Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

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 […]

Vanilla Garlic is hosting a Cupcake Round-up — such a good idea! Cupcakes are so lovely: petite and beautiful, who doesn’t love a little cake topped by a swath of rich frosting and a few sprinkes? But sometimes you’re not in the mood for something light and sweet, but something a bit denser and spicy. […]

Ready for their date with a cup of tea. Sadie’s class is exploring the world again, and this week, it was her group’s turn to present on France. Her portion of the presentation was on food — can you imagine a better topic for France? Being in third grade, however, she didn’t focus on coq […]

Fresh out of the oven. Buttery and sweet, these are lovely holiday cookies. The best part, however, is the dollop of jam in the middle. Next time, I’ll make bigger thumbprints to fit in more jam! Butter and Jam Thumbprints 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 3/4 cup […]

Rich in cocoa flavor, these lovely Christmas cookies arepunctuated by crunchy bits of mint. I didn’t add the crushed candies to the batter, thinking it would be too much but I regret that decision. An additional minty snap would have added a nice counterpoint to the chewiness of the chocolate cookie. A note: I chilled […]

Anytime I’ve ever made pecan pie, I’ve just used the recipe on the back of the Karo Corn Syrup bottle. It’s simple, it’s fast, and it’s delicious. Shane was sick this weekend and requested a pecan pie (chicken soup too, but the pie took higher importance). I wanted to branch out, and found this recipe […]

Tasty little buggers. Essentially, these were a vehicle to try out a bag of Nestle Chocolatier 62-percent Cacao bittersweet chocolate morsels. Shane and I tasted them along with Ghirardelli’s 60-precent Cacao bittersweet chips. Alone on the tongue, I preferred the Nestle (!!!) but in baking, the Ghirardelli still has my heart (and palate). (Shane liked […]

These candy corn-shaped cookies from BettyCrocker.com were too cute not to make. They didn’t come out as precise as Betty’s (she must have a construction grade level in her kitchen) but they are darling. Some baked up as tricks. Some baked up as treats. Some give new meaning to the term “food porn.” I found […]

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 […]

Sadie’s class is traveling around the world — not literally; public school systems rarely have that kind of money… Groups of four to five kids are assigned a country, research their given topic (flora/fauna, food, culture, etc.), and present their work to the class. On Friday, the class is exploring Australia. For the food portion, […]