Citrus is such a wonderful flavor to celebrate during the winter months.  I call this cake Fleur de l’Orange because of the layers of orange flavor.  The orange juice and Cointreau are forefront and the zest and Olivio Extra Virgin Olive Oil add fragrance, spice and a story.  I chose to use extra virgin olive oil because I like the subtle grassy note that makes me think of an orange tree when paired with the zest and Cointreau.  Olivio Olive Oil is the secret to this uber moi

Candy Apples are a favorite treat for us this time time of year.  While these Candy Apple “Nachos” are still finger lickin’ good, we have taken some of the commitment out of biting into a whole apple by serving these as wedges with all of you favorite fixings.  We made Olivio’s Salted Caramel for a healthy twist on this typically indulgent sweet treat and the kids had fun sprinkling healthy toppings like toasted coconut, roasted pecans, oats, flax seeds and raisins on top.  T

Autumn Macaron Trio: Pumpkin Pie with Maple Creme, Maple Sugar with Pumpkin Ganache, Cumin with Citrus and Anise Let’s face it, macarons are chic little buggers.  How can we even think of calories when something is this adorable and well dressed?  With a few basic tools and a little finesse, macarons are simple to execute.  Below is the my Basic Macaron Recipe.  The recipe provides a solid base structure to customize anyway you wish.  As foliage is near peak in Boston, I play

Lime Infused Watermelon with Minted Feta Guilty pleasure confession: I love to sit with an entire, chilled watermelon half on my lap and chow.  Give me a spoon and 15 minutes and there will be nothing but rind and one happy soul left over.  However, that’s when I’m alone, without a witness, as it looks like I am about 7 months pregnant after I finish.  Here is a refined twist on this summer staple.  A simple marinade of lime zest and juice, olive oil and sea salt bring out th

When I was 16, I lived in Denmark for 6 months.  Some of my nearest and dearest friends are Danish and I grew up with special Scandinavian traditions and specialities mixed into my life back on Bainbridge.  I think “rød grød med fløde” or Red Porridge with Cream is the prize of Denmark…well, at least during strawberry season, anyway.  It is a simple dessert, consisting of stewed red berries (traditionally strawberries), a little sugar, cornstarch and touch of lemon with a spl

Molten Lava Cake with Brandied Cherry Pressure test? psssh! This dessert will wow🙂  My recipe is quick and easy.  The trick is to measure and prep every ingredients so you can quickly combine once you get moving.  This chocolate heaven is best served immediately out of the oven…(as you will appreciate if you watched episode 7 of season 3 of MasterChef) so plan your next dinner party or hot date accordingly!  Also, the tastiness of this treat will entirely depend on the quali

Key Lime Pie with Coco-Macadamia Nut Crust and Greek Yogurt This is one of my favorite summer desserts.  There is nothing like chilled custard-y lime flavors to refreshen the palate on these hot summer nights.  This recipe is extremely quick and easy.  The texture tastes like a delicious egg-based custard, however, the creamy consistency is achieved with sweetened condensed milk.  I like to romanticize this recipe…as if it’s from an isolated island in the Florida Keys with li

Virginia Belle’s Brownies My folks were out here this past week to celebrate the MasterChef premiere with AJ and me.  I didn’t waste a minute asking them to whip up a few of the dishes that remind me of my childhood.  I have lived over 3,000 miles away from them for over 10 years, so recipes are how I have learned to “visit” them in between our semi-annual get-togethers.  But what a treat to have the two of them so close and to capture the subtle nuances that make a small han

5 Minute Pie Crust This spring, I took an amazing pastry class out in LA from Pastry Chef, Clemence Gossett.  So while Pillsbury may have a place in my Thyme Lattice INGREDIENTS: yields 1 pie crust, top and bottom 355g all purpose flour, (I like King Arthur’s) 14g sugar 6g salt 325g butter, cold and diced into 3/4″cubes, (I like Land O’Lakes) 104g ice cold water PREPARATION: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in Cuisinart and pulse 10 times in 1 second intervals to incorporate

Rhubarb Thyme Cakette with Lemon Zest Crumble Our friend Rick lives just north of Boston on a beautiful farm and keeps our fridge stocked with fresh chicken eggs.  Friday, we got an extra bonus when he brought us nearly 5lbs of RHUBARB. ‘Tis the season for all things rhubarb!  This Cakette is kind of like an upside down lemon pound cake “topped” with deliciously tart rhubarb and a buttery crumble crust that is loaded with zest.  Using a 7oz large muffin tray, this recipe will

The Chocolate Chip Cookie certainly must be the most time honored and celebrated American Sweet Treat of our time.  And while there is an abundance of fantastic, indulgent, ultimate recipes out there, this one is mine. In honor of Mother’s Day this Sunday, I want to thank my Mom for baking me THOUSANDS of Mammy Two-Foot’s Chocolate Chip Cookies while I was growing up.  I can’t think of a day that I came home from school and there wasn’t a batch waiting for me and my friends o

OK, no sooner did I get off the phone with my mother-in-law to confirm the dishes I will bring down for Thanksgiving this year (PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE at the top of the list!) did I find out that my 3 adorable nephews and niece are each making their own pie for the family.  Soooo cute-  how can I compete with that?!  So while their masterpieces will definitely earn oooo’s and ahhhhh’s around the table, we’ll pull this amazing twist on a holiday classic out after the bed time stor