There are several chocolatiers in Santa Cruz where you can find excellent handmade chocolates Home Table of contents THE BEST CHOCOLATIERS IN SANTA CRUZ MUTARI GOOSE’S GOODIES DONNELLY CHOCOLATES ASHBY CONFECTIONS THE BEST CHOCOLATIERS IN SANTA CRUZ Santa Cruz is fortunate to have several exceptional chocolatiers. Some have shops and some sell at the farmer’s market or online. MUTARI Mutari Craft Chocolates We are lucky to have a craft chocolate producer in Santa Cruz – Mutari Craft Chocolate. Their growers farm year after year on the same location, not moving into new lands, and they know ..read more

This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. It is crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, loaded with flavor and big chunks Home Table of contents TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER This is the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. It was created by combining tips from some of the best bakers and using the very best ingredients. I really liked ideas from Shirley O. Corriher, Joanne Chang, Sara Moulton and America’s Test Kitchen. All of the ..read more

A POG drink recipe for making POG from fresh squeezed juice Home Table of contents POG DRINK IN HAWAII FRESH SQUEEZED FRUIT POG DRINK IN HAWAII POG gets it’s name from the three fruits it is made from – Passion Fruit, Oranges, and Guavas. Found in cans all over Hawaii, but only recently did I discover POG in Maui that was fresh squeezed. Wow – such a difference. POG FRESH SQUEEZED FRUIT When we got home, I realized that all three fruits grow in our neighborhood, so it was easy to bring a little bit of the islands back home. Our farmer’s market or fruit stand also has them in season. The ..read more

This recipe makes the best ice cream – chocolate ice cream with a peanut butter swirl. It is incredibly smooth and creamy, but it’s a quick and easy method. Home Table of contents INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM THE SMOOTHEST HOMEMADE ICE CREAM THE WHYNTER ICE CREAM MAKER INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM We started with the best ingredients, and that made a big difference. Brands vary in quality, so we have listed what we used. Some of the ingredients also affect the texture. They keep the ice crystals small so the ice cream stays creamy ..read more

We were looking for cupcakes in Santa Cruz California. And we found the perfect thing. Home Table of contents Buttercup Cakes and Farmhouse frosting My Cupcake Corner Buttercup Cakes and Farmhouse frosting Butttercup cakes Tony and I had the pleasure of photographing at Buttercup Cakes and Farmhouse frosting at their shop in downtown Santa Cruz. It was one of the cutest cupcake shops I’ve ever been in. Recently, however, they suffered some unfortunate setbacks. The shop was moved, and then closed at the beginning of Covid. Later moved to Davenport, it burned during the fire. However, they ..read more

This is our homemade olallieberry sorbet recipe. After a morning of berry picking, we made olallieberry sorbet recipe from the berries. Home Table of contents BERRY PICKING INGREDIENTS FOR OLALLIEBERRY SORBET RECIPE THE WHYNTER ICE CREAM MAKER Gizdich RanchBERRY PICKING A trip to the farm can be a fun and educational outing, as well as an opportunity to get some of the best local produce. We picked the olallieberries at Gizdich ranch. They have berry picking during the season as well as a picnic area and homemade pies. INGREDIENTS FOR OLALLIEBERRY SORBET RECIPE We started with the best in ..read more

How to Make Real Cream Cheese at Home Using an Instant Pot Home Table of contents CULTURING CREAM CHEESE INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING IT AT HOME MAKING HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE IN AN INSTANT POT HOW MAKING CREAM CHEESE IN AN INSTANT POT FITS IN WITH OUR PLAN TO EAT BETTER Real Cream CheeseCULTURING CREAM CHEESE This is a cultured milk product. A specific culture is added to cream and then the cream is kept warm for hours while it thickens into cream cheese. The culture for making it is a mesophilic culture (medium-loving) that thrives at medium temperatures (around 68-100 degrees F) and is destroyed ..read more

Home TONY FITZGERALD PHOTOGRAPHY RANKS IN THE TOP 10 FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BLOGS IN THE WORLD We are celebrating! Anuj Agarwal, the Founder of Feedspot contacted us to let us know that we rank in the top 10 Food Photography blogs in the world on Feedspot! We are thrilled!! Cider from http://www.martinellis.com/ We are breaking out the bubbly and celebrating! The post Ranking in the TOP 10 food photography blogs in the world appeared first on TONY FITZGERALD PHOTOGRAPHY ..read more

Home PINEAPPLE COCONUT ICE CREAM RECIPE Ice cream with a taste of the islands. Ice cream is always a popular choice and this pineapple coconut ice cream recipe is a great way to get a taste of the islands when you can’t actually visit. The ingredients in this recipe make this ice cream super creamy and decadent, but very easy to make. The creme fraiche, corn syrup and alcohol will keep the ice crystals small so the ice cream will be creamy. Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream RecipeTHE SCIENCE OF ICE CREAM There is more to ice cream than just freezing quality ingredients. The key is making it smooth a ..read more

Home THE BEST RUSSIAN TEA CAKES RECIPE Also called Snowball cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies and Finnish Cookies We created the best Russian Tea Cakes recipe made with browned butter, toasted pecans and maple syrup, and then double rolled in powdered sugar. There are a number of similar cookies, such as Snowballs, Mexican wedding cookies, and in our house Finnish cookies. Tony’s mother is half Finnish and she remembers her Finnish Grandmother making them when she was a child, so she has always called them Finnish cookies. They are a family tradition, and we make them every year at celebrations ..read more