Mardi Gras season is synonymous with King Cake Season. The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870. A King Cake is an oval-shaped cake to mimic the crown of a king. It is decorated in royal colors of PURPLE which signifies “Justice,” GREEN for “Faith,” and GOLD for “Power.” In the past, such ... Read More about Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) King Cake

One of the ultimate comfort foods on a cold winter morning, for me, is french toast. What I love even more, is the easy preparation and clean up with this recipe. I prepare all the ingredients in one large pyrex baking dish and instead of cooking on the stovetop, I bake it in the oven. I have also found that if I decide to make this last minute, ... Read More about Oven-baked (*quick*– not over-night!) French Toast Casserole

Every year around the Christmas holiday, I enjoy preparing a menu of sweet treats that I bake and share with family and friends. It is a tradition that has been handed down from my mother. I can still remember watching her bake dozens of cookies. She would lay them out on wax paper sheets that would cover the counters, the kitchen table, the ... Read More about Italian Tri-Color Cookies

I oftentimes listen to food podcasts when I workout (although that seems like such a ridiculous contradiction!) This recipe was featured in a segment on the Milk Street Radio podcast and I couldn't get it out of my head, so I made it! What's so cool about these? The batter is poured first, then the liquid, yet magically they reverse positions while ... Read More about Maple Whiskey Pudding Cakes

What to do with all those ripe bananas! While I love a delicious banana bread recipe, using up ripe bananas for loaves and muffins gets a little monotonous, so I went in a slightly different direction and baked up some banana scones. They resemble the breads and muffins that I usually make with all those leftover bananas, but they are toasted ... Read More about Banana Scones with Walnuts and Maple Glaze

If you're looking for ways to prepare all that zucchini that may be growing in your backyard summer garden, then you will want to try this sweet treat. And if you have trouble getting your kids to eat their veggies, they will never detect it in this chocolaty dessert. You'll never miss the eggs that have been omitted from this rich-tasting treat. ... Read More about Chocolate Zucchini Brownies