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Chocolate covered cherries, Jitterbug dancing, and Elvis on Ed Sullivan. Remembrances from the idyllic 1950s childhood of my husband, David. Other wonderful memories include his mom, Betty and her baking. The smells of made-from-scratch pies and cakes in the oven awaited David upon his return from school. (Betty learned her skills by baking at her mother’s side.)
Homemade Apple Pie from the Ninja Baker's Kitchen... Read Full Article337 |
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Elegant mini cups of Häagen-Dazs perch proudly next to their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo convenience stores. Häagen-Dazs is to be applauded. Traditionally, the Japanese palate has shunned heavy cream content in ice cream.
Many years ago, my father did his best to introduce an American ice cream company into Japan. But market research revealed the ice cream was too rich. In more recent days, foreign brands... Read Full Article338 |
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Olives in muffins? Did I read the e-mail from our Muffin Monday fearless leader right? Yup. Olives were the theme for this week. Hmm. I’m not a huge olive fan. I associate olives with martinis, salad bars and Popeye’s girlfriend, Olive Oil. (I first saw the cartoon in Japanese. It was fun to travel to the States during summer vacation and experience Popeye’s different English inflection.) So, I was stumped…. Until I... Read Full Article339 |
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Aloha! Sip your brightly colored umbrella drink. Exhale as the ocean waves lick the crystalline sugar sand beach. Feel the balmy breeze and smile. You’re in my Hawaiian escape fantasy. Ah well, we can dream and save our pennies to make our fantasies a reality, right? The good news is there is a way to enjoy immediate escape. Muffins made with fresh pineapple and a touch of lemon zest!
Pineapple Muffin... Read Full Article340 |
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Summer in Japan is sweltering hot. Fans work overtime. Shutters are thrown wide open. The occasional breeze will set off the sounds of the furin garden wind chimes. Light and lovely, it’s as if fairies are making music.
Furin wind chimes making fairy music
Click here for the photo credit
Sounds of rain tap dancing on rooftops are a frequent occurrence in June. The good news is that all that water encourages gorgeous... Read Full Article341 |
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Baked with Love is a monthly event hosted by RoxanasHomeBaking.com. (Scroll down to see the rules of participation.) If you visit Roxana’s blog, you’ll see she bakes (almost) daily with love! Chocolate Marble Banana Bread and Dulce de Leche Bars are but two examples of the care she pours into her delicious and do-able recipes.
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls was my entrée into the world of... Read Full Article342 |
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Mary Poppins, the legendary Disney nanny sings, “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” As a champion of bringing cheer and comfort to children, she should have added cinnamon spice! When life proves challenging, there is nothing like the comforting aroma of baking cinnamon and sugar.
So, when an e-mail from Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker slipped into my inbox... Read Full Article343 |
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Have you tried baking with coconut and lime lately? Well, set your oven to 325 degrees and welcome in heaven with a lime and coconut meringue pie. Coconut meringue piled on top of tangy lime “tastes good.” (To quote my husband.) But the aromas that emanate from the oven and embrace the kitchen are divine.
Coconut Lime Meringue Bliss Pie
The idea of combining coconut and lime was inspired by... Read Full Article344 |
