Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we’ve no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

HA. That’s all well and good for romantic winter-istas, who like to imagine beautiful flakes sifting out of a soft evening sky through lantern light.

Or for skiers, snowmobilers, sledders, or snowman-builders. (more…)

Yep, The Big Cheese-y.

That’s what I wanted the headline on the email accompanying this blog to read. I thought it was cute - you know, a nifty cross between The Big Cheese and The Big Easy.

But when I ran it past my Web teammates? THUD. Lead balloon, big time.

So nanananapoopoo, Webbies – it’s headlining this blog instead.

Where it’s absolutely apropos: what could be cheesier, or easier, than that classic comfort-food favorite, mac and cheese? (more…)

When is a waffle not a weekend breakfast treat?

When it’s a sugar waffle. A crisp/crunchy, waffle-pocket cookie, a cookie touched with malt for darkly delicious flavor. (more…)

Ah, chocolate cake, topped with light-as-air coconut frosting and filled with [the secret ingredient]…

(more…)

What? ANOTHER pizza recipe?!

Hey, pizza is like chocolate layer cake, Chinese food, and macaroni and cheese: you can eat it your whole life, and somehow never get tired of it.

Still, variations on the theme are always welcome. And Pizza Sfincioni, with its thick layer of crunchy bread crumbs on top, is unusual indeed. (more…)

From our kitchen to yours – happy holidays, and here’s to a bright and beautiful 2010!

Best wishes (and thank you) from your fellow bakers at King Arthur Flour.

December 21, the official start of winter, is the shortest day of the year – the winter solstice. And for those of us up North, this means a scant 10 hours of weak daylight – and over 14 hours of darkness.

It’s no wonder that northern Europeans used to gather on December 21 and burn bonfires all night long, imploring the sun to return. In Scotland, the tradition was enhanced with the addition of oat shortbread – baked in a round, and notched around the edge to resemble the sun’s rays.

The buttery shortbread we serve these days is a far cry from that original oatcake. But it’s still just about the simplest cookie you can make: flour, butter, and sugar, enhanced with a touch of salt, maybe vanilla. That’s your basic shortbread. (more…)

Ah, Christmas! The day so many of us have been preparing for lo, these many weeks. Now, believe it or not, it’s just 7 days away.

Do YOU have your Christmas breakfast strategy planned yet?

I mean, we’re talking a Big Issue here: how to enjoy Christmas with your family - the tree, the music, the kids’ explosive excitement – and still ensure everyone gets something yummy in the tummy before happy turns to cranky (as it’s wont to do, when breakfast is late).

Cornflakes? Too commonplace. An elaborate sitdown? Itchy kids can’t sit.

The solution? Make ahead, bake in the morning. (more…)

Looking for a cookie that travels well? One that stays fresh for weeks, stands up to the rough-and-tumble of a UPS warehouse, and happily makes a cross-country (or transcontinental) journey without crumbling?

You’ve found it.

Biscotti are my favorite pack-and-send cookie, whether I want to surprise my mom in Florida, or treat my buddies in Maine.

Or my virtual friends in Australia. Or my in-laws right next door in Massachusetts – who over the years have been the beneficiary of many a test-kitchen goodie, including all manner of biscotti.

In casting around for a different biscotti flavor, one I hadn’t made in awhile, I found my thoughts drifting to cookbooks. My go-to source for recipes these days is the Internet. But before there was Google, there was Good Maine Food… (more…)

Cake, cookies, fruitcake, chocolate, sweet sweet SWEET!

Let’s face it, the holidays are totally about sugar. If you’re not building a candy-laden gingerbread house or baking fancy iced cookies for a cookie exchange, you’re probably making chocolate truffles and buttercrunch to go in the goodie bags you’ll hand out to friends and neighbors.

Maybe you love every second of it, starting with the October fruitcakes, and finishing up with those Santa cookies you make with the kids on Christmas Eve day.

Or maybe, after cramming all the holiday baking into one carb-filled weekend marathon, you never want to look a cup of sugar in the eye again.

Are you there – just about ready to go over that super-sweet edge? This cheesy recipe’s for you. (more…)