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Cherry Almond Scones

Cherry Almond Scone

A Favorite Recipe

“For the world was changing, and sweetness was gone, and virtue too. Worry had crept on a corroding world, and what was lost—good manners, ease and beauty? Ladies were not ladies any more, and you couldn’t trust a gentleman’s word.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Oh wow! What an election year! Every day brings more information and mis-information. It’s a dizzy time in America. The one-two punches hit in the gut. Emotional responses explode throughout the media. Discussing the election is for the brave. I am already weary of the politics. Let’s bake our way to November to keep our sanity. READ MORE . . .

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Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies

Cherry Cookie

A Perfect Valentine

“Come here, Kate said, and while the girl waited beside the desk Kate slowly addressed the envelope and stamped it. I want you to run a little errand for me, she said. Go to Bell’s candy store and get a five-pound box of mixed chocolates and a one-pound box. The big one is for you girls.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

For a little sweetness on Valentine’s Day I have the perfect cookie. Sour cherries, almond and lemon are nestled in an ethereal cream cheese cookie. Flaunting an alluring Bing cherry this cookie surpasses the swagger of the overly sweet candy of Valentine’s Day. READ MORE . . .

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Lemon Cherry Bread

Lemon Cherry Bread

Kneading Conference West

“You couldn’t buy flour, white flour, any more without taking four times the quantity of brown flour. Those who could afford it ate bread and biscuits with white flour and made mash for the chickens with the brown.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Bakers of bread, owners of bakeries, farmers of grain and millers of flour gathered in Burlington, Washington at the WSU-Mount Vernon Research Center in September to share all things that make a better bread. Kneading Conference West was a dough filled weekend stuffed with learning and floury experiences in whole grain breads. Workshops, panels and presentations, field trips, networking and bread fresh from the oven are few of the highlights of the conference. Wood-fired bagels for breakfast, challah warm from the oven, tangy sourdough fruity and sweet with raisins and apples and a thrilling heritage wheat puff pastry all were part of the experience. READ MORE . . .

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Cherry Hand Pies

Handpies

Organization Dilemmas

“Liza’s little round face grew redder and redder. She organized and ordered. The kitchen stove never went out.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I have always been proud of my organization skills. When my possessions and treasures have a specific place I feel better about my personal environment. This is especially true in the kitchen. I am delighted when I know what is in my pantry or freezer and where it is located. Taking inventory and locating ingredients before the next shopping trip is so much faster and less frustrating. This week I organized and then went shopping. When I came home I crammed everything in the freezer and pantry without any thought of the time I had just spent organizing. I realized this is my style of organization and a pattern of behavior that might “possibly” be frustrating for those who share the kitchen with me. I’m astonished at my habits and method of organization in the kitchen. When you return from shopping, do you have have the discipline and time to organize everything as you put it away? READ MORE . . .

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Triple Cherry Brownies

Triple cherry brownies

A decadent summer dessert

“Look Charles, things grow so fast in California they say you have to plant and step back quick or you’ll get knocked down.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I left a sunny 65° Salinas and headed northeast to Gilroy to pick Bing cherries. Buckley Orchard is a small family owned orchard in the southern Santa Clara Valley. When I arrived in Gilroy at 10 a.m. it was already 82°. Heading home several hours later, the temperature had climbed to 93°. It was very warm at the cherry orchard for someone used to living along the coast! The trees were bursting with cherries and picking them was easy. Photographing the lush cherries was my favorite part of the trip to the orchard and that is how I ended up in the heat long after my basket had been filled. READ MORE . . .