Classic hummingbird cake made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with honey is a quick and easy dessert to whip up for last-minute entertaining this summer. Friday started out slowly with sunshine streaming in through the curtains. Morning light has this effervescent quality and slight bluish undertones that can make everything seem peaceful. It rests on surfaces, illuminates the glassware as you set out the breakfast dishes. Butter and eggs sizzle softer in the early a.m. hours. Before long,... more

This recipe for molten dark chocolate lava cakes with a creamy chocolate center is seasoned with the zest of a Christmas orange and a bit of Christmas spirit(s) for a divine dessert in a jar. Let’s discuss what makes a good holiday meal. It begins with an email from the host. Subject line: It’s Time to Prepare the Feast. The night starts with appetizers and bloody marys, shrimp dips and weenies on toothpicks, baked brie, and an assortment of canapés. Dinner comes next. There are few... more

A recipe for yogurt and olive oil cupcakes lightly flavored with lime and topped with brilliant pomegranate arils and buttercream or just a simple pomegranate honey syrup. “Is anyone this girl’s mom?” the salesperson asked, staring around the shoe store. He was referring, of course, to my daughter, who at this moment was standing, hands on her hips, in front of a display of TOMS shoes, eying the ones that sparkled and shone. On her head was a bright blue bomber hat to accent the... more

Lemon kisses the crust, but leaves this bar-style cheesecake rich and creamy, then appears again in a sweet sauce that covers the strawberries on this springtime dessert. My grandma would have us over for Sunday dinners often. When my family up and moved away from the city, his brother followed, buying the house two doors down. His parents, my grandparents, would keep a respectable distance of 1/4 mile when they moved, too, so as not to crowd the boys. Only my aunt, with her world-traveling ways,... more

Food is a passion. I’m not sure that it necessarily comes out all the time as I tell you about the mess my kids and I made, how I have taken to making my own fruit snacks or that I’m making ice cream in the fall, but I hope it does. I hope that you can see my relationship with food is one that I’ve fought for and continue to fight for daily. It’s important to me, and it’s important for me to share it, this time with an apple pie cheesecake topped with a salted caramel... more

It’s hard to say where this kugelhopf originated from. While other kugelhopfs start from sweet, yeast-risen dough, I grew up eating a rich cake-like version my grandmother made. With its distinct rich taste and buttery texture, this moist cake is the perfect complement to your morning coffee and manages to hold its own after the main course with a cup of coffee. The reason it’s hard to say where exactly my grandma’s kugelhopf came from is that her history is a bit like a rubber... more

My dad’s parents lived five blocks away from the time I was five on. My grandpa still lives there, as do my parents. There were benefits to having my grandma so close. One benefit is that she would bring me coffee from a very young age. Neither of my parents drink coffee, but I’d developed a taste for it at the age of 2, when “Mama” let me try hers. She was always good for a cup. Another benefit of having her close came in the form of warm food gifts: baked, bundled... more