This easy Valentine's Day Red Velvet Cake is deliciously moist, and oh so good. Similar to Devil's Food Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, this red cake and snow white frosting is perfect for Valentine's Day, or Christmas. Just change the sprinkles and decorations! This is my favorite Red Velvet Cake recipe that I tweaked a bit after coming across Brown Eyed Baker's Red Velvet Poke Cake today. The difference between her cake and my original recipe is that she poked holes in the cake after it was baked, and poured sweetened condensed milk into it. Seriously! So, I pulled out... Continue reading

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and Shrove Tuesday are all celebrated today, Tuesday, February 12. King Cake is served throughout the Mardi Gras Carnival season. Fat Tuesday is a feast day before the season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras King Cake and cupcakes are just two of the foods associated with this holiday and well worth the effort to make them yourself, especially if you can't find them at a bakery in your local area. The most traditional New Orleans King Cake is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style bread topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple... Continue reading

Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend, and your guests are expecting you to have the best Super Bowl food—including a variety of chicken wings, appetizers, dips and chips, salads, and platters of cold cuts meats and cheeses. Don't disappoint them. Have a spread that'll knock their socks off and you'll be sure to score a touchdown! Best Super Bowl Appetizer Recipes from Boar's Head 3 Pepper Colby Jack Cheese Dip Recipe Chipotle Chicken Stuffed Peppers with Bacon Bruschetta Recipe with Chicken and Mozarella Cheese Buffalo Style Chicken Dip Recipe More Super Bowl Sunday Appetizer Recipes Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe -... Continue reading

Christmas is finally here, so I thought I'd put together a list of my Top 20 Christmas dessert recipes. Homemade Apple Pie, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Christmas Cookies, Chocolate French Silk Pie, Pumpkin Pie, New York Style Strawberry Cheesecake, Coconut Cake, and Cherry Cheesecake are definitely on my list this year. Not that I'm going to make them all this holiday, but I sure am craving them all! What are your favorite Christmas dessert recipes that you simply can't do without around the holidays? Top 20 Christmas Desserts Christmas Cookie Recipes - It seems you can never eat too... Continue reading

Food Network celebrity chef, Tyler Florence, not only has a new cookbook out—"Tyler Florence Fresh"—but he also has a line of Tyler Florence Wines for sale as well. Add to that, his hit Food Network show, "The Great Food Truck Race", Wayfare Tavern restaurant in San Francisco, six additional cookbooks, and a line of organic baby food called SPROUT, a retail kitchen store, and you've got one incredibly busy man. Plus, he's a family man with a beautiful wife and three kids! How in the world does he have time to cook? You're probably wondering why I'm gushing on and... Continue reading

Still looking for last minute Christmas gifts and ideas? Run down to your closest See's Candies store and buy a box of luxurious chocolate truffles, chocolate fudge, dipped chocolates, or crunchy butter toffee coated in chopped almonds. See's Candies has over 200 chocolate shops, and loads of smaller kiosks and carts in malls and shopping centers during the holidays. Chances are you'll find a See's Candies location in your neck of the woods! A holiday tradition for more than 90 years, See's Candies is now available at a gift center in the Providence Place Mall, Rhode Island. That's where we... Continue reading

Food Network celebrity chef Tyler Florence has a new cookbook on bookstore shelves this week. It's a huge, gorgeous book showcasing page after page of seductive food photography. It's almost too pretty to use as a cookbook, yet Florence's recipes are as equally tempting as the images! The vibrant colors of the enticing food leaps off the pages. The beets and strawberries are as red as you've ever seen, as are the lush greens of the asparagus and key lime pie. You have to see it to believe it! Don't forget the upcoming Tyler Florence Cookbook signings: See the articles,... Continue reading

Tyler Florence is coming to Dave's Marketplace in the Providence, Rhode Island area on Friday, December 7, 2012. His new cookbook, "TYLER FLORENCE FRESH", hits book shelves everywhere Tuesday, December 4. I was fortunate to receive a review copy of Tyler Florence's brand new cookbook "TYLER FLORENCE FRESH" by Clarkson Potter Publishers. Florence's book is a visual delight with full-size color images that are so vibrant and lifelike, you'll swear you can literally eat the finished recipes right off the pages! WHAT: In celebration of Tyler Florence's new cookbook, "Tyler Florence Fresh", Dave's Marketplace will host a book signing and... Continue reading

