I love talking to people about their favorite recipes and the foods they grew up with. At my last job, we had some of the friendliest and most interesting produce delivery drivers. While I did not look forward to checking in the order and putting all of the produce away, I always enjoyed talking to
Tips for Better Baking: Bake Pies on a Baking Sheet (#35)
It’s always a good idea to bake pies on a baking sheet. Not only does it make it easier to get the pies in and out of the oven, but a sheet pan will catch any filling that bubbles over. It’s much easier to clean a foil lined baking sheet than the bottom of your
Blueberry Peach Pie
Last Thursday evening I taught my first cooking class called “It’s All About the Pie Crust” at Cooks’Wares in Mongtomery, Ohio. I was nervous in the days leading up the the class. Having never taught a cooking class before, I was not sure what to expect. I feared losing track of time, worried about forgetting ingredients, and
Baked Avocado
One of my favorite things about this blog is the opportunity to talk about food, cooking, and travel with people I don’t see often or may have never even met in person. Since I started this blog last year, my friends and family members often send me recipes and food articles that they think may
Tips for Better Baking – Measuring Sticky Ingredients (#34)
Tips for Better Baking is a series where I share tricks and advice that make you a better baker and help make your kitchen life easier. Here’s this week’s tip: When measuring sticky ingredients such as honey or corn syrup, spray the measuring cup or spoon with cooking spray before adding the sticky ingredient. The
Middle Eastern Mint Lemonade (Limonana)
Julie, my next-door-neighbor in Perrysburg, is currently in Amman, Jordan. Julie is an audiologist and is on a humanitarian mission to help fit children with hearing aids. I’ve never been to the Middle East so I was excited to hear her stories and, being that Middle Eastern and Mediterranean are two of my favorite cuisines, talk
Strawberry Buttermilk Chess Pie
Can I go on a rant for a moment? I have some issues with current dessert trends that I need to get off my chest. Outrageous desserts have never appealed much to me but when I recently noticed recipes popping up for something called ‘slutty brownies’ it pushed me over the edge. There are several variations for slutty
Apricot Galette
My first restaurant job was making sandwiches and salads at a small cafe that served healthy, seasonal and really delicious food. A few times a week the pastry chefs from the main restaurant would deliver baked goods to fill the large pastry case at the front of the cafe. While making sandwiches and salads wasn’t
All Butter Pie Crust – Part 2: How to Roll Out Pie Dough
Last week I shared (nearly) everything I know about mixing pie dough for an all butter pie crust and now it’s time to talk about the next step – how to roll out pie dough. There is one overarching theme in every aspect of pie baking: the importance of practice. The best way to learn how to roll
All Butter Pie Crust – Part 1: Mixing the Dough
My absolute favorite thing to bake is pie crust. I’ve always had a love for pie, but making pie dough did not come easily for me. I can remember several Thanksgiving and Christmas pie baking attempts that resulted in burnt edges, crusts slumped and shrunk in the pan, a broken food processor, a major burn on my