Recipes

Fresh Banana Muffins

Sep 22

Fresh Banana Muffins

You need a cup of mashed ripe bananas – two large or three small bananas – to make 12 muffins. Don’t worry if you have a little less or more than a cup, the recipe will turn out just fine! I sometimes add a pinch of cinnamon to the batter to give the muffins a [...]

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My Orange Birthday Cake

Aug 08

My Orange Birthday Cake

Use whatever orange juice you have – fresh or from the carton. If you have a fresh orange or two, zest them and add the zest to the cake batter and frosting for a bigger orange flavor. If not, don’t worry, as this cake is still delish with carton orange juice. For the garnish, cut two thin [...]

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Perfect Deviled Egg

Jul 01

Perfect Deviled Egg

The secret to perfect deviled eggs is to not overcook the eggs. Have fun with the garnishes – fresh herbs, chopped tomato and red onion, crumbled bacon, capers, even caviar.

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Chocolate Praline Cake

Jun 06

Chocolate Praline Cake

The secret to unmolding a perfect praline topping is to spray the bottom of the pan with vegetable oil, line with a round of parchment paper, then spray again. You can bake this cake with any brand of cake mix, but I will say it is amazing with my new chocolate cake mix. If you [...]

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Margarita Cake

May 04

Margarita Cake

The three components of a margarita are in both the cake batter and the glaze – tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Use either fresh squeezed lime juice or buy the bottled Key lime juice for this easy Bundt cake. It’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo parties, potlucks, and picnics all summer long – anytime [...]

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Hummingbird Cake

Apr 14

Hummingbird Cake

This is absolutely the best Hummingbird Cake in the world! Use very ripe bananas, the blacker the better. Bake this for spring picnics and potlucks, Easter brunch or birthdays, or just because you are hungry for Hummingbird Cake. The recipe calls for my Old-Fashion Yellow Cake Mix which you can purchase here.

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Lemon Meringue Pie

Apr 04

Lemon Meringue Pie

Once you crown this lemon pie with meringue, no one will ever guess you started with a pudding mix.

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Mar 24

Roasted Sticky Chicken

This chicken cooks very slowly so that the meat is moist and the skin gets sticky from the spices. Use whatever spice combination you choose. It is based on a New Orleans recipe from Paul Prudhomme. Feel free to take this recipe outdoors and cook it on the rotisserie over a low fire, but if [...]

Maple Nut Coffee Cake

Mar 10

Maple Nut Coffee Cake

My mother always told me imitation was a fine form of flattery. And now I’ve figured out an even finer form – when someone bakes your recipes and then feels comfortable enough with them to change up the ingredients to suit their own tastes. That’s what Betty Minton of Princeton, WV, did after she baked [...]

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Whoopie Pies

Feb 03

Whoopie Pies

Through the years readers have told me about a dessert called a whoopie pie. Some of them say it is Midwestern in origin, other say from southwestern Pennsylvania. They have tempted me with the description–two soft little chocolate cakes between which you sandwich a creamy vanilla filling. One reader kindly called them Oreos on steroids! [...]

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The Books

Cupcakes From the Cake Mix Doctor

Cupcakes From the Cake Mix Doctor

The cupcake is America’s darling. It’s celebrated in upscale bakeries, on Sex in the City, on the cover of Gourmet, and in thousands of classrooms—where every day, it seems, a parent has sent in a batch for the kids to share.

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Anne's Cake Mix

Anne’s Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Mix

Anne’s Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Mix

Chocolate cake - warm fudgy layers topped with a creamy frosting - this is the cake I love most of all.

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