There’s something about short days and cold weather that make cake seem like a reasonable breakfast option. Especially if said cake generously spiced, laden with pumpkin (vegetables!) and sprinkled with a cinnamon-scented brown sugar pecan streusel. I’m usually more of a savory breakfast person, but I just love this pumpkin coffee cake. It’s just the …
I woke up this morning to discover that the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union. It’s a shocking result, that leaves me feeling like the whole world has gone utterly mad. Even as an American, I’ve been able to enjoy the benefits of open borders between EU countries in my travels and …
We’ve reached an odd place with pumpkin-spice flavored products. It’s a flavor that’s become absurdly ubiquitous during the months of October and November. It’s not just the notorious Starbucks’ lattes, but also the Pringles and the beef jerky and the Peeps. Clearly, the flavor is popular, but it has also become, in recent years, a perennial object …
I spent the entirety of the week before last in a baking marathon. These brown butter apple almond cakes were just one of five different desserts plus a two-tier cake I made. I was tasked with creating and producing a dessert buffet for our friends’ Traci and Dan’s wedding. Traci loves good food and is …
In the summer, I love rustic fruit-filled baked goods. I’ve eaten my share of crisps and crumbles and cobblers, but until recently, I was unfamiliar with the buckle. Buckles are crisps’ and crumbles’ cakier cousin. A buckle is similar to a torte or a coffee cake that’s been loaded up with fresh seasonal fruit. The …
It was 70° on Saturday. Then on Sunday it turned cold and misty. And today it was colder still with a forecast for snow. It’s springtime in Chicago. A season that always seems intent on doubling back on itself a few times before it settles in for good. It’s a good day for simple comforting …