A top Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday pie recipe, this apple pie with fresh Granny Smith apples and fresh orange peel is nestled in a flaky pie crust made with Crisco shortening. A Touch of Orange Apple Pie Recipe Prep Time: 25 min Cook Time: 45 min Yield: 8 servings INGREDIENTS: Double Crust Classic Crisco Pie Crust 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 7 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples, about 2 pounds or 7 medium 2 tablespoons butter Milk Sugar PREPARATION DIRECTIONS: PREPARE... Continue reading

Have a Star Spangled Banner holiday with these red, white and blue patriotic dessert recipes! Red, White and Blue Flag Cake; Fresh Strawberry and Blueberry Pie; Strawberry and Blueberry Shortcakes; Red, White and Blueberry Dessert Pizza; Red, White and Blueberry Cobbler; Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad. See a recurring theme? All but a few of these are my own tried-and-true recipes that I've posted over the years with Examiner and Suite101. My family enjoyed every last bite! Have a safe, happy and delicious 4th of July holiday! Fresh Strawberry Pie Recipe: Big juicy strawberries chilled in homemade strawberry glaze,... Continue reading

Wondering what the Irish eat for St. Patrick's Day? My favorite recipes are for Irish Soda Bread, Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake and Corned Beef and Cabbage. But anyone that wants to be Irish for the day is either buying corned beef brisket, making it, ordering it, and eventually eating corned beef and cabbage on March 17th! The grocery stores usually have corned beef brisket on sale around St Patrick's Day, and along with potatoes, cabbage, onions and carrots, it makes a real cheap meal. I use the pressure cooker for my corned beef and cabbage dinner because it's quick and... Continue reading

This easy WHITE BREAD RECIPE comes from the cookbook "Baking with Julia" (Child) by Dorie Greenspan, and is the very first Tuesday's with Dorie recipe... the second edition! Some of you may remember me baking along with this group a few years ago way back in March 2008. WOW! Has it really been that long? I had to take some time out to write a cookbook for Penguin Publishing—an Idiot's Guide at that! (Yes, I know. It was a shamelss plug!) I figured I was ready to get back to baking with the Tuesday's with Dorie group again, until I... Continue reading

Celebrate World Nutella Day with Nutella Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Nutella S'mores, Nutella Hot Fudge Pudding Cake, and Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Sticky Buns—my latest concoction! World Nutella Day 2012 fell on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th. Since I wasn't able to participate last year, I decided to try and whip something up this time. The timing couldn't have been better as it also fell on the day I was baking the first recipe with Tuesday's with Dorie, so I was in the baking mode! The cookbook the group is using for the first recipe is "Baking with Julia" by Dorie Greenspan,... Continue reading

SUPER BOWL 2012 RECIPES are going into overtime today! Fans want the BEST Chili Recipes, Seven Layer Dip Recipe, Buffalo Chicken Dip and Guacamole for the New England Patriots vs. New York Giants football game on February 5, 2012. Go Patriots! 7 Layer Mexican Dip Recipe 1 - 15 ounce can black beans, drained well 1/2 cup salsa, your choice 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream 2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped 1 cup cheddar and/or mozzarella cheese 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped 1 - 15 ounce can pitted black olives, drained and halved... Continue reading

Looking for the BEST Super Bowl Chicken Wings Recipe, Buffalo Chicken Dip and Chili Recipes for the 2012 Super Bowl Party Sunday, February 5th? Whether you're rooting for the New England Patriots or the New York Giants (my bet is on the NE Patriots -- Go Pats), you're going to need lots of food. Most die-hard Super Bowl fans want snacks, chips, dips and for some reason, Buffalo Chicken recipes. Here's some of my Super Bowl favorite foods. What are you eating at your Super Bowl Party? Vegetarian Chili Recipe 2 cups chunky TVP 2 cups boiling water or a... Continue reading

