Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

In looking for a dessert recipe to bring to a Fourth of July party, I came across the “Over-the-Top” Chocolate Passion . The Chocolate Passion calls for a layer of brownies to be topped by a “pudding cake” (made with butter flavored shortening!) and two layers of chocolate cake, in the midst of which are […]

Grilled Corn with Lime and Cheese served with Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak. “Grilled Corn with Lime and Cheese.” It sounds fabulous, doesn’t it? And there are elements that are good: kernels of fresh corn, sugars caramelized by high flame. The tart yet fresh juice from a good lime. The subtle heat from a dusting of […]

When I was a kid, my favorite candy was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I couldn’t get enough of that sweet yet salty, crumbly peanut butter middle, enrobed in Hershey’s milk chocolate. Sometimes, I’d nibble the chocolate sides, leaving only a peanut butter center sandwiched by a thin layer of chocolate. I might pull the bottoms […]

On the grill. It’s dishes like this that remind me why I love beef. So tender, so flavorful — sweet and a little smoky, all anchored by the umami flavor of the steak. It’s amazing. For a perfect meal, all this needs is a little side salad (maybe a classic iceberg with a drizzle of […]

Written Saturday at 10:05 p.m.: I have to bring a side to a picnic tomorrow, and all out of energy (Kian’s birthday party was today and it was great, but we’re exhausted, especially me, and I’ve got the I’m-tired-bitchies — anyone looks at me crosseyed and I’m ready to rip their head off — along […]

Let’s take trip ’round the world, retro style, shall we? Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once offers a delicious “uber retro, Swiss-classic, fondue” perfect for any well-heeled jet-setter. The recipe hails from Graham Kerr’s classic 1973 cookbook, The Complete Galloping Gourmet Cookbook. Retro pro Emily at Appetitive Behavior visited France via Hungary (read […]

I picked up a copy of Joan Donogh’s recipe for rhubarb muffins with a bunch of rhubarb at the Canandaigua Farmers’ Market. I’d also picked up some strawberries so, with a couple of minor changes (can you guess the biggest one?) these became strawberry rhubarb muffins. Extremely moist and flavorful, these muffins have a sweet […]

I love these cookies. They look so happy! And why wouldn’t a chewy cookie with a deep chocolate flavor and bright spots of color make people happy? A couple of notes:1) these cookies taste best the day they’re made.2) to get a very round final product, after dropping the cookie dough on the sheet, place […]

Saturday was the first day of the Canandaigua Farmers’ Market season. (yay!) There was only a smattering of booths but among them was Honeyhill Farms from Livonia, NY selling pickled garlic scapes (delicious!) and fresh green garlic. Green garlic. Green garlic are the fresh shoots of the immature garlic plant (source). The woman I spoke […]

Links to more photos below. I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that our trip to Russia (visiting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Borovsk) with the HWS Russian Study Tour was the most exhausting trip of my life. We took an average of 20,000 to 30,000 steps a day, which (I’m told) translates […]