Double Ginger Almond British Flapjack

January 21, 2013
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“We’ll always have London…” I quipped to AJ as we boarded the Tube for the last time to go to Heathrow and head back to San Francisco. About ten years ago, on a whim, AJ and I decided to go visit Great Britain because I had found us insanely cheap tickets (it was [...]

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Photo Essay: Peter’s 40th Birthday Black and White Masquerade Gala

January 17, 2013
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“All I have to do now is find a mask…” emailed my friend Stephanie, sending me into a slight panic state. I hadn’t paid too much attention to the invite that my friend Peter had sent me for his 40th birthday party. Peter is notorious for throwing thematic parties, and for his milestone [...]

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Sour Cream Blood Orange Bundt Cake with Cocoa Filling and a late Christmas dinner

January 14, 2013
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Even though Christmas was three weeks ago, the season always gets extended in my household because my own family tends to celebrate the holidays in January when we can all get together. I’m usually in Indiana with AJ celebrating Christmas on December 25th, while my sister and her husband are out in the [...]

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Photo Essay: Joshua Tree National Park, California

January 10, 2013
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“I want to feel sunlight on my face…I see the dust cloud disappear, without a trace. I want to take shelter from the poison rain…Where the streets have no name…” cried out Bono from the car stereo as AJ and I drove through the alien landscape of the Joshua Tree National Park. I [...]

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Red Wine Poached Pear, Ginger and Golden Raisin Rustic Tart and dinner with AJ’s brother

January 7, 2013
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“Now how come you didn’t feature photos of us on your blog last time you were here visiting Indiana?” asked AJ’s sister-in-law while we cut into the Red Wine Poached Pear, Ginger and Golden Raisin Rustic Tart that I had just made for all of us. This happens every now and then, when [...]

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The 2012 Recap, along with my annual year end Giveaway!

January 3, 2013
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Holy cow, I can’t believe 2012 went by so fast and despite the end of the Mayan calendar, we’re still here! Happy New Year everyone! 2012 was an intense year, with some wonderful happenings and a few tragic events as well. Taking a look back at the year, all I can say is [...]

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Happy New Year!

December 31, 2012
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For the New Year: I want to create more, worry less and be more daring. What’s your new year’s resolution?

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Photo Essay: Solvang, California. A Danish town in Southern California

December 27, 2012
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“This town used to be much cuter…” confessed Bill Martin, sole proprietor of Martin’s Used Books in Solvang, California. He’s probably right, but in truth, I thought the town was plenty cute. A Danish town, just 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara in the middle of Southern California wine country, the town was [...]

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Triple Layer Holiday Spice Cake with Eggnog Frosting and our annual Holiday Party

December 24, 2012
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“That one. That is my favorite of all the desserts!” proclaimed a friend of mine, waving his hand in the general vicinity of the table of desserts I had created for my annual holiday party. I laughed, as he seemed to be indicating ALL of my desserts, as opposed to singling one out. [...]

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Cookbooks of 2012, Part Two. Plus another triple cookbook giveaway!

December 21, 2012
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On Wednesday, I wrote about how I ended up getting more cookbooks than I have any previous year because of how many awesome ones that were released in 2012. So many, in fact, that I had to break my list into two, one for food bloggers and one for the rest of the [...]

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Reverse White Chocolate Crackle Cookie with Oreo Cocoa Powder and 18 Reasons’ DIY Desserts Holiday Cookie Swap

December 20, 2012
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Since the weather has turned cooler here in San Francisco, I’ve looked forward to hosting the DIY Desserts event at 18 Reasons in December. Our annual cookie swap is one of those joyous occasions when people drop in with their homebaked cookies, check out what other people have made, [...]

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