Giuseppepaolo

It's National Strawberry month and strawberry season is at it's peak. Farmers markets and stands are boasting sweet berries by the pint, half flat or full flat. If you were to drive through Ventura County, CA...you'd probably see a road side fruit and vegetable stand on every corner. As a matter of fact, the yearly Strawberry Festival is going on this weekend in Oxnard. A mere 45 minute drive (without traffic) from my house and I've never been. I don't understand how that's happening. I mean, strawberries are my favorite fruit...I've lived here all my life.....how do I keep missing the most fabulous festival of the year? I'm so disappointed in myself. I've let my berry love down. This must be remedied! In the meantime, lets console my strawberry craving with a delightful torte. This recipe was inspired by a couple of recipes I ran into. As much as I love raspberries (they are a very close second to strawberries...but are fighting for that position wi

Here's a delicious, adult kind of cake that's sweet but not too sweet. The complexity of the flavor surprised me. Sweet, slightly tangy, almost savory. The flavors come in layers, starting with the gooey, sticky sweet honey glaze....slightly citrus in the middle, ending with the subtle savory-sweet taste of olive oil. I discovered this recipe in a newly acquired cookbook titled The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. What a find! Full of dozens of wonderful recipes I'm anxious to try and taste and savor. One note that was made for this cake is to do everything by hand. No electric mixers. Your arm might get a good workout, but the end result is worth it. Rustic Olive Oil Cake with Honey Syrup Printable Version Cake Vegetable Oil Spray for the pan. 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature 1/4 cup Grand Marnier 1/4 up fresh orange juice Zest from one lemon (about 1 heaping TB spoon) 3 larg

Let me start off by congratulating Mary from Midnite Baker for winning the Tate's Bake Shop Gift Basket Giveaway...WOOO HOOO!!! Congrats Mary! I hope you enjoy it :) Just so you know, I love their first cookbook,  Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook so much that I personally ordered the Baking with Friends Cookbook , using the 20% discount code: mom13 which is good through 5/12/13 Don't hesitate to use the discount code yourself, on any purchases made between now and 5/12/13. Mother's day is coming up fast. You know what else is coming up fast? Summer. Its just around the corner. Gardens are happening. Which leads us to food. Some of you may not know, but I plant a small city garden just about every spring. I'd love to have a winter garden too but when I leave for work, it's dark. When I get home from work, it's dark. We don't get much rain in Los Angeles. Do you know how hard it is to water a garden in the dark? Me neither. Cuz I've never done it. Which is w