Lemon cupcakes are on the menu

November 6, 2024

METRO — Cupcakes are handheld treats that can make any celebration even more spectacular. If guests expect the standard flavors of chocolate, vanilla or even red velvet, change things up with a sunny surprise: lemon! Enjoy this recipe for “Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes” from “Jane’s Patisserie” (Sourcebooks) by Jane Dunn. Anything with sweet drizzle is a hit, and these cupcakes deliver plenty of lemony flavor in every bite. Note: Imperial measurements were approximated from the metric and may not be exact. Using a food scale set to grams and weighing ingredients will produce ...

Cheers to Halloween

October 30, 2024

I love Halloween night and handing out candy to the kids turned monster that ring our doorbell. I also love preparing special treats for friends and family who come to hang out for a while. There are usually snacks a-plenty and to wash it all down there’s got to be beverages. Hot spiced cider is a long-standing tradition. Not only does the simmering brew take the chill off, it makes the whole house smell devilishly good. In the spirit of the holiday, for adults only, there’s the Pumpkin Spice Martini. A sweet and spicy blend of cream liqueurs and vanilla vodka shaken with ice, ...

Care for a sweet treat during Mexico’s Day of the Dead? Have a bite of ‘pan de muerto’

October 30, 2024

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The first bite is an assault to the senses. A sugary, citric, fluffy delight. “Pan de muerto” or “bread of the dead” is baked in Mexico every year, from early October to mid-November, amid Day of the Dead celebrations. Shaped like a bun, decorated with ...

A fresh pumpkin becomes comfort food in this Creamy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

October 30, 2024

While I cook with butternut squash and other winter squashes all the time, when I think about cooking with pumpkin, I picture a can of puree. But using fresh pumpkin is just another take on cooking with hard-shelled, cold-weather squash. There is more to those pumpkins than ...

Mark Bittman’s recipe for a gooey, melty, kid-friendly grilled cheese sandwich

October 30, 2024

Smushing a cheese sandwich in the pan leaves you with a crisp outside and gooey inside, says Mark Bittman in his cookbook “How to Cook Everything Kids.” You will need a couple cans from the pantry or a small heavy pot for this one. GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH Makes: 1 sandwich Time: 5 ...

Cheesy stromboli packs pizza-like flavors into a portable spiral

October 30, 2024

Stromboli is an Italian-American invention said to have been created in Philadelphia in the 1950s, but the dish takes its name from an island off the coast of Sicily. Like the calzone, it’s a sort of portable pizza — fillings are enclosed in dough and baked — but more often than not, ...