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Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

Topped with the best blueberries summer can offer Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie is plump with a creamy custard filling.

“A gardener had trimmed the ancient roses, planted geraniums, laid out the vegetable flat, and brought the living spring into little channels to wander back and forth through the garden.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Topped with the best blueberries summer can offer Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie is plump with a creamy custard filling. Cradled inside a cinnamon laced graham cracker crumb crust this pie is ready for any occasion. READ MORE . . .

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Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake

Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake

The Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake would be the perfect foundation for a pile of sweet, juicy summer fruit and berries. The Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake is soaked in a easy, no cook syrup, delivering all the lemon flavor any lemon lover could crave.

“ There’s a capacity for appetite, Samuel said, that a whole heaven and earth of cake can’t satisfy.” 

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

As soon as the recipe for Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake landed in my in-box it had to be baked. Some people search for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, (a noble goal) others the best lemon cake. Count me in the lemon cake group. Not sure if this is the best Lemon Cake, that would mean my search was over! But it certainly is an Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake. Soaking the Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake in a simple, no cook syrup, after baking delivers all the lemon flavor any lemon lover could crave. Even my resident chocolate lover raved about the Irresistible Lemon Bundt Cake. Or perhaps Dorie Greenspan’s recommendation of this Maida Heatter recipe will convince you to go forth and bake.  READ MORE . . .

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Garden photos

Rose Bud

Garden photos after the rain.

“But in California it does not ordinarily rain at all between the end of May and the first of November.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Sharing garden photos after the early May rain. Even more rain is coming this week. This has been a stellar year for rain and snow in California. After years of drought, everything is growing and blooming. Lush. Summer will be majestic this year. READ MORE . . .

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Easy Milk and Honey Whole Grain Bread

Easy Milk and Honey Whole Grain Bread

Easy Milk and Honey Whole Grain Bread is flavorful and nutritious, with a soft, rich texture and tender crumb. It has become a family favorite.

“She heard the air whooshing into the big bellows in the forge and the practice tap for range of hammer on anvil. She heard Liza open the oven door and the thump of a kneaded loaf on the floury board.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Introduced to whole grain bread at a conference, I marveled at the nutty taste. It was so different from the white bread we usually ate. The whole grain bread was fragrant and satisfying. Held in a redwood grove near the coast in northern California, it was a typical foggy, damp, coastal morning. When we arrived, we were offered warm-from-the-oven, whole grain bread with butter and honey. The bread warmed our spirits and filled us with whole grain nourishment. The memory of whole grain bread and warm honey has stayed with me. This recipe for Easy Milk and Honey Whole Grain Bread is my ode to that day. READ MORE . . .

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Salad of Romaine and Oranges

Romaine Orange Salad

In this Salad of Romaine and Oranges, crunchy lettuce and sweet oranges play well with briny olives and the crunch of chubby walnuts tossed in a simple vinaigrette. This is the kind of salad that demands second servings and will disappear every time you make it.

“In March the soft rains continued, and each storm waited courteously until its predecessor sank beneath the ground. The warmth flooded the valley and the earth burst into bloom—yellow and blue and gold.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

This Salad of Romaine and Oranges fills our craving for fresh greens and bright flavors while we wait in anticipation for spring. Its that in between time. Feels like spring, bright sunshine and everything has turned green. But the mornings are still cold and more rain is on the way. Then it still feels like winter. The seasons here are late and get jumbled with influence from the great Pacific Ocean. The one thing that is constant, never flinching or wishy washy is citrus season. Every year oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes arrive to brighten the dull colors and flavors of winter cooking. READ MORE . . .