If you make pizza crust with baking powder instead of yeast, is it still pizza crust?

The response of many pizza aficionados, when I ask this question, is an unequivocal NO.

“Baking powder crust? Sounds like home ec. class!”

“It may be good, but it’s not pizza.”

Tell that to native St. Louisans.

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Who loves Eggplant Parmesan?

I know at least some of you are interested in this layered casserole of sautéed, breaded eggplant, cheese, and red sauce.

After all, according to the Google reports I check, “eggplant parmesan” (or “parmigiana”) is one of the top 10 recipes people are looking for, nationwide, in July and August.

So what’s up with that?

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If you haven’t had the chance to sink your teeth into a soft, chewy Almond Cloud cookie yet, then we’re about to give you two more ethereal gluten-free incentives to get you on the bandwagon.

Our fans, gluten free or not, have held this cookie in high regards and rarely are there any left in our bakery case at the end of the day.

I wanted to make a simple substitution of the various nut pastes we sell to create other versions of the Almond Cloud, but I should have known better. Nothing is ever THAT simple. read the rest of this entry »

For those of you who are frequent visitors to this blog, you know one of my favorite eateries is our local diner. Nothing is better than ending a week with a plate of fresh fried chicken, REAL mashed potatoes and gravy and, of course, a piece of chocolate cream pie to go. The slice of pie is at least 4″ high, with three layers of chocolate and cream. It’s a sight to behold, and often takes me 2 days to finish.

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You know what the nice thing about zucchini is?

Ummmmm….

Well, for one thing, you don’t have to peel it.

And it’s got a pretty neutral flavor, so it doesn’t clash with the tomatoes on your shish-kebab, or the onions and Parmesan in your frittata.

Plus it grows really, really easily.

And very, very fast.

To say nothing of extremely large.

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Zucchini. Coconut.

Not a familiar pairing, you say?

Well, maybe not to those of us who grew up knowing only enough about zucchini, a.k.a. “summer squash,” to dislike it.

And those whose only thought of coconut was a Mounds bar.

But for the younger foodies out there, zucchini and coconut go together as naturally as strawberries, bean sprouts, and avocado.

Or chocolate and gingerbread. Lime and mint.

How about pumpkin and Parmesan?

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So, did the title of the blog get you riled up? No worries, I’ve no intention of starting a turf war nor am I trying to stick labels on anyone. I was just pondering the other day where I fall in the baking scheme of things, and thought it was an interesting topic.

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Every time I see a picture of pancakes, I want to drop everything, run into the kitchen, and whip myself up a quick plateful.

So why is it that I only make pancakes about once a year – if that?

There’s nothing so compelling as a hot-off-the-griddle pancake, spread with soft butter and drizzled with thick, dark Grade B maple syrup.

Or, in the case of the pancakes pictured above: tangy-sweet lemon syrup.

So what stops me from making pancakes?

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Click on any photo for a full-size view of these tempting treats (l to r, top to bottom): Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet Two Ways, Tart Cherry Ice Cream, Strawberries and Balsamic à la Mode, Chocolate Decadence, Coconut Ice Cream, Pineapple-Coconut Gelato, Strawberry Sorbet, and Mocha Madness.

Fudge chocolate chip toffee crunch ice cream.

Strawberry-mango sorbet.

Ginger-peach frozen yogurt.

We all have an ice cream flavor of our dreams, don’t we?

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