4 Rochester

Oh, the weather outside is frightful... Yes, that's snow you see in this photo! We had quite a snow overnight -- maybe 4 inches or so are on the ground. And no, that's not a reason for a snow day! The roads are mostly clear. Whenever it snows, I feel like baking. Today I decided to make cookies...

I bring baked goods to band practice from time to time. Once I wondered out loud if the guys keep me in the band because of my treats (as opposed to my musical talent). "Well, it doesn't hurt," our keyboard player replied. (He was joking ... I think.) This is one of the treats I brought...

I had every intention of making Halloween Bark for my coworkers at Wickham Farms, but I never got it done (sorry, farmers). As a result, I had a whole bunch of ingredients sitting around. I can use a lot of them in a similar bark at Christmas time, but Reese's Pieces don't fit in the Christmas...

I'm not a political junkie by any stretch of the imagination, but I love election day in the U.S.A. There's something uplifting about the idea that no matter how divisive and bitter the campaigning has been up until this point, the process for voting and the transfer of power will be peaceful...

My grandma's yard in Wisconsin has a great big Golden Delicious apple tree that is just loaded with apples. The apples aren't the pretty, shiny apples we see in the grocery store, though. Because they don't get sprayed a whole lot, the skins of the apples are spotted. A lot of the apples...

I'm a sucker for those bookstores that sell books at 70% off, and once inside my biggest weakness is the cookbook aisle. My younger son has the same tendencies, and he recently purchased a couple of books that supposedly copy famous brand-name recipes. The first recipe that he was after me to try...

I mentioned awhile back that I belong to a Cooking Light group. We meet every month or so for a relatively healthy meal, and everyone contributes a dish or wine. The hostess picks the theme, and for the most recent dinner I attended, Kara chose an Italian theme. Usually I walk away with one or two recipes...

Lessoned learned during this month's Daring Bakers Challenge: you can't hurry cheesecake pops (noooo you just have to wait .... pops don't come easy .... it's a game of ... sorry, got carried away). The challenge, from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor, looked like a fun...

Like every other city, it seems, Starbucks is all over the Rochester area. We're even getting a new one walking distance from my home. While I like the atmosphere of Starbucks, their coffee is too bitter for me, and the lattes vary widely in terms of flavor. Some of their baked goods are tasty, though...

It starts almost the second the winner of the Pillsbury Bake-off contest is announced. "A million dollars for ... a PIE with GRANOLA BARS ?" "A million dollars for ... CHICKEN with WAFFLES in the stuffing ?" And the latest... "A million dollars for ... a PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE...