4 Rochester

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux . They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand . If you recall, the DBers did a yule log last year but this year's yule log is very...

Photo source: NPR. My own pics TK. Almost a year ago, I came upon this recipe for Chocolate Bread. Why did it take me so long to bake it? God only knows. But I finally did, and it was worth the wait. While the final product is supposed to be have a "feathery yet rich texture," mine was denser...

I've decided that anything I make -- be it baked, sauteed, fried, roasted -- that doesn't come out looking like something out of a Williams-Sonoma cookbook will be dubbed "rustic." Hence, rustic Napoleons. (I should probably go back through the archives and rename 95-percent of the...

There are a lot of steps in making the Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream -- the recipe is almost as long as the name -- but it wasn't an overly difficult cake to make. (Though getting a cake to look beautiful is difficult, and I need a lot more practice before one of my cakes could be mistaken...

If only we had margarita glasses... Inspired by this lovely cocktail , the pomegranate margarita sorbet is an icy and sophisticated way to end a summer's meal. In addition to lime and pomegranate juice, there's a bit of tequila and Cointreau in here; not enough to get a buzz but maybe more than...

Two Sundays ago, Shane and I worked a shift on the Fellenz Family Farm as part of our obligation to the UUCC CSA . After nearly four hours of hoeing and transplanting, we'd worked up quite an appetite. Shane wanted a big breakfast -- eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, hash browns -- but I wanted a huge...

There are so many different types of chocolate chip cookies -- flat and crisp, puffy and cakey, the kinds you find in Italian bakeries, the kinds you get in cafeterias, the kinds you eat in your Mom's kitchen. This is a cookie you might find in a coffee house, or more likely, Jacques Torres'...

First Jennifer made them . Then Doodles . Now me. All of us loved them and, if you bake up a batch, you'll see why. Chewy little bites of pecan pie goodness -- with nutty, buttery, and caramelized sugar notes -- delivered to your mouth in a tiny cake. Light yet satisfying, they're a perfect way...

Several months ago, I fell in love with Peanut Butter & Co.'s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl . I can't fully explain it, but the combination of warm cinnamon, sweet raisins and savory peanut butter drove my taste buds delirious with happiness. For many a breakfast, I'd spread some on a slice of...

Chocolate chip cookies with a their friend, Carmelized Pineapple Upside-down Cake . I'm posting this before heading off to the gym, the first day of a renewed effort to lose the last 15 -- scratch that, 13.4 pounds -- to reach my goal weight. I'm kicking up my exercise regimen in the hopes that...