches of cupcakes into work. [...]
26 Mar
Ava Turns Seven
On Saturday, we celebrated Ava’s seventh birthday with a county-western party for family and friends. We had hats and bandannas awaiting their cowgirls… …and a cowgirl awaiting her guests: We set up the kids’ table outside, thanks to gorgeous weather that brought early spring blooms. The “Sweets Saloon” included s’mores pops and number cookies. I [...]
1 Mar
Coconut-Mango Muffins
Made these (relatively) low-sugar muffins for a playdate last Saturday, and happily, there were a few left over for breakfast early this week. I used frozen mangoes (a smoothie staple in our house), and coarsely-shaved sweetened coconut.
9 Feb
Girls’ Night In
About once a month (or, occasionally, a bit more frequently…), a group of my girlfriends hold a “Girls’ Night Out.” Last week, I hosted a Valentine’s Day-themed “Girls’ Night In.” About 25 women came together for conversation, cake-tinis, cupcakes and other sweets, and I was left feeling pretty darn fortunate to be surrounded by such [...]
19 Jan
Onion and bacon tart
Saveur has a fantastic social media presence—I especially love their Facebook page. They regularly share interesting articles, great kitchen tips and incredible recipes, like the one for this easy Onion and Bacon Tart. I made this for my family over the holidays, and based on their feedback, I’d consider doubling the salt if (when!) I [...]
12 Jan
Chocolate Layer Cake
Two notes about this very traditional chocolate layer cake, made from Martha Stewart’s super easy, one-bowl chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream recipes: First, layer cakes are apparently the hip, new thing, and second, they always remind me of a sentiment I share with my girls — “I love you more than cake.” When Ava hears [...]
24 Dec
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes with Homemade Irish Cream
This year, I decided to do individually-packaged cupcakes for coworkers and friends—26 in all. I found a Peppermint Mocha Cupcake recipe on Bakers Royale, which served as the base for the project. I used the foolproof One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart, adding in espresso powder—I wish I had thought to substitute coffee for [...]
23 Dec
Holiday baking
My friend Erin hosted a holiday baking party last weekend, and anticipating a rather crowded kitchen, I opted to roll truffles. Working in a kitchenful of close friends made an otherwise tedious task fly by. We packaged the truffles by nine, and shared with them friends, teachers and neighbors. A couple of weeks ago, my [...]
