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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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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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Rick O’Connell’s Pear and Polenta Tart

Pear Polenta Tart

Good Intentions

“Back in her room he said, “Didn’t have no apples. He said this was a good pear.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

One of the things I intend to do each year is to bake recipes I haven’t tried before. I’ve had this recipe from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book on my list to try for years and decided it would be my first good intention of this year. This quote from Marion Cunningham always captures my imagination. “Not truly a tart, but a wonderful creation! The yellow cornmeal crust covers pear halves, which make little hills all over. This is an outstanding recipe in every way.” The line drawings of the tart with hills made of pears are just as scrumptious as the recipe description. Just in case there were any thoughts about the worthiness of this recipe. Mr R said he could eat this tart all day long. That is quite a statement since there is absolutely no chocolate in the recipe. READ MORE . . .

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Tropical Banana Cake

Tropical Banana Cake

Return of the Lounging Bananas

“Kate was in no hurry. She thought to the end very quickly and then put it out of her mind. She let herself work on the method. She built a structure and attacked it, and if it showed the slightest shakiness she tore it down and started fresh.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The ripe bananas have returned. My fruit bowl has become a tropical retreat. Mangos and oranges lounge seductively atop a pile of sultry ripe bananas. Their presence needed only a nudge from coconut and ginger to become Tropical Banana Cake. Sweet bananas on a tropical vacation end up lounging with their new friends, ginger, mango and coconut. Ginger sparkles dropping hints of tropical warmth. Tantalizing mango blushes with sweet buttery spice while coconut sways in the balmy breeze. A tropical escape baked in a cake. READ MORE . . .

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Spiced Banana Faro Muffins with Ginger Streusel Topping

Spiced Banana Faro Muffins

Lounging Bananas Cause Disturbance

“He lay hidden during the day and went in search of food at night–turnips, a few ears of corn from a crib, a few windfall apples–nothing that would be missed.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Ripe bananas have a haunting quality. In the beginning they hold such great promise as a snack tucked in a lunch bag or perched atop cereal for breakfast. They lounge in the fruit bowl until green becomes yellow— and then brown. When the brown spots appear I wonder where the sunny topical escape went? Still lounging and now forgotten in the fruit bowl I must decide the fate of the very ripe bananas. It is disturbing to throw them away and yet Banana Bread often sounds too mundane. Besides I need three bananas for my Banana Bread recipe, and sometimes I only have two bananas. Bananas can be frozen and I did that once. I ended up with a huge bag of frozen bananas. I just kept adding bananas to the bag. I wasn’t using the bananas, I was storing them. With an inventory of two ripe bananas I decided muffins were to be made. And not just any old boring muffin, I wanted a muffin to cure the lounging banana disturbance. READ MORE . . .