Working at a magazine devoted to home and family, I think I fit in pretty well. I love my family, dabble in home (er, apartment) decorating and design, and it’s no surprise food gets me going. But truth be told, I’ve never even really had the desire to grow anything, especially when I can run down to the farmer’s market on a Saturday morning and return with a bounty of reasonably priced local produce – no weeding required. That is, until … Read More
Banana Pudding Trifle
Before getting to regular posting news, I have an exciting announcement…. Espresso and Cream is losing .blogspot.com and switching to a .com! All that basically means for you all is that when you are searching, typing, or sharing how to find Espresso and Cream you can save yourself the extra effort and type in www.espressoandcream.com. Readers who go to the old .blogspot.com address will automatically be re-directed to the new one, and for the next couple of days if some … Read More
Magnolia Bakery’s Vanilla Cupcakes
The first time I tasted a Magnolia Bakery cupcake was in the fall of 2008 while I was in New York for The Rachael Ray Show. For those not familiar with Magnolia Bakery, it gained wide-spread recognition outside of NYC when Carrie Bradshaw, aka Sarah Jessica Parker, on Sex and the City declared the bakery her favorite place for a mini-cake fix. Being a devoted SATC fan, I was determined to play Carrie Bradshaw for the day (er…5 minutes) despite … Read More
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
This weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a healthy cooking class for a women’s conference back in my home town. Because it was one of my first formal presentations on healthy cooking for a large group I was a bit nervous, but the women were great and I enjoyed sharing about one of my favorite topics. Rewind to earlier this week, when I was putting together my Power Point presentation and was finding it hard to focus, so what’s … Read More
Chocolate Raspberry Cups
After an unintended break from Espresso and Cream, it feels good to be back in the kitchen and at my computer. Sure, lots of baking and eating was done over the weekend, and I spent many a moment kicking myself for not remembering my camera to take photos of all the kitchen adventures and Easter weekend triumphs. In honor of Easter weekend, I baked a double batch of World Peace Cookies for my family and made around three dozen homemade … Read More
World Peace Cookies
Not all that long ago, yet too long ago, I took what was the most magical, wondrous, and tasty trip of my 22 years of life. For eight blissful days, my step-mom, Andrea, and I navigated the streets and sights of Paris. Classes at Le Cordon Bleu in the morning, early afternoon naps, cups of near perfect coffee, and more beautiful artwork and architecture than one can even possibly process in eight days. Sure, it rained hard the first four days … Read More
White Chocolate Cream Puffs
Looking back at my childhood, I think my mom was preparing me for a career in food. I may not have eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich until 7th grade and have yet to try gravy, but I did frequently experience the joy of biting into a freshly baked sourdough roll or sitting down to a dinner of homemade beef stew and biscuits. And while other parents may have run to the bakery on occasion, my mom whipped up … Read More
Peanut Butter-White Chocolate Chip Cookies
When I first started baking, chocolate chip cookies were my greatest source of frustration. It seemed that everyone except me had their own trademark recipe. And while I could properly duplicate a batch from the back of the Toll House bag, it wasn’t enough. After two years and many trials, it finally happened. It was love at first bite and after that moment, there was no looking back. At this point you might be wondering where the chocolate chips are. … Read More
Amaretto Chocolate Truffles
Ahhh if only every weekend could be a four-day weekend. Needless to say, a trip to the mountains of Winter Park was much needed. While I did manage to escape from reality for a few days, the flight back gave me ample time to think about what I wanted to share with you all. When I got home I set down my suitcase, made a list, and headed to the grocery store for supplies. Then I got back to work … Read More
Triple Chocolate Tart
Can I confess something to you? I have a serious case of guilt. You see, in my mind blogs are supposed to be magical, fun, creative, and above all – delicious. But after weighing you all down with my last post full of talk about fruit, vegetable, and calorie counts I figured I owed you an apology. Sure, fruits and veggies are very important, but sharing with you something as mundane as a smoothie, and then having the audacity to … Read More
Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake and a Winner
Thank you to everyone who entered the Everyday Food giveaway! It was great to hear from so many of you and your e-mails truly made my day. Thanks to random.org, the randomly-generated winner is: Karen Rau! I look forward to hosting more giveaways in the future, so check back for a chance to win. Now back to your regularly scheduled posting: I am a creature of habit, I think most of us are, so it suits me just fine that … Read More
Lemon Meringue Shortbread Tart
High school graduation parties are supposed to be for the graduate, right? Wrong. Everyone knows that graduation parties, like weddings, are just as much for the parents as they are for the children themselves. Case in point? My 2006 high school graduation party. Where I’m from, graduation parties are a big deal – probably too much so since everyone just goes from party to party eating bad cake and the same punch at every party. My cousin and I decided … Read More