BAKE

Summertime means peaches!Yes, for a short period every summer we are able to get some of the best peaches grown in the United States. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. What often happens is a different story. Peaches don’t grow where I live in the Midwest and due to...

Today I made a White Chocolate Cherry Cake. It’s a simple but delicous cake, good for breakfast accompanied by a steaming cup of cherry flavored coffee. I like to use fresh Door County cherries this time of year and buy frozen cherries for baking later in the winter....

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE COOKBOOKS... ME! And, I am betting, many of you! For many years I’ve been collecting cookbooks. I mean, who collects cookbooks, right? I can’t resist when I see a cookbook that is full of photos of delicious looking food (pastries) and has a...

Celebrate the 4th of July with single layer cake frosted with cream cheese frosting and lots of red and blue berries. I used raspberries for the “red” but you can substitute strawberries if you like. In season blueberries are delicious throughout the batter and on top...

My Almond Bee Sting Cake is inspired by one of my favorite Bavarian cakes, Beinenstich (bee-nin-shh-tick), which means “Bee Sting Cake”. How did the cake get its name? Once upon a time a baker invented the cake with a honey glaze. The bees were attracted to the glaze...

Light, fresh, fruity little cakes are perfect for Mother's Day! Mother’s Day was first celebrated by Ann Jarvis in 1907, the day of her mother’s memorial. Ms. Jarvis later campaigned to make Mother’s Day a national holiday. 40 years later, it became an official...

My friend, Ilse, has been baking for her friends and family all her life. Now that she lives in a senior residence, she bakes almost every day and gives her cookies or cakes to her fellow residents, the staff and anyone who happens to stop by. A lifetime of baking has...

  Salads are healthy but they don't have to be boring. They can be inventive and bold, easy to put together and as hearty as any cooked dish. The most important thing is to use the freshest ingredients possible and change things up often. I feel I've done something...

Easter is right around the corner and tagging behind is Spring!  Snowbells are already popping their litttle white heads out of the cold ground  and there is birdsong filling the air all around us. It's a time of Resurrection and Renewal. Let's make some yummy fruity...

Do you have a puppy? Then you know what it is to love a dog with your whole heart! This is Angel, my 2 year old Morkie. She is the sweetest, gentlest little 5 pound dog who fills my every day with joy, laughter and hugs. I got her when she was 6 months old… a little...

The first pan that changed my life was my Almond Cake Pan. Now another pan is changing my life, my Fillable Cupcake Pan from Germany just…

Did you know that the zucchini plant is over 7000 years old? Me neither! But after some research, I found that the plant originated in Me…

One of my favorite cakes is Lavender Cake. Just substitute Pipka’s Lavender Extract for Almond Extract in the basic Almond Cake Recipe an…

Are you wondering what to do with all your garden bounty? I don’t have squash in my garden but recently I bought beautiful organic butter…

Do you like cherries? Do you like almond? Do you like cake? If you've answered yes to any one of these three questions, you'll love, love, love this cake! It's so easy and can be served for breakfast or fancy it up a bit with vanilla ice cream or, my favorite, cherry...

Are you feeling like a couch potato? Bored with everything in your fridge? I was too until I came across this book "The Vibrant Life", eat well, be well, by Amanda Haas. Wow! The recipes are delicious, easy and don't make you feel like you've just came away from a...

What do you do when it's 90 degrees outside and you are hot, grumpy and hungry for comfort food? You might do what I did. I baked an apple pie. I know, it sounds silly, but there's nothing like a good home made apple pie even if it's hot outside. I made my first pie...

Chicken Pepperoncini and Summer Vegetable Medley by Donna Johnson My best friend’s Italian in-laws often served this delightful dish, and when she served it to me, it quickly became my easy-to-prepare favorite! I hope you enjoy it, too! A nice glass of red wine...

On of my favorite spots in Sister Bay is Analog Coffee & Ice Cream. For over 15 years, Rachel Lohman, also know as the Cookie Lady, has been the baker, chef and owner of this treasured Door County cafe. Every morning she bakes fresh cookies, muffins, scones,...

Almond Lemon Curd Cupcakes are a combination of Pipka's Almond Cake cupcakes filled with Lemon Curd and topped with a Lemon Buttercream Frosting. They are a mouthful of yummyness. Tangy from the lemon curd, cakey from the Almond Cake and decadent from the buttercream...

Over 20 years ago, I was at an open air market in Schwabisch Hall, Germany. A group of customers were standing by a table where a vender was selling local honey. Suddenly, a very fat bee buzzed around the table and everyone stood back…not because they were afraid to...

Oh my goodness, and I mean GOODNESS! Donna made this cake for my birthday and it was one of the best desserts I've ever had...and, she said, "it's so easy!" Really, Donna? It looks like a fancy dessert from a 4 star Michelin restaurant! But, yes, she was right, it is...

The lovely essence of lavender brings visions of lush rows of lavender growing in the fields of Provence. Commonly used in cooking, lavender has a sweet fragrance of lemon or citrus notes. It's used as a spice or condiment in pastas, salads and dressings, and...

I was never a huge fan of Banana Bread ... until ... on one of my road trips, I discovered Banana Muffins loaded with chocolate chips. Oh my. How was I going to be able to indulge in those delicious muffins when they were 190 miles away from home? I would try to make...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cups are one of the best desserts I've ever made and the easiest. It takes just minutes to prepare, bake and eat warm out of the oven. You only a few ingredients which you probably already have in your cupboard and a little butter (not...

Oh my gosh! This Mushroom Leek Frittata is light on the inside, crispy on top and delicious all the way through. You won't have any leftovers! And here's the fun part: you can grow your own mushrooms right in your kitchen! Wouldn't that be fun! Mushrooms give the...

Sunday morning is a good time to bake up a batch of apricot scones for breakfast. Crispy on the outside, cakey and full of apricots and sliced almonds on the inside, these warm out of the oven scones will make Sunday mornings feel like a holiday celebration. Add a...

I love with this article by Sam Sifton of the New York Times, " Good day. How’s it going for you right now, where you stay? It’s unsettling, what’s happening in our nation and across the world, and it’s maybe super-unsettling what’s happening in your neighborhood,...

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. Make your very own Irish parade. It's time to get green and celebrate with a yummy Almond Cake laced with Whipped Bailey's Irish Cream. It's easy peasy and oh, so delicious. For the cake, use my original Almond Cake recipe for the...

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day...

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner so I thought it would be fun to decorate our Almond Cake. I was inspired by the pastries I saw at Rocket Baby in Wauwatosa last year. We’re going to cut and paste, so gather up a few scraps of colorful papers, toothpicks, and...

I stepped on the scale today and didn’t like what I saw. Williams Sonoma peppermint bark and the yummy home baked holiday cookies were there, on the scale, in bold numbers! It’s time to crumble up those left over cookies and toss them to the birds! Today I’m making...

Years ago, when I was on the teaching circuit, I was invited to teach a seminar in historic Dayton, Tennessee, painting one of my Santa designs in the studio of Esther Kirby. These seminars usually lasted three days and were attended by a dozen or more enthusiastic...