How many different pizza recipes are there in the world?

Well, how many imaginative pizza bakers are there? Millions?

Then there are certainly millions of pizza recipes.

If Pizza Hut One-Topping is the base of the pyramid; and the “Special Pie” (Brussels sprouts, béchamel, shaved chestnuts, bufala mozzarella and smoked bacon) at New York City’s current hot pizza restaurant, Co, is near the top; then think how many variations on the pepperoni/Hawaiian/barbecue theme lurk in between. Read the rest of this entry »

Brioche.

If you have any experience at all with brioche, merely seeing the word probably sends a shiver down your spine.

A shiver of anticipation for the ultra-tender, super-buttery bread that emerges from your oven.

And a matching shiver of angst at the difficult dough that precedes that loaf. Read the rest of this entry »

Winter is truly a beautiful time of year here in New England. Soft blankets of snow cover fields and coat mountains. Rooftops, cars and even the mailboxes sport their little domed caps of snow, making everything look a little softer, a little puffier and a little gentler. Driving to work becomes a experience not just for the road conditions, but for seeing your everyday surroundings in a new light and giving new life to rustic scenes, like this Vermont farmhouse. Rich in detail, it is easy to assemble and customize to your style.

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We’ve all heard the never-ending array of holiday fruitcake jokes, right?

The famous Johnny Carson line: “There really is only one fruitcake in the world, passed from family to family.”

And the recipe that starts like this: “10 undented cans of Spam, 5 bags of those horrible little jellied fruits…”

And this ditty, sung to the tune of The Monkees’ Last Train to Clarksville:

Eat the last piece of fruitcake
that we got from Auntie Mabel
We can’t keep it in the kitchen
‘cause it broke right through the table and the floor
Oh no no no, oh no no no…  Read the rest of this entry »

Oh Ralphie, it’s been one of those days. There wasn’t anything in the house for a good breakfast, and no leftovers to take for lunch. The dog left presents on the carpet, I forgot to put gas in the car yesterday, so I had to leave early for work to stop to fill up the tank, during which I spilled gas on my foot. Now I’m frazzled and I smell like Petunia Petrol and my day hasn’t even started yet. Add in a crashed computer, 27 people asking “What’s that smell?” and a rainy ride home, and I want dessert NOW! Read the rest of this entry »

See that pie? The one above, the first thing your eyes were drawn to when you opened this page?

I made that pie. And I got the highest compliment on it from Halley, our King Arthur Web director.

Halley: Who made that pie in the kitchen?

Me: I did.

Halley: You’re kidding! I thought Sue made it.

Me: Yeah, really… Read the rest of this entry »

“The frost is on the pumpkin.”

Sure, we’ve all heard that expression (haven’t we, class?) It comes from the title of a famous poem (well famous to us American lit. majors) by James Whitcomb Riley, a short bit of doggerel that begins like this:

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock…

I don’t know about the fodder being in the shock, but I sure am. I finally took my summer vacation last week, down on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Where the temperature was 20° below normal, the state was recording its earliest ever snowfall, and the frost was definitely on the punkin. Read the rest of this entry »

As much as I love summer – with its respite from boots, icy roads, and heating bills – I’m never devastated to see it go. Because hard on its heels is my favorite season, fall: best baking time of the year.

Think about it. Fresh, crisp apples, ready to slice, dice, and chunk into a cinnamon-y apple pie, or streusel-topped crisp, an apple challah, or my favorite totally moist, ridiculously dense apple cake with over-the-top brown sugar frosting.

And then there’s all that zucchini, crying to be made into chocolate zucchini cake. And the butternut squash (and potatoes, and onions, and peppers), perfect for roasted vegetable pizza. Read the rest of this entry »

You know, Starbucks really does have some good ideas.

And I’m not above stealing them.

Not that I visit the World’s Favorite Bistro often; there’s not a Starbucks within 100 miles of me.

But when I travel, I find myself slipping into the first Starbucks I see – you know, just to check things out.

Also, since I recently learned a cup of plain coffee at Starbucks is cheaper than a cup at Dunkin’ Donuts – ’tis true! – I’ll treat myself to some Starbucks buzz: both literally, and figuratively. Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, the brownie – considered by many to be the perfect treat. Rich, tender, and delightfully chocolate-y, there aren’t many ways to improve on a brownie, unless it’s to add two kinds of cherries; almonds; plus chunks of chocolate; then coat bite-sized pieces in chocolate, and add fun decorations. The perfect portion with a touch of whimsy. Now that’s a BROWNIE!

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