It’s been entirely too long since our last perfect layer cake.  You know, the kind that’s moist, sturdy, sweet and spiced with generous lines of nearly too much cream cheese frosting between cake layers?  Yes, that sort of perfect cake. I had mistakenly thought that a classic carrot cake would scratch any itch I had for a spiced layer cake but, I’m not afraid to admit I was entirely mistaken because – Hummingbird Cake ..read more

Friends, HI! Good morning and good Sunday! I’m in the in-between. I’ve moved most everything save for a mattress, two nightstands, my good olive oil, flaky sea salt and a frying pan out of the Houston apartment and on to the big house in Bellville.  Somehow though, the big orange cat and I are still staying at the apartment, languishing a bit, in the change of it all. I just haven’t been quite ready to transition to the house full of boxes and that decision needs to be made.  ..read more

Hello friends, it is I, your Trader Joe’s evangelist back with a pamphlet and a fake 100 dollar bill that is actually a tract (religious trauma, anyone?). I do not have the latest and greatest TJ’s products this time around, but I do have its practical application – meals. First, let me start by acknowledging that Trader Joe’s is not a grocery store. It is, but it really isn’t. It’s a store of novelties, snacks on acid, fads made edible ..read more

Hello friends! How are things in your world? As I think I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m a full-time middle school teacher, and right now, it is state testing time. I feel for my students: they are tired, they are bored, they are READY FOR SUMMER. That said, every teacher I know is out here fighting for their life right now, praying to make it to the last day of school. Much like our students, we are tired, we are a bit grumpy and burned out, and we are also ready for summer.  ..read more

So let’s recreate them! I’ve been incredibly nostalgic for a very specific baked good from my past. Now… I haven’t thought about the Apricot Ginger Scone from Clementine in Los Angeles in probably a decade, but some sort of Saturn Return must be in the air. I’m currently in transition between this sweet little apartment in Houston and onto the new big Bakehouse in Bellville.  There’s something about the conjunction of my choices and my stuff that’s always a reckoning.  ..read more

Buckle up, friends because we’ve got some NEWS.  Your girl (that’s me!) is a Texas homeowner! And not just any Texas home… because what fun would that be?  The next Bakehouse is a grand old gal – a Victorian home, in Bellville, Texas built in 1888 by August Haak. I knew I wanted to get out of town, find enough grass to mow that I’d need a riding lawn mower, get back into a big bright and sunny kitchen where I could welcome you for classes, AND even have guest house where you could stay for a weekend getaway.  ..read more

Friends, hello! How are you? I’ve missed you. It feels like it’s been too long since we’ve had a proper catch up. Last Easter weekend, Will and I were driving back to Houston from a camping trip (well, he was driving and I was eating ranch dip and potato chips in the passanger seat) and the highway was speckled with cars stopped along the side of the road. I can’t tell if it was planned or spontaneous, but families had stopped at various point on the road to pose in the wildflower patches in their Easter Sunday best.  ..read more

Good morning and Good Easter Sunday, friends. I’m taking a bit of a spring break this weekend, out sleeping under the stars in middle Texas. I’ve made this sturdy carrot salad, a loaf of bread, and chicken soup (that truly no one asked for because who eats chicken soup while they’re camping!?) for the weekend.  I’m full of ideas. Not all of them are great ..read more

Someone recently asked me what my desert island cookbook would be. You know… the one cookbook so dear to you, you’d take it as your sole cookbook to be stranded on a dessert island. Logically I should opt for a book with advice on building fires, catching fish and climbing coconut trees but, I’m envisioning a more Gilligan’s Island desert island situation (and I’m Thurston Howell III with trunks of kitchen supplies). My answer: The Gourmet Cookbook ..read more

As you know, I’ve entered my kolache era.  Here’s a twist on a classic kolache recipe using an enriched dough with a lemon curd and poppy seed twist. They’re a perfect springtime Texas pastry. I have this daydream that one day in the not so distant future I’ll be slingin’ kolaches and coffee in my little backyard bakery.  I can’t tell if it’s a daydream or a premonition, but I’m generally in the business of making my own dreams come true so ..read more