Rummaging through my overflowing recipe files, I found a recipe for “spaghetti pie”—one that has been beckoning to me through the decades, but for some reason, it remained untested until now. Most likely this recipe came about when a resourceful and creative cook wanted to use up some leftover spaghetti. But, this dish is so [...]
Here are two creative, fun and tasty ideas for a July 4th dessert grand finale. Family and friends will want to participate in creating the red, white and blue balloon cups. They will enjoy rocking the blown up balloons in the candy melts and then, after placing the balloons for a brief stint in the [...]
Spring is finally here! The longer days and brighter sun have done wonders to chase our winter blues away. Here’s a recipe for lemon bars to welcome and celebrate spring. These luscious bars have a crisp and buttery shortbread crust topped with a sweet and tangy lemon curd. Their lovely yellow color evokes the light [...]
Looking for something special to make for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day? Since cookies are a surefire way to just about anyone’s heart, why not show your love with some sugar cookies? While sugar cookies have a long and distinguished history dating back to 7th century Persia, it was the Protestant settlers in the colony [...]
Pumpkin pecan cake is one of my favorite go-to autumn cakes. Moist and tender and infused with pumpkin, warm spices and studded with pecans, this cake is the quintessential autumnal dessert. Pumpkin pecan mini bundt cake is a great make ahead dessert that you can whip up in no time. It actually improves in flavor [...]
My all time favorite cake to make during sultry summer months is Ice Cream Cake. Its main ingredient—ice cream—is America’s most loved dessert. An ice cream cake is no bake, easy to make, and you can prepare it weeks ahead of time and keep it in your freezer until ready to serve. With the wide [...]
Essex Fells Magazine - March 2017 I recently found my kitchen redolent with the aroma of two bunches of overripe bananas, which I knew were headed for the trash bin in another day or two if I didn’t do some quick thinking. With “quick” being the operative word here, banana quick bread came to mind. [...]
Those of you who have been following my columns these past 6 years, may have noticed by the disproportionate number of dessert articles in the magazine, that I have an insatiable sweet tooth. It should come as no surprise then that I’ll be capping off My Year Of Italy with—well—something sweet. Sfinge, also known as [...]
Cannoli are Italian pastries originating from the island of Sicily. A staple of Sicilian cuisine, they are also popular in Italian-American cuisine. Cannoli get their name from the Italian word “cannolo” which means “little tube”. They consist of tube shaped shells of pastry dough which are fried in oil and then piped with a velvety [...]
Biancomangiare is a traditional Sicilian white pudding. Dating back to the Middle Ages, biancomangiare, literally means “white food” or “white dish”, and derives its name from the white color of its main ingredients: almond milk, sugar and cornstarch. I learned how to make this delicious and creamy Sicilian dessert during my travels in Palermo, Sicily [...]