A French Holiday on February 2nd! French Lessons For the last sixteen months, I’ve been studying French via Skype. My French teacher lives in the south of France. She teaches for Verbal Planet, and online language school. Each week we meet for about an hour, talking about the past week, the current week, and anything interesting coming up. Then we review my lesson’s homework, and plan for the following week. Pascale, my teacher is great. She loves cinema, food, and is very interested in the world of pastry. It’s so fun to discuss traditional recipes and customs with her. During the Christmas s ..read more

After what feels like a long spring our local strawberries are finally ripe!   We're lucky to live about 1/2 mile from a berry farm.  It's called the Berry Farmer.   We have the choice to pick or pick-up already picked berries.   While picking is fun, I must confess, I stopped and bought pre-picked berries. They are perfect. The fruit is incredible.   So juicy, and flavorful. I can go either way with shortcake.  Biscuit or spongecake.   For biscuit-style, I've used the same recipe for many years.  It's easy and really good.  I've  adapted a re ..read more

Hi and Happy Summer! I’m so happy to be back blogging and sharing recipes. I’ve rearranged physically and mentally, and am so excited to share with you. Spoiler alert… I hoping to include videos very soon. It’s been really warm here in Wisconsin. I hate to turn on the oven and heat up the house, so we’ve been grilling outside on many evenings. As I was gazing into the pantry and noticing the over abundance of garbanzo beans and other pantry staples I’ve accumulated during this pandemic, I remembered a recipe that I LOVE! It’s been a huge hit at gatherings and makes plenty for leftovers. I’m g ..read more

Happy December! Well, I’m back from Paris. It was everything I had hoped for and more. I was able to scout out some new places, and visit several of my favorites. The weather was cool, rainy, and dreary. But… it was Paris. I bundled up in an extra layer (or two, or three) and off we went. The city was just preparing for the Christmas season. The lights were being hung, but hadn’t been switched on yet. The anticipation was killing us, but perhaps another time. A very nice man, who sold me some shoes, sent a text message last week when the lights came on so we could see the pretty streets lit an ..read more

Hi everyone and happy fall! It’s been a crazy autumn season here in Wisconsin. On Halloween, we had about 3 inches of snow. Not exactly comfy for the little goblins out trick-or-treating. Classes continue here at The Little French Bakery. This fall has included several private group making macarons, croissants, and other fun pastries. I have some fantastic news for you. The Paris trip is back, and better than ever. Here’s the scoop. The dates are September 6-13, 2020. (yes! It’s Labor Day weekend, so you’ll use one less vacation day!) We’ll fly from Chicago, or a city closer to you. Our culi ..read more

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes As Spring begins to peek through from the looooong winter, I'm enjoying recipes with the fresh flavor of lemons.  I love anything lemon.  A few years ago, our friends came for the weekend and brought the ingredients for these delicious pancakes for our Sunday brunch.  They've become a favorite of ours.  Brew a big pot of coffee, grab and paper and enjoy these delicious pancakes! In this recipe, feel free to use store-bought or your very own lemon curd and fresh or frozen blueberries.  I used mostly frozen with a few fresh for garnish. My favorit ..read more

It's fun to pack up the car and head to Door County. The air is crisp, the views are beautiful and vacation is in the air. Are you vacationing this year? Any staycations?    I'll be teaching at the Savory Spoon in Ellison Bay. Jan Thomas and her team are so welcoming and fun to teach with.     We're making a Bistro Lunch. Oui!   This fall, I'll be offering the class in North Freedom. Stay tuned for dates.  There's always a pretty sunset.   Isle Lavender Farm on Washington Island.     I'll send more as the trip goes on. Happy Summer. Be safe and b ..read more

Here we go! It's Week 1. Tonight is the first episode of the The Great British Baking Show. We love the show at our house. I'm participating in Wisconsin Public Television's, Great Wisconsin Baking Challenge (GWBC). Lemon Drizzle Cake There were three challenges to choose from this week.  I choose the Drizzle Cake.  I think one of the most interesting parts about the show is the vocabulary for baked goods and ingredients. I could guess what a drizzle cake is, but I did an internet search and found a recipe I thought looked great.  It was written by Paul Hollywood, one of the sh ..read more

Happy June!  First... There are only FOUR spaces left for the October 2016 trip. We'll travel with the group of twenty. Not too big, not too small.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding the trip.  If you've always wanted to see Paris, and love food (and you must if you're reading this right now), we'll have great time exploring the sights and foods of Paris.  It's time for fresh strawberry tarts! One of the most exciting parts for me will be seeing the new Le Cordon Bleu Campus. We'll be one of the first groups to see the new classro ..read more

This fall The Little French Bakery will be returning to Paris, July 16-23, 2017 and October 22-29, 2017   I'm especially excited because I've got several new places to find and explore. I hope you'll join me. Paris just announced "the 2016 best baguettes in Paris". The boulangerie at 48 rue Madame will be on my list of stops. In addition, there will be several other food tours and stops through our week in Paris. Look what I found! A map to a few of the wining boulangeries from past years. Who's with me! Where will we be staying? Introducing the Madeleine Plaza Hotel Location, locatio ..read more