Valentine's Day is almost here. Just for fun, I created a JUMBO chocolate muffin that is studded with chocolate chips and dried fruit. With a hint of vanilla and cinnamon, this muffin is perfect for anyone you love. (Did you know that some studies suggest men associate . . . keep reading

I'm always on the lookout for new gluten-free cereal. And while General Mills was a game-changer by offering Chex varieties gluten-free, there still isn't a ton of options in the gluten-free cereal aisle. But things are getting better!

While on a day trip to Massachusetts, I noticed a box of Nature's Path Organic Whole O's cereal. Packaged in a yellow box with a picture of a bowl of "o" cereal on the front, the box reminded me of Cheerios. Could it be? A gluten-free Cheerio cereal? A box quickly found its way into my cart.

The price for a box of gluten-free cereal wasn't too bad. I paid . . . keep reading

For years, I have been meaning to make a caramel cake. Recently, while reading Maya Angelou's cookbook, "Hallelujah! The Welcome Table", I finally decided to head into the kitchen to bake one.

Ms. Angelou's book opens with a recipe for caramel cake. And while the recipe looked delicious, it wasn't exactly what I wanted. Her cake had a buttercream icing and I wanted a cake with a caramel sauce icing. I did notice that her recipe used caramel sauce in the cake batter. Now I liked the sound of that!

I dug out my recipe for caramel sauce and went to work. My caramel sauce is really rich and, for caramel sauce, fairly easy to make. Since the sauce needs to be made and cooled, I found it was easiest to make the sauce the night before you wanted to bake the cake. Hence the name, "Weekend Caramel Cake." You can make . . . keep reading

I love baking gingerbread cookies during the holiday season. I think it counts as baking plus aromatherapy because baking gingerbread cookies smell so terrific as they bake. However, I don't always have time to make gingerbread dough, chill it, roll it out and bake it. So, I do the next best thing: I make gingersnaps.

Gingersnap dough can be made and baked in about 30 minutes. That is what I call a holiday treat! Delicious cookies in under an hour? Pass the milk. . . . keep reading

I'd forgotten how much I loved making biscotti until I started working on this recipe. Reader, Maura R., asked me for a "yummy gluten-free almond biscotti." Maura didn't have a recipe in mind. So, I pulled out an old biscotti recipe that--I think--came from my student days at the CIA.

As soon as I looked at the recipe, I was reminded how easy biscotti are to make at home. You whip together a dough, shape it into a log and bake. Once the log is baked, you need to cut it into individual pieces and toast it. That's it!

This recipe makes delicious almond biscotti. For the holiday, you could dip them into some dark chocolate and put them into cello bags. They would make lovely gifts! . . . keep reading

My mom makes dozens of cranberry orange loaves during Christmas. Everyone from her closest friend to her regular bank teller get one. And everyone loves it!

Her recipe uses dried cranberries--and I love this! The flavor of the dried cranberries and the orange juice makes for a lovely little quick bread. We eat this bread on Christmas morning but it really is delightful anytime!

Thanks to my Mom for the recipe! . . . keep reading

Brown sugar in cornbread muffins? At first the idea sounded odd to me. Then I thought about it. Brown sugar tastes of molasses. As culinary friends go, molasses and corn get along well together!

This recipe isn't overly sweet but the buttery-caramel notes of the molasses do shine through. If you love corn muffins . . . keep reading