In college, my boyfriend, Graham, took a writing class based on Cincinnati. Each week local writers came in and spoke to the class about their work. One day he texted me from class and said, “Don’t be mad, but the speaker in class today is an editor for the Joy of Cooking.” If only he would have looked at
Cuban Flan de Leche
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
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
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
Kentucky Derby Cookies: Pecan Shortbread with Bourbon & Chocolate
Living in Cincinnati is funny. I live and work in Ohio but buy my groceries and get gas in Kentucky. Even the Cincinnati airport is located in Kentucky. I often forget I’m changing states when I cross the river, but once you hit Kentucky you can feel that you’re in the South. One of the best
Fluffy Cheesecake
I recently spent a few days in Chicago exploring the city and eating incredible food. Within 72 hours I was able to have dinner at the Publican, breakfast at The Bongo Room, a polish sausage at the White Sox home opener, lunch at Xoco, snacks at Eataly, drinks at Old Town Pour House, more drinks at
Champorado – Filipino Chocolate Rice Pudding
For the next stop on the Rice Pudding Around the World series, we’re headed to the Philippines… When asked about my favorite cities and countries around the world, my two answers are Paris and the Philippines. Paris is a given, but my response of the Philippines is often met with a bit of surprise. A few years ago I studied
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
There are a few kitchen tasks that I absolutely dread doing: peeling and deveining shrimp, cutting brussels sprouts, trimming sugar snap peas, and peeling fava beans are a few that come to mind. Usually, it’s those menial, repetitive processes that take all day and bore you out of your mind. But, there are also things that
Cookbook Review: Sugar Rush by Johnny Iuzzini
It can be tough to find great baking cookbooks. Too often, pastry books have beautiful ideas but do not include the professional knowledge and exact methods needed to execute them. On the other hand, sometimes baking books are too technical and the recipes are boring and stale. But, the worst offense is recipes that are