Banana Bread Doughnuts (Gluten & Sugar Free)

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Since the moment we walked into our apartment from our honeymoon, my husband has been asking for doughnuts. The idea of getting a homemade version of his favorite treat was a huge thrill for him. I pinned away many hours looking for fun new recipes to try, along with the newlywed dinner recipe collecting and home decorating “research” I was doing.

But, despite my recipe collecting, my sweet husband continued to consume greasy, frosted doughnuts from the corner shop for the last couple of years. I didn’t have a doughnut mold! Finally this Christmas I put it on my gift list… as a gift to him of course!

It’s priceless watching his eyes light up as he notices a batch of freshly baked doughnuts on the kitchen counter.

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Easy Strawberry Tartlets

Easy Strawberry Tartlets

I’m yearning for spring after a winter storm reached its icy fingers down south and left a 3° windchill in it’s path.  Brr.

I decided to give spring a nudge by whipping up my easy strawberry tartlets.  Cream cheese, a touch of honey, brown sugar and strawberries come together to form an elegant dessert that sits inside a crisp wonton cup. It’s the perfect bite!  And it’s the ideal dessert for spring.

When I’m planning a party, I always try to include foods that are individually portion sized, easy to eat and doesn’t require a lot of fuss.  The wonton cups can be made in advance and filled right before your guests arrive.  The filling can also be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge.

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Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

I love party food. I’m all for crafting a meal, too, but I really enjoy making anything mini. So when we had a little get together for my husband’s birthday, I knew I wanted to make something mini. My goal for this year is to challenge myself with cooking. It started with making raspberry soufflés and now I can say I have also made mini cheesecakes, without having to use a springform pan!

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Roasted Beet, Heirloom Tomato Salad with Ricotta Salata

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It’s the peak of summer harvest here in the Pacific Northwest. Gardens are over-flowing with the bounty. Local farmers markets are saturated with the vivacious tastes, smells, and colors of the season. Co-workers bring in boxes full of produce, letting the bright colors seep into the office, laying out the summer bounty in the break room, making the donuts seem sad and desperate. Neighbors drop off baskets overflowing with greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and purples so deep and rich you can hardly believe it.

Your mind starts to race as you think of all the recipes to be explored. Your heart quickens as you dream of the canning to be done; to capture the tastes to be savored on a cold winter day as you open summer captured in a jar. You start to salivate as you think of sitting down to a meal, oh the cooking to be done! But instead of turning on the stove and tying the apron strings on, you slice a tomato and sprinkle it with salt, taking a bite of it raw. It is perfection on the tongue, so sweet and juicy; it makes you wonder what piece of plastic has been posing as a “tomato” the rest of the year in your grocery store. Yes, it’s time to enjoy the splendor of what the good earth has to offer.

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