Mini Reese's Cookies

I made these for a friend who loves Peanut Butter Cookies.  I thought, why not spike them up a bit, because who doesn't love chocolate peanut butter cups!?.
I found Mini Mini Peanut Butter Cups in the Whole Foods bulk aisle.  You can also buy them here.

Holy Sweet!

Here's the Scoop:

The Flavor is Vanilla

Oreos are my Childhood Favorite

Smothered with Skippy is my Guilty Pleasure 

I was introduced to this amazing Oreo Skippy combination by a friend when I was feeling a little blue...

Honey Almond Cakes

When life hands you eggs, split them!

Last weekend I made Lemon Crème brûlée for 8 people and hollandaise sauce for my brother, leaving me with a hell of a ton of egg whites!
There was no way I was going to let a hen's hard work go to waste, so whether to use the whites or not was not a question.  Thinking of how to use them though got me very excited!
I have been wanting to make the little French tea cakes called financiers for quite some time now, and they call for only egg whites, how perfect.

Strawberry Sunday

There are few things in life better than waking up on a Sunday with absolutely no obligations and plans.

To have the whole day to do whatever makes you happy... How often does this happen, really!?

I love a culinary challenge and any opportunity to get creative in the kitchen.  I thought, "Well, I have a big carton of strawberries, why not make every meal today involve strawberries somehow!?"

And that's what I did: created, cooked and indulged in 3 meals plus dessert!

Breakfast:

Baked Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble

Lunch:

Melting Cambozola, Strawberry and Thyme Crostini

Dinner:

Seared Ahi Tuna with Strawberry Salsa

Dessert:

Chocolate Lava Cake with Strawberry Coulis

What a delicious Sunday!

I'll write down my recipes before I forget, and post soon.

Pick Me Up Rice Pudding

When you're feeling a tad down in the dumps, there's nothing better than a little warm creamy sweetness to get your happy pheromones jumping :o)
Rice pudding does the trick

Baklava

Sweet, Sweet Heaven

Lemon Torte

I have been craving lemon poppy seed cake... 

...so when my friend's mom, Rosco, gave me a bag of Meyer lemons from the tree in their backyard, I was more than anxious to get home to my cookbooks...

Rosco is so loving and generous and insisted that I take home with a bag full of lemons.  This recipe only takes 4 lemons and I can not wait to try more recipes with the remaining 20 something lemons!

Almond and Coconut Berry Tart

I've been waiting for an excuse to experiment with coconut flour and coconut butter for some time now.
So, when my friends and I decided to take a trip to Tomales Bay to BBQ oysters, I thought, "What better opportunity?  If I happen to not like oysters, I'll still have an entire tart to enjoy!"
Well, I happened to love BBQ oysters, especially the butter and hot sauce smothered on top (check out the BBQ here)

Thai Coconut Rice with Fresh Mangos

 My favorite Thai dessert!

Super easy to make for a crowd, this recipe can even be tripled
and made way in advanced

Carmel Graham Cookies

My Aunt Izzy is the inspiration behind my love affair with food and cooking.  I have many childhood memories of summers spent in the kitchen whipping up treats with Izzy and Mindee (my cousin).
These Graham Crackers were a favorite of mine and Mindee's and were requested often.
With only 4 ingredients, these tasty treats are super easy to make, even for kiddies

Rhubarb Bars

Ganache Bars

Bars are great to make for parties and events, especially when you are tight on time.

I made these just with the few ingredients I already had in the house for a 1 year old birthday party!

Unfortunately, Milo is too young to enjoy such indulgences, but one day...

Milo playing in the box

Coconut Cupcakes

with cream cheese frosting and a surprising bite of chocolate inside

I decided to make these mini for a friend's birthday celebration...bite size anything is just more fun, and maybe even guaranteed to taste better!

Plus, mini-ness helps with portion control, because 7 mini really equals one regular size cupcake, right? ;o)

The Best White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie...

...ever!

Have I mentioned I'm obsessed with salty-sweet treats!? ;o)

The salty flavor of the nuts go so well with the sweet white chocolate flavor, purely sublime!

Hazelnut Ganache Tart with Sea Salt

Um, Yum!

I am such a sucker for Sweet + Salt!

A perfect dessert to serve a crowd-

this is sure to impress your dinner guest

Seasonal Fruit Cobbler

Peach and Raspberry (this time)

Nonna's Biscotti

Gluten/Sugar Free and Vegan Almond Biscotti

My Italian grandmother would be disappointed to see what I have done to the family biscotti recipe. But, in my defense, it's 20-10 and with new research coming out showing the negative effects wheat and sugar have on our bodies, I felt the need to make a few adjustments.

How Sweet it is to be Lavender

Sweet & Salty = Perfection!

I have been having a recent obsession with sweets sprinkled with salt!

The 3 flavors here (sugary sweetness, earthy lavender and savory salt) make these shortbread cookies little bites of heaven!  

Choose the Flavor, Fruit Jam Bars

I love making these bars because they are simple to make and so delicious.

My mom has been making these for as long as I can remember.  Every summer she makes homemade raspberry jam, and always makes a batch of these bars with her jam.

Peach Puff Pastry (say that 5 times fast)