Mardi Gras is not a holiday that was oft celebrated in my home. It’s not that we had anything against it, but if you’re not from New Orleans, it’s just easy to forget about. However, in Germany, where my mother is from, Mardi Gras is known as Fasching. It’s celebrated in a similar way. People …
My mother has a recipe for the cassoulet in the world. I mean, technically it’s not a cassoulet because there is no sausage or duck confit, but it has lamb shanks and a whole lot of flageolet beans, so it’s close enough. Also, it tastes heavenly. The reason it tastes so amazing begins with the …
My neighbor and father’s best friend's birthday was last month, and my dad wanted to surprise him with a birthday cake after taking him out to dinner. I was thinking about cake flavors that he liked, when my sister reminded me that it was a tradition in his family that for every birthday he or …
I love making one layer cakes. They’re quick, easy, often look beautiful unfrosted, and there is so much less leftover which means you get to bake something new much more quickly. This cake was born out of necessity. We were a little overzealous during cranberry season and bought a few too many bags, so I …
For our annual polo tailgate, at the invite of some friends, I wanted to make something traditionally English. Mostly because the visiting team happened to be English, but also because a posh, English dessert seemed particularly apt for the occasion. However, it had to be a dessert that could survive being in a car and …
Early September is always a funny time of year. It’s still summer, but there is the slightest hint of crisp autumn air just starting to creep in. You can smell it when a breeze blows at just the right time of day, and you shiver a little despite the warm sun. My family was throwing …
For my father’s annual college reunion, I wanted to make something very summery. He suggested lemon cake, so I scoured the internet for some ideas. I stumbled across this recipe from The Brick Kitchen, which has quickly become one of my favorite baking blogs. I more or less followed the exact cake recipe, though I …
We were having one of our neighborhood summer barbecues, and I wanted to make something with the beautiful peaches that were in season. I love stone fruit, so when it’s in season I try to eat as much of it as possible. Once I decided to use peaches, I immediately thought about what nuts would …
This was my very first foray into the world of gluten free. We were invited to my neighbor’s house, and his son’s girlfriend can’t have gluten. No problem, I thought, I’ll just replace normal flour with almond flour. Not so fast. What I failed to take into consideration was that almonds are already full of …
My sister’s 24th birthday was much less stressful. I asked her a full week in advance what she wanted her cake to be this year. She was certain she wanted the same chocolate cake base as last year, but went back and forth flavors before deciding on raspberry. Her birthday is in September, so fresh …
Never Enough Counter Space 