Looking for some easy holiday cocktail and martini recipes? Mix Partida Tequila (Blanco, Resposado, and Anejo) and Godiva Liqueur together for a Chocolate Peppermint Cookie cocktail, coconut rum and Frangelico for a Toasted Macaroon cocktail, Bailey's Irish Cream and Amaretto for a Seven Layer Cookie mixed drink, and hot apple cider for a Heated Affair! A PARTIDA TEQUILA HOLIDAY SEASON! When Partida approached me with the possibility of sampling a variety of their ultra smooth top-of-the-line tequila in some very unique holiday cocktail recipes, it didn't take long to respond with a resounding YES! They sent me three bottles—Blanco, Resposado,... Continue reading

Thanksgiving Recipe: Classic Green Bean Casserole for holiday menus. Made with French's French Fried Onions and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, this is the casserole your Mom used to make for a Thanksgiving side dish alongside the Sweet Potato Casserole and Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce. With holiday side dishes like these, you can forget the roast turkey and sausage stuffing! Green Bean Casserole Recipe 2 cans (14 ounce) French cut green beans, drained (frozen cut grean beans can also be used) 1 can (10.75 ounce) condensed Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup whole milk 1... Continue reading

The holidays are right around the corner, and this decadently rich Pumpkin Cheesecake will make a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving or Christmas buffet table. Not surprising, Pumpkin Cheesecake is one of the most requested Thanksgiving desserts. This Pumpkin Cheesecake is m and is very similar to Junior's Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake recipe. It has a sour cream topping that makes the cheesecake irresistible, but you can leave it off if you wish. You've probably been the victim of cracked cheesecakes or overbaked and dry cheesecakes once or twice in your baking life. Make sure to read "How to Make the... Continue reading

Still looking for the most popular THANKSGIVING PIE recipes for your Thanksgiving dinner this week? Stop looking! All your favorite Thanksgiving pie recipes are right here! Since Thanksgiving pie making begins in ernest on Wednesday, I've made up a list of all my favorite pies. These are the same pies we made in the bakery and for wholesale orders for over 15 years, so I know the recipes work. Start off with the BEST PIE CRUST RECIPE. This is the tried and true, Best Ever Pie Crust that we made for years at the bakery, and I'm talking about thousands... Continue reading

Congrats to the 5 winners of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking" winners! We had a great TweetChat last Thursday. Many thanks to all who attended. The vegan baking cookbooks will be sent out to the winners after I get your mailing addresses. Here are the names and numbers of the winners. The winning numbers correspond to the number of the comments listed in this post. Soooo, the cookbook winners are.... # 3 Lorie Huston # 4 Chris Eirschele # 7 Ann Gramling # 8 Sharon Watterson # 11 domestic diva Please email me your mailing address at cruisingkitty@hotmail.com.... Continue reading

We're giving away 5 free cookbooks Thursday, July 7th! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking by Donna Diegel, and published by the Penguin Group and Alpha Books, is giving away five of my brand new, hot-off-the-press vegan cookbooks! Something weird happened with submitting the previous blog post, and it never went anywhere online. Not sure what went wrong, but I think only my subscribers got the memo! Because of this "glitch," I'm reminding everyone again about the cookbook giveaway and 45-minute Live Tweet Chat on Thursday, at 3:00pm ET/2:00pm CT. I'll get together with the "Penguins" and we'll do... Continue reading

Penguin Publishing is giving away five (5) of my new vegan baking cookbooks, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking" by Donna Diegel—that would be me! In order to give the books away, we'd love to invite everyone to a Live Tweet Chat, Thursday, July 7th at 3:00pm ET/2:00pm CT. Don't worry! You don't have to be vegan to enter this giveaway. From “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Baking” Cookbook “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Baking” was published by the Penguin Publishing Group and Alpha Books in April, 2011. The book has over 160 recipes, and is available... Continue reading

Similar to Mexican Pico de Gallo, this sugar-free tomato salsa with some garden fresh cilantro and chilies is quick and easy to prepare using readily available market ingredients, kitchen gadgets and tools. Warm tortilla chips and guacamole are the perfect accompaniment to this awesome salsa. Super easy to make and eat right now, or follow the recipe and can the rest for later! Heirloom Tomato Varieties It's not summer yet in the Northeast, but you can start thinking about growing your own heirloom tomatoes, or seek out a local farmer's market for the freshest tomatoes they have. Below are some... Continue reading