Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

The only time a presentation like this is appropriate is for a Halloween party. Or, maybe, when celebrating Charles Manson’s birthday. My favorite part of Halloween is the candy. Candy makes me swoon. And the opportunity of getting mounds of it simply by dressing up, knocking on a few doors and saying “TRICK OR TREAT!” […]

This month’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was a dessert I’d never heard of before: Bostini Cream Pies. Our host, Mary from Alpineberry, explained, “Bostini cream pie, like the name implies, is a twist on the traditional Boston cream pie. The dessert is vanilla custard topped with an orange chiffon cake and then drizzled with a chocolate […]

I’d never made flan before so, when Shane requested it for his birthday (Oct. 12) I was a bit nervous. Luckily, though, it turned out to be surprisingly easy using this Epicurious community recipe (thanks, angelheart04!). The hardest part is maintaining patience while waiting for the sugar to caramelize. Over low heat, it took me […]

I know it would have been better have a photo of the pie showing the double layers but I forgot. What are you going to do? The pumpkin shape on top was made gently pressing a cookie cutter into a graham cracker half. About a year ago, Mark Pescatore (whom I occasionally write for) send […]

Cinnamon rolls. Sticky buns. Click here for the recipe. I was so excited (and, um, nervous) about participating in my first Daring Bakers Challenge, I decided to cover it “live blogger” style. Of course, that doesn’t really work when you publish the coverage almost a month later … so, suspend disbelief people! Put yourself into […]

Click here for photos and a discussion of making this recipe. Cinnamon and Sticky Buns(from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice)Daring Bakers Challenge #10: September 2007Host: Marce (Pip in the City) Days to Make: One (1)Active/Resting/Baking Time: 15 minutes to mix, 3 1/2 hours fermentation/shaping/proofing, 20 – 40 minutes to bakeRecipe Quantity: Eight(1) – twelve […]

Look, it’s good carrot cake. Moist, thanks to the buttermilk glaze. Tender. Flavorful. The frosting is to. die. for. But the cake itself? Meh. I think my issue with it is that its only spice is cinnamon and, in my ideal carrot cake, there’s more going on. It kind of reminds me of an oatmeal […]

Once again, Lis from La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice have teamed up to host La Festa al Fresco. The event is a celebration of fresh, seasonal (and preferably local) ingredients. Such a good idea, no? So, armed with plenty of zucchini from my neighbors’ garden plus 2 lbs of fresh, […]

This recipe comes from Faye, a women whom Shane used to work with. Faye’s monkey bread never failed to be appreciated — and devoured — when she brought it in to work. This isn’t your typical monkey bread recipe. Faye’s recipe is closer to caramel cinnamon rolls, all grouped together for a delicious, sticky unravelling. […]

Even though I’m pretty sick of seeing Rachel Ray EVERYWHERE, her recipe for easy lemon mousse is easy and pretty tasty, though a bit looser in consistency than a regular mousse. For a fresher, brighter flavor, buy a lemon or two to zest and then add the peel to the mousse (keep tasting until you’ve […]