Ah, focaccia!
While you bake I like to waccia.
I’m so glad I gaccia–
My dear focaccia…

OK, blame it on the upcoming long weekend: it’s got me feeling footloose and fancy-free already. What better way to celebrate summer than with an ode to my favorite flatbread, focaccia? Or, make that doggerel, rather than ode. Whatever. I just had to sing this simple bread’s praises. (more…)

Did you know July 9 is National Sugar Cookie Day? Looking ahead, July 11 is National Blueberry Muffin Day. And the 12th? National Pecan Pie Day. Alas, you already missed National Clams on the Half Shell Day (March 31) and National Cheeseball Day (April 17). But don’t despair; if you can hang on till September 14, you can join the celebration for National Cream-Filled Donut Day—and there’s NOTHING more exciting than that. (Except perhaps National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, December 30). (more…)

It all started with an innocent cookie contest. “Vote in Our ‘08 Presidential Cookie Bake-Off!” shouts the headline on parents.com, online home of American Baby, Parents, and Family Circle magazines. “Call it the sweet side of politics—for the last four presidential elections, we’ve asked the candidates’ better halves to share their favorite cookie recipe, then asked readers to vote for the best. So far your ballots have been spot-on in terms of predicting who’ll end up in the White House—every winning spouse has moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue soon after…” (more…)

I did something I don’t often do last night. I sat down to a juicy burger for supper.

Let me amend that. I often have a hamburger for supper. A nicely browned or grilled patty, lying beside a healthy stir-fry of gingered green beans, maybe a salad, perhaps some grilled zucchini. No bun; just protein. I’m trying to keep my carb count low. And working all day here in the King Arthur Flour test kitchen, forcing myself to sample fudge brownies, and buttercream-iced cupcakes, to say nothing of cheese-stuffed focaccia… well, you can just imagine. Kermit says it’s not easy being green; for us test bakers, it’s not easy being lean. (more…)

“PANCAKE BREAKFAST! This Saturday, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., fire station. $5 adults, $3 kids, 4-and-under free. Benefit ambulance fund.”

How often have you seen a sign like this, posted on the bulletin board outside the grocery store, or on a telephone pole downtown, or in the lobby of the rec. center? (more…)

At the risk of sounding like one of those old goats who talks about walking 5 miles to school through 10-foot snowdrifts, I have to say: peaches just aren’t what they used to be.

My mom lives in Florida. I ask her if she can get good peaches down there. I figure, heck, she’s right next to Georgia; maybe the Peach State shares nicely with its neighbor to the south. (more…)

Fire up the barbecue! It’s time to grill… pound cake?

When I was growing up in Hingham, Massachusetts back in the ’60s, I lived just a long stone’s throw from the Hingham Yacht Club. Unlike many of the kids in town, I hadn’t spent my whole life on the water. And while I could distinguish a sailboat (triangular white sail, quiet) from a powerboat (motor on the back, noisy), I wasn’t really up on the nuances of sailing. (more…)

I was sitting and staring at my computer screen yesterday, zoned out, and all of a sudden two words appeared in my head clear as day: garlic knots.

“Garlic knots!” I actually spoke the magic words aloud.

“Garlic knots? What’s that?” asked Halley. (more…)

I grew up on cinnamon rolls. You know, the ones that pop out of the tube, your mom puts them in the oven, and you get to pry open the can of soft frosting and spread it on when they’re done. I LOVED those rolls; they were a top o’ the heap treat. And we only had them like twice a month; they alternated with cinnamon streusel coffeecake as the Sunday-morning-after-church reward. (more…)

The recalled model of the Easy-Bake oven®, getting its temperature taken.

Come August, we’ll be launching a new line of mixes for kids. We want to introduce children to the fun of making their own baked goods from quality ingredients. Naturally, during our chitchat about kids’ baking, the subject of the Easy-Bake oven came up. My mission was clear. (more…)