this recipe is exciting to me for two reasons, I get to use up some apples (I had crispins and pippins) 
that I had totally forgotten about and I get to use my new vitamix blender. flaugnarde is a french custardy cake similar to a claufotis (claufotis is usually filled with cherries, while flaugnarde are usually filled with apples, pears or other fruits.), it’s also a southern dessert and my grandmother from south carolina made a similar baked custard cake filled with peaches or prunes.
Now, we wait to see what happens in the judges vote. As promised, I’ve posted the “Tipsy Cranberry Almond Shorties” recipe,
below.
I am so grateful for and really sincerely appreciate every like and vote that was cast for my cookie, in this contest. Continue reading
my tipsy cranberry almond shorties are entered in the Cookie Rumble 2013. the assignment, to create a cookie that pairs perfectly with port wine. cranberry, almond, maldon sea salt, that’s the ticket! i think my recipe may be the only gluten free entry in the contest. here’s the link for the recipe and please vote for the cookies while you’re there. the contest requires voting via facebook, i know that doesn’t appeal to everyone, but i’d be very grateful to anyone who takes the time and trouble to vote. so, many thanks if you’re willing. you can vote for an entry once every 24 hours. voting ends november 15th. Please note that you need to first like the page and then find and click the vote button, which is just below the recipe and above the comments box. It’s a little confusing, I know.
when the contest ends, I’ll repost the recipe here, along with some additional step-by-step photos.
sometimes, someone pesters you so much about something, that you have to cave in and my mom is relentless about cheesecake. for a while now, i’ve been making a version of new york cheesecake, that is just cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla cooked in a water bath. but i was waxing nostalgic for the cheesecake that i grew up with. there’s no water bath and a just touch of flour for structure. 
Continue reading
sometimes the universe allows several great events to converge on a single day. today, is national doughnut day, i had leftover raspberry sauce made by my friend Cathy and i found chocolate dulce de leche in the supermarket.
i’m so excited that my recipe for mom’s favorite strawberry shortcake was a finalist in Cup4Cup‘s Mother’s Day 2013 Story & Recipe Contest.
sometimes wonderful things happen purely by accident. i left the extra dough from the hot cocoa cookies in the fridge and when i went back to make another batch the dough was too firm to scoop, even after sitting out for a bit on my kitchen counter.
last week, i discovered that there exists, in the world, mini marshmallow bits exactly like the kind that you find in breakfast cereal, but without the cereal! they come in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and peppermint. i became obsessed and tracked them down on line.
i bought chocolate and vanilla. 
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the day started really badly (yesterday, my beloved calico kitty had surgery to remove a polyp from her middle ear, and this morning brought news that there had been complications from the surgery. we have great faith in her vet and hope for some good news soon and a good recovery), and i needed to find a way to try to cheer myself up.
This morning, a friend sent me a YouTube link to a scene from Seinfeld, which reminded me of the scene where Jerry & Elaine are shopping for a babka to take to a friend’s party. I immediately needed to have a babka.
