Birthdays are looking really different in 2020 for a lot of people and for me, that includes birthday cakes. I took the simple route for Paul's birthday cake this year not wanting to bake and make it as simple as possible and what's more simple than an icebox cake. I've never attempted making one before... Continue Reading →
Good Shepherd Convent Ube Jam and Thumbprint Cookies
Confession: I don’t think I really liked ube until my uncle brought me a tub back from the Philippines. Ube donuts and various other ube-laden pastries were either too sweet for me or the texture was too grainy. So upon receiving a jar my first inclination was to immediately send it to my sister-in-law in... Continue Reading →
Cupcake Mashup: Sprinkles’ Cookie Cupcake
When it comes to cupcakes, I consider that dessert a little long in the tooth in terms of trends. When I first started blogging 12 years ago, my very first post was about cupcakes. I then dove headlong into the dessert when I lived in Los Angeles where cupcakes were going strong and later were served... Continue Reading →
Found at Trader Joe’s: Chocolate Babka and Sweet Sriracha Bacon Jerky
What’s the best way to break up a workday? Go shopping when everyone else is at work! As much as I complain about staying at home, there are a lot of advantages. Along with wearing PJs until 10 AM, going to the gym midday, not using an alarm clock and the freedom to make my... Continue Reading →
Popcorn Desserts + Kettle Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies
Popcorn is one of those items that I feel guilt-free about eating. Cheese popcorn and kettle corn rank at the top of my favorite food groups with the added benefit of giving me some very extra needed fiber in my diet. On Zagat San Diego, I recently did a round up of popcorn desserts. I... Continue Reading →
San Diego’s Finest Donuts: Elvis-Approved Cronut
Before the month gets away from me without a post, I had to write about another cronut find. Just when I thought I had seen the last of any new cronut sightings popping up, I received an email about a few seen at San Diego's Finest Donuts. They are only available on Friday after 9... Continue Reading →
A Dessert Solution with Limited Ingredients: Lemon Pudding Cake
Lately, I’ve been plagued with a sweet tooth and my only solution of late is to go out and buy something. There’s always the occasional cookies from Sprouts (Paul loves them), frozen yogurt from Yogurtland is always an option (except the one near is always a mess) and more importantly, I always make sure to... Continue Reading →
Another San Diego Cronut Contender: Cronuts at V.G. Donut & Bakery
The V.G. in V.G. Donut & Bakery stands for "very good" and it's an old standby located in Cardiff by the Sea. I've known couples who have ordered their wedding cakes from here and discovered a friend also worked here in his youth. They have other baked goods like cookies, breads and of course, doughnuts.... Continue Reading →
Alternative Dishes for Any Holiday Gathering
The holidays are here again. While Paul and I were never the ones celebrating the traditional way (i.e. no turkey on Thanksgiving), we have our favorites we like to bring back every holiday season. Here's our favorites. S.S. Spud It's a shrimp-stuffed potato mixed with sour cream, grated romano and parmesan cheeses and bay shrimp.... Continue Reading →
Birthday Cake Buzz-Buzz + HeroClix
It's been a while since I made a cake for Paul's birthday. Last year we were on the road to Reno for a Lake Tahoe wedding -- and unfortunately also received a speeding ticket -- so baking a cake before a trip was out of the question. We decided to play it low key this... Continue Reading →