Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

Trust me: it looks and tastes much better in person. Yesterday was a lot of fun, but I’m exhausted today! Lots of laughing, lots of playing Wii Sports (I have tennis shoulder this morning), and lots and lots eating food. Ham, turkey, strata, french toast, Irish soda bread, fresh berries, cookies, Easter eggs, cheesecake and […]

This is a slightly adapted muffin recipe and, if I do say so myself, they came out very nicely. The flavor is gently sweet with a nice contrast between the warm, spicy cinnamon notes and the bright and fresh flavors from the raspberry jam. The crumb is tender and moist and the sugar topping even […]

My great-grandmother, Margaret Mulligan née Cummins, emigrated from Ireland when (as family lore has it) she was 14. She left her parents, never to see them again, crossed the Atlantic, went through Ellis Island and resided with some not-so-nice family members in New York. She got married to an Irishman in New York who –yes– […]

I am not becoming a vegan. I am not becoming a vegetarian. I like meat and dairy way too much. (In fact, I’m thinking about getting this t-shirt.) But maybe — once in a while — I can dabble with recipes from the veggie side. I’d wanted to make a cake using chai (inspired by […]

This is my second submission to Weekend Breakfast Blogging and it’s another banana recipe. What can I say? I like bananas. And the name of the recipe — “sugar spot” in reference to the little brown dots bananas get when they’re sweet and ripe — I couldn’t resist. I was hoping for something reminiscent of […]

Pumpkin spice pancake with scrambled eggs. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And on a day that’s celebrated by the young gorging on candy and the “old” by downing fun mixed drinks, a good breakfast is especially important. Next time, I’ll increase the spicy kick with more cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, but […]

This is Carolyn’s recipe, which I had the fortune to taste when her daughter, Kathryn, recently made it. It was delicious – sweet, spicy, packed with flavor. Mine isn’t as flavorful, and I think it’s because I forgot to put in the vanilla. (Yeah. Oops.) It’s still very good, just not as delicious as Carolyn […]

There are a number of joys involved with teaching at MCC. The students are (by and large) interested in learning. The faculty is committed to teaching. The department chairs stick up for their staff (!!!). Employee morale is high. The campus center is alive with student life. And there are cereal bars and Starbucks* coffee. […]

Pumpkin bread, left (with zucchini bread and a coconut doughnut). This lovely recipe for pumpkin bread is slightly adapted from Elise’s at Simply Recipes. It’s very moist and lightly spiced — a nice option for widely divergent palates. Kian and Sadie especially liked it. Note that the oil used is not one usually used in […]

If you’re not in the mood for banana pancakes, try these. They’re delicious and, while cooking, they smell like baking pie. Not only are they lip-smacking good, but they’re rich in antioxidents. Pancakes as health food! Berry Pancakes 2 Tbs. sugar2 tsp. baking powder1 cup flour½ tsp. salt1 large egg, lightly beaten1 cup milk2 Tbs. […]