From the category archives:

Desserts

English Summer Strawberry Trifle

by Laura 4 July 2011
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When the house is helter-skelter, the list is too long, and my energy is flagging, the best thing I can do for myself is to invite friends for a meal.   The cleaning and the cooking have to be done anyhow, I figure, so why not have the happy reward of their company at the end?  [...]

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Champagne Jelly

by Laura 6 April 2011
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Yesterday a childhood friend from France came for a visit.  I served caramel rolls and pecan sticky buns and cinnamon rolls and pots of coffee. And then we moved on to champagne. I had half a bottle left and decided this morning to mold it into a shimmering champagne jelly. I used a small mold, [...]

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A Fool for April Fool’s

by Laura 31 March 2011
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We’re kind of nutty for April Fool’s Day around here. We’re a silly family in the first place (see here). My Dear Husband is the truly funny one, but the rest of us take on April Fool’s with something of a mission, as our one day of the year to make him laugh. We start [...]

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Whipped Fresh Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with Frozen Blueberries

by Laura 27 March 2011
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My Honey Girl and I attended a cheesemaking class with Jodi Ohlsen Read of Shepherd’s Way Farms yesterday, at a charming shop in St. Paul called Egg Plant Urban Farm Supply.  I’m totally smitten.  They stock baby chicks(!), chicken coop, gardening, cheesemaking, canning, and maple syrupping supplies, and more.  It’s a small retail space, but [...]

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Orange Chocolate Muffin Pudding

by Laura 21 March 2011
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Sometimes I feel a bit like the bear family that Goldilocks disturbed, or at least how I imagine they would feel, not really bothered so much as surprised. Surprised to come home to find their bedclothes rumpled and their chairs sat upon. Except that it’s not a not-so-little bear that’s disturbing my house. It’s my [...]

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A Banana Bread Spectacular :: From Plain Jane Loaf to Homey Dessert: Banana Bread Sautéed in Clarified Butter with Caramelized Bananas & Flaming Whisky Sauce, Tea Cake with Celtic Crossing Frosting, and More!

by Laura 16 March 2011
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Our Sweet Boy Freddy woke up to a happy surprise.  His friend Carly came over to bake with me Sunday morning.  Much silliness ensued. I told my friend William yesterday that I suffer from recipe brain.  It’s a blessing, until it isn’t.  It wakes me up, keeps me up, and seldom lets me rest.  I [...]

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Tipsy Pudding with Spiced Wine & Honey Cream Cheese

by Laura 15 March 2011
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I remember the St. Patrick’s Day of my childhood as the day of the Irish Sheridan sisters: there were the twins, Marguerite and Mary, and Kathleen, whom I also called ‘grandma,’ and Delores, my grandma, the youngest.  We have pictures of them, all decked out in green and standing in a row, smiling brightly, a [...]

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Vanilla Custard

by Laura 5 March 2011
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I made coconut macaroons yesterday.  This recipe is an Ole to their Lena, a Hardy to their Laurel.  It’s a pairing recipe in every sense, a frugal sister to egg-white only recipes, and a happy partner for a crumble or a figgy pudding or a slice of chocolate cake.  You could eat it with a [...]

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Swedish Rice Pudding with Spiced Sour Cherry Compote

by Laura 1 January 2011
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In the Scandinavian countries, it’s traditional to place a single whole almond in the rice pudding served at Christmastime.  Whoever finds it receives good luck for the year and a marzipan pig, a yuletide symbol of this good fortune.  We usually make this rice pudding for Christmas, but seeing as we’ll be eating it on [...]

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Winter Supper: Swedish Meatballs, Rot Kraut, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Fennel and Green Apple Salad with Juniper Berries, & Swedish Rice Pudding with Spiced Sour Cherry Compote

by Laura 30 December 2010
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After two months spent preparing for Christmas, when it’s over the mood in our house is usually a little tired.  A long, gray winter lies ahead of us and the magic of Christmas is past.  It’s nice, then, to continue the festivities for a few days by making a meal or two like this one.  [...]

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