Here's an easy recipe for a creamy pumpkin cheesecake with a bit of brûlée crunch.
Read MoreMy First Love: Bread + Butter
Before I graduated to pork products, bread and butter was my first true love. A simple, complimentary, truly harmonious pair - if only every relationship could be like bread and butter!
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Cooking It Old School: Challah
When the weather starts to turn chilly, I want my oven on as much as possible. Not so much as a temperature control feature, but more an olfactory control feature. I love the smell of things baking in the oven – bread, apple pie, pumpkin pie, baked brie, a turkey, a rib roast, or just about anything.
I was raised by my grandparents, and my grandmother loved baking, too. In fact, she baked everyday. The aroma would hit me at the door every time I arrived home from school or from playing outside. It was comforting. It was home. I suppose I want my children to have those same olfactory memories.
Grandma's Recipe Box #10: Crumb Cake
Take my word for it, Entenmann's Ultimate Crumb has nothing on Grandma's Crumb Cake!
This moist, buttery, cinnamon and sugar laced, American classic is an old favorite of my grandmother's and something of a staple at every big party. As Grandma says, "it's very impressive," and it goes a very long way.
Grandma's Recipe Box: #5 Rugelach
When I was growing up with my grandparents, there was always dessert on the counter. Always!
My grandmother, who has always been a prolific baker, is Czech, which means she can do a lot more than Strufoli, Pizzele, and Tiramisu. From Baklava to Krusciki, and Meringues, to this one, Rugelach, Grandma has baked it all.
Grandma's Recipe Box: #4 Strufoli
I've probably eaten hundreds of them - Strufoli! Sometimes referred to as "honey balls," these marble- sized Italian confections generally appear around Christmas and Easter.
If my memory serves me correctly, it was usually my Aunt Millie who sent over a plate of these honey-dipped tidbits.
They are a bit time consuming to produce, but very addictive.