Happy Easter! Part 4: Paskha

In our family, Easter is not Easter without this traditional Russian dessert. This version is made by heating buttermilk until it separates into curds and whey (yep, just like what Miss Muffet ate). Then the curds are combined with eggs, butter, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest to create a delicious creamy mixture that’s [...]

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Happy Easter! Part 3: Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze

I love rhubarb. It’s a vegetable with an identity crisis because it’s usually prepared and eaten as a fruit would be. The night before Easter, we ate dinner at La Posta, where my mom ordered a salad special that contained thin slices of raw rhubarb. I tried a bite and agreed that its subtle flavor [...]

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Say "I love you" with Coconut Hot Chocolate

I originally intended to post this recipe around Valentine’s Day, but obviously that didn’t happen. Then I thought of saving it until next year, but I’m too impatient. Luckily the temperature has still been dipping into the low 40s in the evenings, therefore I deem hot chocolate still “in season.” I found this recipe in [...]

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Chocolate-Guinness Cake & Black Velvet Cocktails

This is the last cake I’ll be making for a while. No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I didn’t have a baking disaster that ended in tears. Quite the contrary. I enjoyed making this cake very much. The recipe was easy to follow, the ingredients simple, and I even got to drink the leftover stout [...]

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Blast from the Past: Muddy Buddies

Do “Muddy Buddies” belong on a food blog? Or any recipe that you can find on the back of a cereal box for that matter? Heck yes. Why not? I want to say my brother and I ate these all the time when we were kids, but when you’re young you often exaggerate [...]

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Chocolate Chunk – Hazelnut Blondies

I was in search of a dessert that Dustin could take in his lunches all week when I came across this recipe. These blondies were simple to make and are very adaptable. You can top them with any combination of nuts and/or chocolate that you like. You’ll find that the bitterness of the dark chocolate [...]

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Lime-Glazed Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday, Dustin! I’ve made muffins, cookies, fruit crisps, and quick breads, but this was my first birthday cake! I think I’ll be doing it again now that I’m less intimidated by my silicon baking pan. The cake itself was not too sweet, and the lime glaze (made with the limes that are growing in [...]

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Roll-and-Cut Sugar Cookies

What do German Shepherds, trees, people, stars, and firetrucks have in common? Absolutely nothing except that those are the cookie cutters that my Mom and I decided to use for our decorated sugar cookies! You can sprinkle the cookies with colored sugars and add pieces of nuts before baking, or you can decorate your cookies [...]

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Vanilla-Lime Bites

These bite-sized cookies are delicate and buttery, with a burst of lime and just enough sweetness from a dusting in powdered sugar – the perfect holiday cookie. Merry Christmas from our kitchen to yours!

Vanilla Lime Bites
(Adapted from the Vanilla Crescents in the December 2008 issue of Food & Wine)
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ [...]

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Coconut Rice Pudding

This is my new default rice pudding recipe. I used to make it in Japan after we got home from our night classes, and we’d eat it in fancy Japanese rice bowls while watching something on TV (hopefully something in English; not dubbed in Japanese). Rice pudding also reminds me of my childhood. It has [...]

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Fresh Fig Walnut Cake

My parents have a fig tree in front of their house. This is the time of year when the branches start to get heavy with figs, and we pull out the fig recipes or try to give them away to people who love them. This cake was a great way to use some of them [...]

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Snickerdoodles

Now that it’s fall, I’m craving the taste of cinnamon. Snickerdoodles are Dustin’s favorite cookie. Since today was his first day at his new job (YEA!) I decided to make these to congratulate him! It’s also important to note that these are the first cookies that I’ve baked in my new kitchen in Santa Cruz, [...]

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Endless Summer: Yogurt Panna Cotta with Watermelon

Let’s stretch summer out as long as possible, shall we? This is a great panna cotta recipe that uses yogurt so it has a nice tang to it. While watermelon was refreshing, my family preferred the nectarines that we enjoyed over the leftover panna cotta the next day. But after tasting this recipe, you may [...]

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Cool off with Azuki Snowcones

This is the Osakan summer we remember. Mid-90s. 80% humidity. It’s really grand. But anyway, last week we went not once, but twice to a little shop that sells the best yakisoba on the planet. (Yakisoba means “fried noodles” and is just that; soba noodles stir fried with cabbage and a deliciously tangy [...]

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Almond White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

In search of something different from the usual chocolate chip, I saw this recipe on the nest and was immediately drawn to it. I have to bring something to a potluck tomorrow and the old Japanese ladies are always clamoring for “American style” cookies, so I thought I’d give these a try. As [...]

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‘Tis the Season for Gingerbread Men

Decorating gingerbread men is one of my favorite childhood memories. I spent 3 days last week baking these little guys for our English school Christmas party. For many of our students, it was the first time to decorate and eat a gingerbread cookie. This is the recipe I used both this year and [...]

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Full of Thanks

Things I’m thankful for (in no particular order):
1. My kitten
2. German Shepherds
3. My family
4. My husband
5. Forgiveness
6. Good wine
The hardest time to live abroad is over the holidays, especially a year when your birthday and Thanksgiving finally fall on the same day. This was our second Thanksgiving without family or turkeys (the latter are [...]

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"American Taste" Lemon Bars

Last year we threw together a Friday-night English Coffee House event at our church for all of our English students. They enjoyed listening to some live music, mingling and conversing (in Japanese, as much as we had hoped that they might want to take advantage of the English-theme of the night) while drinking freshly [...]

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My Great-Great-Grandma Selma’s Best Oatmeal Cookies

Okay, it’s about time I shared my (and my family’s) favorite cookie recipe. It came from my Great-Great-Grandma’s recipe files, and my mom has been baking these for as long as I can remember. This is a damn fine recipe, and the cookies taste like my childhood (and my mom’s, and her Dad’s!)
Selma’s Best [...]

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2nd Anniversary Apple Raspberry Crisp

I surprised Dustin with one of his favorite desserts tonight. It’s the least I could do after he (secretly) planned a wonderful Anniversary trip to Universal Studios Japan last weekend! This recipe makes 1 small apple crisp, just enough for two:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (190 C). Butter a small baking dish.

To make the [...]

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