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Fresh Orange Cake with Blood Oranges

Fresh Orange Cake with Blood Orange

All the Citrus

“The whole country’s changing, Adam said. People aren’t going to live the way they used to. Do you know where the biggest market for oranges in the winter is?”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Sweet and savory lemon recipes are always part of my baking and cooking. Other citrus recipes need prompting. I almost missed the season for blood oranges this year. Instead we have cake! In my stash of want-to-make recipes I found Fresh Orange Cake with Orange Butter Cream Frosting from Family Circle, March 1971. I gave it a try with blood oranges. READ MORE . . .

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Little Biscoff Cheesecakes

Biscoff Cheesecake

Performance Art

“You know, Lee I think of my life as a kind of music, not always good music but still having form and melody.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Cooking and baking is live performance art. If you never thought you were an artist, I’m taking this opportunity to say that yes you are! We create and share and then it all disappears. Each individual act of cooking and baking is never repeated. Like a long running Broadway show, the more practice, the more consistent the performance. There are so many variables—timing, ingredients, attention to detail, experience, technique, equipment. Some performances are better than others, its real theatre. There are days when my performance is dismal. Even when I’m totally submerged in the process, it can fail. It’s a smooth performance in my kitchen theatre when a new recipe comes together easily. Little Biscoff Cheesecakes are from one such performance. READ MORE . . .

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Marvelous Lemon Ginger Sweet Rolls

Lemon Ginger Sweet Rolls

Bake and Be Happy

“There wasn’t any limit, no boundary at all, to the future.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

A belated Happy New Year! I took a break to enjoy the holidays and I hope you did too. I like to start the New Year with a baking recipe that has been lingering on my must-try list. This not a diet or Whole 30 recipe, just one mighty fine sweet roll recipe. The recipe is adapted from a 3-hole punched page from the November 1973 Family Circle magazine. It arrived in my life with a stack of old, forgotten recipes. The title, “Prize Recipes from Women’s Clubs” told me this is very likely an excellent recipe. In my kitchen, Orange Rolls from the Sunflower Sampler (Oh, what a name!) of Wichita, Kansas became Lemon Ginger Sweet Rolls. Light, super fluffy with the sweet, tart allure of lemon and warmth from candied ginger these marvelous sweet rolls are winter comfort in every bite. Eating one Lemon Ginger Sweet Roll can only be achieved with super human will power. Just serve two and be happy. READ MORE . . .

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Candy Cane Cookies

Candy Cane Cookies

A Cookie for Christmas

“But I brought you a present. She laid the folded handkerchief in Faye’s lap. Open it carefully , she said.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Candy Cane Cookies are a personal favorite. I try to make them every year. There is something about tinting the dough a rosy holiday red and smashing candy canes that signals the season to bake cookies has begun. The Candy Cane Cookies are buttery, with a soft crunch and just enough peppermint topping to evoke a traditional candy cane. READ MORE . . .

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Whole Wheat Muffins

Whole Wheat Muffins

Eating well during the holidays

“Faye drew a deep breath and plunged into the subject.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Here I am, my little place on the web. I’m feeling bold. Sharing a mostly healthy recipe in December, who does that? Not a radical as advocating a ban on holiday shopping, but still. Soon enough I’ll be diving into the cookie season. There are spiced nuts, fancy cheese and candy. Eggnog and hot chocolate too. It’s a good time to eat well. To take care, especially of ourselves. To treat ourselves with kindness, after all, that is all we have. Nourishing our bodies during this time of too much, is a special holiday gift. READ MORE . . .