From the category archives:

Desserts and Pastry

Golden Orange Almond Biscotti Sprinkled With Turbinado Sugar

Thumbnail image for Golden Orange Almond Biscotti Sprinkled With Turbinado Sugar February 5, 2013

Here I am, still posting about what I made for my Christmas dinner. And this is not the last one either. I hope you don’t mind. We really enjoyed these Biscotti for dessert with ice cream and sherbet. After a big meal – and we were stuffed – biscotti are a light, sweet end with […]

3 comments Read the full article →

Port Wine Pudding Cake

Thumbnail image for Port Wine Pudding Cake January 18, 2013

The recipe for this cake was given to me by my father-in-law, Grandpa Cyril and it is one that I treasure. Cy passed away several years ago just before Thanksgiving and we all think about him during the holidays now. This guy loved to cook and he put on a Thanksgiving feast every year for […]

3 comments Read the full article →

Top 10 Recipes of 2012

Thumbnail image for Top 10 Recipes of 2012 January 3, 2013

  Happy New Year Everyone! I hope 2012 was as great a year for you as it was for me and Cook & Be Merry. For everyone who visited my blog, Thank You.  And to all my great commenters, you are the absolute best! You make my day and make my blog so much more […]

7 comments Read the full article →

Food Bloggers L.A. Holiday Cookie Exchange 2012

Thumbnail image for Food Bloggers L.A. Holiday Cookie Exchange 2012 December 29, 2012

If you are looking for a last minute cookie recipe for your New Year’s celebration, you have come to the right place. Have you ever seen so many cookies in one place in your life? I have to admit, I haven’t and it was amazing to behold. This was the Food Bloggers Los Angeles Holiday […]

0 comments Read the full article →

Cinnamon-Sugared Pumpkin Donut Holes

Thumbnail image for Cinnamon-Sugared Pumpkin Donut Holes October 27, 2012

Last Sunday was my Food Bloggers Los Angeles (FBLA) meeting for October, which I was fully planning to attend. And then my life went sideways, you know what I mean, and I couldn’t make it. I made these Cinnamon-Sugared Pumpkin Donut Holes and they were ready to go. Everyone was bringing a dish with pumpkin […]

8 comments Read the full article →

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Dipped in Chocolate & Honey Roasted Peanuts

Thumbnail image for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Dipped in Chocolate & Honey Roasted Peanuts July 29, 2012

Being able to bake sweet little goodies is an ability cherished in our family and passed down from generation to generation. So when I got a call from my Auntie Meggie, announcing a birthday bash for my Cousin Rosie, which included a dessert buffet, I knew I had to go all out. You know I […]

5 comments Read the full article →

Pecan Sandie Cookies

Thumbnail image for Pecan Sandie Cookies July 17, 2012

I have one cup of coffee per day, the first thing in the morning. Five days a week I go to work and make a fresh pot upon arrival. On the weekends I have a huge cup of really good coffee that lasts me all morning. Recently I was sort of craving a little somethin’ […]

5 comments Read the full article →

Blueberry Pie & How To Make A Lattice Top

Thumbnail image for Blueberry Pie & How To Make A Lattice Top July 7, 2012

For me, July 4th is not the Fourth of July without Blueberries. I said it last year when I gave you my Blueberry Pudding Cake, and I’m saying it again this year. As we celebrate our major grilling holiday, what could top off that barbeque feast more lavishly than Blueberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. […]

6 comments Read the full article →

Mango-Glazed Bacon

Thumbnail image for Mango-Glazed Bacon May 19, 2012

Ok, all you bacon addicts, this one is for you. I know you’re out there, because my BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp recipe has had the most pageviews of all the posts on my blog. If you do a Google search for Bacon Addicts there are 1,530,000 results. In fact there is a website called Baconaddicts.com that […]

8 comments Read the full article →

Mango & Yogurt Parfait

Thumbnail image for Mango & Yogurt Parfait May 14, 2012

I can’t believe it’s been over a week since I spent a really fun three-day weekend at CampBlogaway in the Los Angeles mountains, seeing all my blogger friends, listening to blogging presentations and learning all about the sponsor’s products. Which were all food related and potentially blog-worthy. I came home with 4 big totes filled […]

7 comments Read the full article →

Really, Really Good Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing

Thumbnail image for Really, Really Good Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing April 22, 2012

I rarely crave chocolate. Not my thing. But about a week ago I got this yen for brownies. You know, rich, fudgy, dense, intensely chocolate. So I dug around for this old recipe of mine, and rediscovered it had whiskey poured over it. Whoa, I forgot about that part.  But even better. So I went […]

10 comments Read the full article →

Twisted Cookies ~ With Rolled-In Sugar

Thumbnail image for Twisted Cookies ~ With Rolled-In Sugar February 25, 2012

  My Mom and I made Twisted Cookies for the first time in 1959 from a recipe printed on the inside of a cake yeast wrapper. My Mom made bread from scratch, without a recipe, and this tricky and unique recipe using yeast was right up her alley. When I left home and married, this […]

119 comments Read the full article →

~ Merry Christmas to All ~

Thumbnail image for ~ Merry Christmas to All ~ December 24, 2011
3 comments Read the full article →

Gingerbread with Apple Cider Sabayon

Thumbnail image for Gingerbread with Apple Cider Sabayon December 4, 2011

Warm Gingerbread, scented with molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, with sweet cold Cider Sabayon gracefully flowing down its side, was what I made for our Thanksgiving dessert this year. It was a not-too-heavy, but lovely end to our feast. Our groaning board held the traditional turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, plus my […]

4 comments Read the full article →

White Chocolate Chunk and Pecan Cookies

Thumbnail image for White Chocolate Chunk and Pecan Cookies November 30, 2011

Hi everybody! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and your waistband is still the same size. My holiday was fantastic because I got to see my brother, who lives in San Francisco, and my older son, who lives in Davis, California. They came to our feast with their wives and it was so much […]

4 comments Read the full article →