Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

About a month ago, I was thrilled to get an invitation from Breadchick and Sara inviting me to participate in Cookbook Spotlight #3. After Breadchick posted a recipe from Ships of the Great Lakes Cookbooks: Discover Their Culinary Legends for Weekend Cookbook Challenge #13, the book’s publisher, Paula McKenna, contacted her and asked to be […]

This is a community recipe from the WW recipe board (“From the kitchen of JOANNA_K”) and is one of the few that doesn’t use margarine, cool whip, or instant sugar free pudding. (Margarine, cool whip, or instant sugar free pudding: sounds like a Sandra Lee recipe, doesn’t it?) The only problem was that the recipe […]

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 […]

Despite high member ratings, this cake is a disappointment. The cinnamon streusel is good, but it’s so scanty, it might as well not be there. (You can see it in the picture above, capping the cake, and running through the middle like a racing stripe.) The cake flavor resembles that of a biscuit, which is […]

I wish this picture did the flavor of this cake justice. I found this recipe on JoyOfBaking.com and slightly adapted it only because I couldn’t find our bottle of maple syrup. No matter — this is an amazingly delicious cake! Why can’t all cakes be like this? The cake is moist and delicate, with a […]

Retro Recipe Challenge Deadline: Sunday, October 15 11:59 EST!!! This is another Maglieri cake. This is another cake recipe taken from Peter Kump’s Cooking School Cake Baking packet. This is another delicious cake with texture issues. The coconut flavor is lovely and brightened by hits of lemon. The frosting is very rich from its coconut […]

This recipe comes from the Peter Kump’s Cooking School Cake Baking Course Pack. The cakes are developed largely by Nick Malgieri. Maybe it’s my technique but every time I make one of his cakes, the texture is a bit off. The flavor is great, but the texture is not. Same problem with this cake. It’s […]

Last Tuesday, I attended the first of six classes in cake decorating offered through Canandaigua School District’s Complements program. I’ve taking cooking classes before but I haven’t the foggiest idea how to decorate a cake. Usually, I just slap it on and schmear into a swirly pattern. Voila! Cake. Tuesday was a basic first day […]

I have a problem with this recipe. It’s a shame too, because there are so many great things going for it. The flavor is great. There’s a lovely tang from the lemon juice and zest, providing a nice contrast to the cinnamon sugar-dusted, in-season nectarines. It’s dead easy to whip up and the recipe seems […]

Yes, the presentation is lacking. But at that point in the move, so was my ability to care. I am not a fan of Sandra Lee (aka Snadra, Puddin’ Cups, or my personal favorite, Semi-Ho). I like her 70/30 concept, where 70-percent is store-bought and 30-percent is fresh ingredients, but her execution — eccch. (Read […]