4th of July Cupcakes

Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting and festive sprinkles, made at Kristen's for the 4th of July party we're going to in Westchester today!

Coconut Cream Pie

A graham cracker crust baked with shredded coconut mixed in, filled with coconut flavored custard (flavored with coconut milk and more shredded coconut, and if I had coconut extract, that would have been in there, too), and topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and (even more!) toasted shredded coconut. Oh so tasty. We didn't let this chill for long enough before eating it (couldn't wait a whole night to pass!), so we more or less had coconut cream soup, but eating it with a spoon didn't make it any less delicious.

Blueberry Pie

Made from blueberries picked from my parents' garden last fall, frozen and then thawed, this pie was a terrific balance of tart and sweet. Glad they put up a new trellis around the blueberry trees this year so they'll have an even bigger yield in the fall!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I made this strawberry rhubarb pie for no apparent reason on a Sunday afternoon in early May, to start what became a month of many pies. Making the lattice crust is one of my favorite parts, though I didn't seem to have done a very good job weaving this one...

Easter Pound Cake

Sweet, sweet pound cake, not quite done in the center (oops!), with a strawberry compote. Made to share with family on Easter.

Banana Lime Cake

This was a fairly dry cake-- perfect for the brunch party I brought it to. The icing and dried banana chips on top added the right amount of sweetness, and the lime flavor added a nice tart zing.

Mini Carrot Cupcakes

I am on a cupcake tirade this year!! These mini cupcakes were prepared for a St. Patty's day party. I later topped some of them with green tinted cream cheese frosting, which was flavored with a little bit of melted white chocolate and lemon zest. Zing!

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

Here's a little stack of molasses cookies that were pressed into big fat crystals of raw sugar before they were baked. They turned out perfectly chewy on the inside and just enough crisp on the outside, with pretty little lines (crinkles) running across their length.

Southern cookin'

To accompany a big southern dinner, I made red velvet cupcakes (which were frosted with cream cheese frosting), sugared peanuts, and cheesy corn bread. All thanks to recipes from Paula Dean.

Superbowl cupcakes

White cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Who knew that cupcakes could be an appropriate superbowl food?

Dad's Birthday Lemon Chiffon Cake

Dad is getting a little pickier about flavors as he gets older... Lemon Chiffon seemed safe enough. This is a two layer cake with a meringue frosting. We brought it to Mediteraneo to have after dinner, which was in retrospect a silly thing to do, as they charged $8 per slice as a 'cutting fee'!!

Christmas Cheesecake Squares

These squares start with a graham cracker crust, followed by a thick cheesecake layer, and then a simple layer of chocolate ganache on top. As this treat has only a few ingredients, the quality of each is key. No slacking off and getting store brand graham crackers, eggs from caged chickens, or Hershey's chocolate.

Pumpkin and Spice Layer Cake

My highschool friend Rachel and I made this cake for her boyfriend's surprise 30th birthday party. One layer is flavored with fresh pumpkin, the other is a spice cake. Frosted with a molasses butter cream and garnished with toasted walnuts.

Apple Pie

One of the best things about fall. Apple pie made from freshly picked apples: Cortland, Granny Smith, and... a third apple that I can't remember (maybe Empire).
Piece o' pie.

Almond butter cookies

S-shaped almond butter cookies, studded with almond slivers, in a glass cookie jar. Brought these with me when I went to visit my great Aunt Lee and Uncle Mike in Providence.

Cherry Pie

Nothing like a pie made from real cherries with a lattice crust to jazz up a party (note confetti in the background, which went into the pinata...)

Lemon cheesecake

My coworker, Amanda, turned 25 today. No one in my office ever mentions when their birthdays are. I miss the ritual in my former labs to always acknowledge everyone's birthday, and use it as an excuse to bake something new. Happily, I stumbled upon Amanda's birthdate on Facebook, and promptly decided to whip up this cheesecake for her. Of course, shortly after suggestion to everyone that we take a little sugar break mid-afternoon, a delivery from a North End bakery comes through the door-- 24 cupcakes, courtesy of Amanda's mom. So by the time mid-afternoon came around, we were already plenty full of sugar. Next time, I'll make a coffeecake. That is, if I can ever find out when the next person's birthday is.

Falling Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

This is a 'falling' cake because it's pulled from the oven before the center has a chance to get firm. The raspberry sauce is a simple mixture of fresh raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. It gets boiled just until the sugar melts, and then spooned over the plated cake. The result is an unspeakable melty chocolatey raspberry deliciousness. Thanks to the Olives Dessert Table Cookbook for this yummy creation.

Oatmeal Currant Cookies

The recipe for these came from a terrific cookbook called The New Best Recipe, which explains how the writers/bakers arrived at the final recipe, through much experimentation and trial and error. This cookie came out nice and plump, unlike many oatmeal cookies, which bake into a wide, flat oily disk. Usually made with raisins, the currants made for a nice size within the cookie. Chopped almonds would have also made a nice addition. Next time.

Easter Carrot Cupcakes

Frosted with molasses cream cheese icing and topped with toasted sweetened coconut. They turned out more muffin-y than cupcake-y, but you can't go wrong with carrots for Easter.