Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

Posted on • 16 comments

Lemon Meringue Ice Cream RecipeThe memory of certain taste sensations linger long past the moment we experience them.  Such is the encounter I had with this tangy ice cream.  Nearly sixteen years ago I stumbled upon this recipe in Gourmet magazine.  I was intrigued by the concept of incorporating meringue into an ice cream.  The original recipe calls for making the meringues from scratch, which is what I did the first couple times I made the ice cream.  Then, one day I came across these cute little meringues on the cookie shelf at the market.  A lightbulb went off.  Why not shortcut the work, use the store bought version and eliminate the baking step altogether.  They worked perfectly in the recipe – in fact they remained crisper than the homemade meringues. Continue reading →


Posted under Desserts, Ice Cream
Ingredients , , ,


Iced Cinnamon Bun Scones

Posted on • 9 comments

Iced Cinnamon Bun Scones RecipeI had been remiss for far too long in making these scones for my dear friend Michèle.  I had promised her months and months ago that I would make a batch just for her.  Michèle has a nut allergy and was longing for a homemade baked breakfast treat free of nuts.  When I mentioned this scone recipe to her, she pleaded, more than once, for me to bake them.  There was no particular reason for the delay, mostly it just skipped my mind.  This Sunday, I finally held true to my promise.  I served them at a brunch I made in honor of celebrating Father’s Day and my Godson’s graduation from college.  When planning my menu, I decided to make a yeast risen breakfast loaf called a babka.   My babka recipe is loaded with nuts.  I knew I needed a second breakfast pastry on my menu so Michèle would have something to enjoy.  Then, this recipe came to mind.  Finally I would make good on my word. Continue reading →


Posted under Baking, Breakfast, Nut Free, Scones
Ingredients , , , ,


Raspberry Coconut Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Posted on • 8 comments

Raspberry Coconut Goat Cheese Cheesecake RecipeSomewhere deep in my brain, this recipe appeared.  The genesis may have been the beautiful organic raspberries I spied at my local Trader Joe’s store the other day.  Or, maybe it was the goat cheese in my refrigerator calling out to be used before its expiration date.  Whichever or however it dawned on me, I’m glad it did.  I will admit, I had a few go-rounds with this cake before getting it just right.  Baking is a science and one doesn’t just randomly throw together ingredients for a cheesecake and have it work the first time – unless, of course, you are culinary school credentialed or you are Martha Stewart.  I think Martha would get it right the first time.  Nevertheless, with a few tweaks here and there, Voilà, this lovely cheesecake came into being.  Success tastes quite satisfying. Continue reading →


Posted under Baking, Cakes, Cheesecake, Desserts
Ingredients , , , ,


Chewy Cornflake Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Marshmallow

Posted on • 5 comments

Chewy Marshmallow Choc Chip Cookies with Toasted Marshmallows RecipeWith the official start of summer still two weeks away, I feel as though I had a head start on the upcoming vacation season with a couple trips I took during the month of May.  Now, I am headed home to celebrate the college graduation of my nephew Zachary.  June’s weather in Kentucky is much different from the weather in Southern California, and I am very much looking forward to it, humidity and all.  I welcome the ease that summer travel permits.  Packing was a cinch, since shorts, sundresses, and flip flops are the only clothing needed for summer days in KY.  The higher temperature days will have me paying visits to my favorite confectionery for an ice ball, heavy with cherry syrup, decadently served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom.  The balmy evening weather will conjure up memories of my childhood and a time when catching fireflies in mason jars was all a child needed as entertainment on a hot summer night.  And, as strange as this may sound, I wouldn’t mind if an evening thunderstorm rolls through while I am there.  Although I was terribly afraid of storms when I was a little girl, now that I am all grown up, I love the low roar of distant thunder as it approaches, waiting for the timing between the lightening and the bang to catch up with one another, followed by a fading away as both lightening and thunder march onto another location. Continue reading →


Posted under Baking, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts
Ingredients , , , , , , , ,


Blueberry Pie and Meeting the Boyfriend

Posted on • 8 comments

Blueberry Pie RecipeIt has been over four years since my daughter went off to college.  At the time, I didn’t think I would ever recover from Empty Nest Syndrome.  Slowly but surely I pulled myself together and marched on.  I wouldn’t say I got over it, I more or less adjusted to my new role as a mother of a college-age daughter.  In truth, once I finished licking my wounds and rejoined the living, I began to recognize some actual benefits of our altered relationship.  My deepest fear as she went off into her independent life as a college student, was that the closeness we had shared would dwindle and that visits home would be few and far in between.  SILLY ME!  Neither of those things happened.  She travels home frequently and I visit her at school from time to time.  After a brief, but necessary, period when she asserted her Freshman independence, we quickly settled back into a mutually comfortable place in our mother/daughter relationship, closer than ever.  But wait!  Fast forward four years.  Enter boyfriend stage left. Continue reading →


Posted under Baking, Desserts, Pies
Ingredients , , ,