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Toasted Sesame Peanut Bars

Toasted Sesame Peanut Bars

A very good snack bar

“You’re burning that bacon. Charles turned quickly back to the stove. It’ll just be crisp, he said, I like it crisp. He shoved the bacon out on a plate and broke the eggs in the hot grease and they jumped and fluttered their edges to brown lace and made clucking sounds.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It’s that time of year when sweets and all manner of other highly caloric scrumptious foods appear. The temptation to over indulge is everywhere. I’ve got a little diversion. It will satisfy the craving for something a little sweet with enough protein to power through the afternoon energy slump. The sesame flavor is the star of this recipe with the added bonus of peanut and coconut. A huge explosion of flavor and texture in every bite. This is a snack bar for those who enjoy the subtle flavor and crunchy texture of sesame seeds. There is anticipation of a great home made snack when the aroma of toasting sesame seeds fills the kitchen. Then the mingle of warm honey, peanut butter, coconut and vanilla seal the deal. READ MORE . . .

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Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter Frosting

Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter

The Pumpkin Chapter

“The rain started late in the afternoon. Adam huddled under his oilskin, waiting for the dark to come, and when it did he walked through the dripping night into the town of Valdosta. His black hat was pulled down over his eyes and his yellow oilskin was strapped tight against his throat.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It rained again! And snowed in the high Sierras! Our garden has soaked up every last drop, the trees are dropping leaves and it is much colder at night. This dramatic change of seasons has me baking and cooking warm and comforting recipes. Here is a sweet little pumpkin cake that has found a special place on my fall “must-bake” list. (Disclaimer, this list does not include fall pies. For pies there is no list, they are all worthy of making.) There are three cakes I make each fall: Spiced Cranberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake, Brown Sugar Pear Pound Cake and this Pumpkin Almond Cake with Almond Butter Frosting. What sets this cake apart from the abundance of seasonal pumpkin recipes is the almond butter frosting. I would have never thought to pair pumpkin with almond but Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito did and pumpkin cakes will never be the same. The recipe can be found here. READ MORE . . .

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Spiced Cranberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake

Spiced Cranberry Bundt

A Cake for Autumn

“But in California it does ordinarily rain at all between the end of May and the first of November.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It’s raining today and I couldn’t be happier. By the time I publish this post it will probably be sunny again. But such a nice big rain the first week in November is a very good thing. California is parched and ready for good news. READ MORE . . .

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Magpie Bakery’s Pear Chocolate Pie

Chocolate Pear Pie

Three Things

“If you say it’s her, it’s her, said Joe, and he pushed a twenty and a five across the table. Hal rolled the bills like a cigarette and put them in his vest pocket. He cut a triangle of meat from the rib steak and put it in his mouth. It was her, he said. Want a piece of pie?”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Life in the kitchen is always changing, moving. Make a meal, clean up, try a new recipe, more cleaning, shop, then stock the pantry and refrigerator, more eating, repeat in random order. So many variables, just like traffic. The joy of flying down the freeway, the pause to refuel, the frustration of stop and go, the cozy feeling of coming home at the end of a long day and yes, the insane amount of time we spend in our cars. A working kitchen can be a traffic jam on Highway 68 or a sweet and sassy ride down the coast of California. READ MORE . . .

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Betty Pretzer’s Apple Coffee Cake with Sour Cream

Betty Pretzer's AppleCoffee Cake with Sour Cream

The season of apples and cinnamon

“The long Salinas Valley was part of the exploitation. Adam had seen and studied a fine color broadside which set forth the valley as that region which heaven unsuccessfully imitated. After reading the literature, anyone who did not want to settle in the Salinas Valley was crazy.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Way back when (I am not divulging any dates) I worked for woman who loved to bake. She was single and new to the area so all her baking adventures were shared at the office. She was fiercely independent, having taken this new job, with a new company, in a new community. One of my favorite bosses had just been promoted and she took his place. And she arrived, a feminist in a male dominated workplace. We worked at a factory and I had been able to move from the warehouse to the accounting office. It was a lateral transfer but I no longer had to wear a hardhat or alternate working day and swing shift. We got off to a rocky start. She wanted me to take accounting classes, I resisted, she insisted. In the end she won and I took the classes. READ MORE . . .