Cranberry Orange Cake

Celebrate fall flavors with this easy, company-worthy delight

Autumn arrives this week in our part of the world. So we’re looking forward to seasonal treats.

Cranberries and oranges are two of our fall faves. Here, we combine them in an easy, tasty sheet cake – great for desserts or snacks.

Perfect for company, too. Let them eat cake. 

Strawberry Crumble with Chili Crisp

Sweet with a touch of spice, a perfect way to celebrate strawberry season

We love us some summer berries! Especially in baked goodies.

Like this Strawberry Crumble with Chili Crisp. We’ve taken a traditional recipe, then added an iconic Asian condiment for pizazz.

Because who doesn’t like pizazz?

Cranberry-Apple Crisp with Nut Crumble

Autumn’s most popular fruits make this a festive dessert

Apples and cranberries are both autumn icons. So why not set them up for a date?

They get along beautifully in this dish: Cranberry ting enlivens apple mellowness. And baking concentrates their flavors, bringing out the best in both.

With Thanksgiving coming up soon, you’ll want to add this dish to the menu. Your guests will gobble it up.

Spicy Party Nuts

Nothing Livens Up a Super Bowl Bash like These Roasted Pecans     

Planning a party?  Then you’re probably looking for flavorful finger food — you know, munchies and small appetizers.  These Spicy Party nuts fill the bill admirably. 

Most people like nuts — and they like them even better when you add some spice to the mix.  This is a flexible recipe.  Although I’m using pecans in this batch, you can include almost any nut you fancy.  In fact, this dish might be even better if you use a mixed assortment — it’s a great way to use up any leftover, half-empty bags of nuts you may have on hand from your December baking.

With Super Bowl Sunday coming up — a party opportunity rivaled only by New Year’s Eve — you’ve got the perfect excuse to make these great Spicy Party Nuts.  And the perfect excuse to eat them.  If your team wins, celebrate with an extra helping.  And if they lose?  Well, these tasty treats will help take your mind off those bums!  

The Ultimate Chocolate Brownie

Moist, Luscious, and Irresistible

If you like chocolate, you like brownies.  There’s no better vehicle for bundling maximum chocolate flavor into an easy-to-eat package.  Brownies combine chocolate with fat and sugar in a delicate balance that seems to make chocolate even more chocolaty.  And this recipe does it better than any other.

OK, so I haven’t sampled every brownie recipe known to mankind (there are thousands!), but I’ve had more than my share.  And if there’s a better recipe out there — one that delivers deeper, richer chocolate flavor — I’d like to know about it.  Until someone demonstrates otherwise, I can confidently say that this recipe is the champion.

How appropriate!  With the Olympics going on right now, you can bake a batch — and win your own gold medal.

Best Chocolate Drop Cookie Ever

My Great-Grandmother’s Recipe Delivers Moist Richness

Who doesn’t like chocolate?  And who doesn’t like a good chocolate cookie?

The trouble is, a really delicious chocolate cookie can be hard to find.  A lot of chocolate cookies look great.  But when you bite into them?  Meh.  Dull flavor.  Chalky texture.   Sometimes acidic or bitter undertones.

So let me introduce my great-grandmother.  She baked one of the best chocolate cookies ever.  They’re moist and rich, with a deep chocolate flavor.