Muffins filled with raspberries and topped with almonds are the perfect end to a day in the Garden! Shortly after moving into to our house in South Charlotte, I discovered that what looked like a blank palette for my garden was actually a bare landscape of very challenging growing conditions. The lower part of the garden is in a flood zone. The habitually damp clay soil has been made even less hospitable by the previous owner’s removal of more than 40 trees. Just think about what that means. The average full grown tree absorbs between 10-150 gallons of water a day.    For 40 trees th ..read more

This year, I am spicing up my  Valentine’s Day chocolate cookies with cayenne and cinnamon. (Along with a nod to February snow by including some marshmallows.)  Cayenne pepper and cinnamon create a complex chocolate cookie just right for a Valentine’s Treat that says, “You spice up my life!” I know this all sounds a little unlikely but trust me on this one.  I first made these for Christmas and was told by my family that these might be the best cookies I have ever made.  My family can be tough critics, so I am choosing to believe them! The trick to these cookies is in your ..read more

  Olive oil and Almond Cake topped with Winter Citrus Fruits! It’s January and the cycle of seasonal fruits and vegetables start to turn towards Spring.  Gone are the apples and pumpkins of Fall and early Winter.  Yet to come are the berries of Spring. Nestled in between these two seasons is the gift of citrus. Oranges and grapefruits, clementines and tangerines, they bring lightness and color to the dreary days of January and February. In celebration of the lengthening days, I made an Olive Oil and Almond Sponge Cake, topping it with Winter citrus fruits.  It’s light and t ..read more

It’s been a long time coming, but this recipe for Raspberry Pavlova is worth wait!  Crisp on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside the Pavlova meringue is topped with a delicous raspberry sauce, dark chocolate and passionfruit.  Easy to make and serve, a Raspberry Pavlova is a show stopper in any season and for any holiday   I had no idea as I boarded the plane to Europe at the end of November 2023 that I had written my last post for the year.  Indeed, it never crossed my mind that it would be the middle of January 2024 before I sat down at my desk to share a recipe wi ..read more

Beef Short Ribs braised in red wine produce a warming meal full of flavor with a hearty gravy to pour over mashed potatoes or pasta. At this time of year, everyone is focused on turkey and sides and pie. Sometimes we forget the other meals! One of my favorites things to do is make  the first meal for when family arrives.  If I am lucky it happens on Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving but even if it is Wednesday night it is just as special as Thanksgiving to me.  It needs to be a meal that says home. Something warm and hearty.   Definitely NOT poultry.  And impo ..read more

  “It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens wrote in A Tale of Two Cities.  And that pretty much sums up this pie. My Apple Chess pie was the best of pies and the worst of pies. Don’t get me wrong.  It is an absolutely delicious pie.  Lovely slices of apple are nestled in a not-too-sweet, custardy filling. All baked in a buttery crust. But I made my Apple Chess Pie in two cities. I started the pie in my home in Charlotte, in a kitchen filled with everything I need to make a beautiful pie. I assembled and baked the pie in Asheville, in a ki ..read more

PEARS: THE FORGOTTEN FRUIT OF FALL I saw a version of this Pear Almond Cake made with apples and I thought the almond flavor really called for pears more than anything else.  The cake is similar to an apple cake I used to make for tea when my British and Australian friends would bring their children over for a play date. This variation was a natural for me to pursue. It uses almond paste instead of the more usual almond flour, resulting in a lighter cake. And the pears are a sweet break from the fall onslaught of apples. It is important to use just barely ripe pears that will hold their f ..read more

 FALL CAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: ENGLISH PUMPKIN SWISS ROLL Based on the fact that my family was getting tired of apple cakes, and in celebration of a new season of the Great British Baking Show, this week’s cake is a Pumpkin Swiss Roll with Cinnamon Toffee Icing. I don’t know exactly why the Swiss Roll is an English favorite. It’s something to do with Queen Victoria, no doubt!  Other countries have their versions of rolled sponge cakes filled with icing but to me there is something very British about a slice of light, icing-filled sponge cake. In honor of the season I choose to fl ..read more

FALL CAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD My first cake was from France, rich in butter and milk, visually appealing and sophisticated. My second cake is from Greece. It’s a modest apple cake.  The local products of honey, olive oil and yogurt create layers of flavor, oh-so-light in texture, while a  simple glaze of honey, cinnamon and cider tops it off. The key to this Greek Honey Apple Cake is to use the best honey and finest olive oil you can find! It starts with a mixture of honey, cider, and cinnamon which is reduced to a syrup. Part of this will be set aside to glaze the cake and the re ..read more

“You’ve never had a tomato and corn pie?” I said, barely able to keep the amazement out of my voice. “No” said my tomato-loving Southern Husband. How was this possible? I never had a tomato pie before I moved South. However, by now, I have had many and made many more. How did this happen? It needed to be fixed. So, I threw the whole pie at him: fresh tomatoes and corn in a pimento cheese filling.  And bacon, just because. The thing I love about tomato and corn pie, you can be as purist as you want or take the easy shortcuts.  It’s always good. Start with the pie crust.  You can ..read more