Desserts Required |

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

A Long Memory The first time I tried a Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie was at one of Mrs. Field’s kiosks in a mall, over 20 years ago. It was love at first bite. Over the weekend, when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to bake, I decided to let my pantry and freezer guide me. Fortunately, I was well stocked with chocolate chips and I had a large container of macadamia nuts in the freezer. Mrs. Field’s fabulous cookies flooded my mind and the rest was easy. I think chocolate chips by themselves are divine, but raw macadamia nuts do absolutely nothing for me. Yet, when the two are combined and baked, something magical [...]

I’m Ravenous For This Pig Generally, I blog one Road Trip For Food per month. This month is an exception due to the fact that I had an incredibly delicious meal with some of the most special people in my life. It was, most definitely, blog worthy. Last week, Eric Kaufman graduated from the University of Central Florida. Eric is someone I have known and loved since he was 5 months old. I have loved watching Eric grow and mature through the years and when I was attending his graduation, it was as if I was watching one of my own kids walk across the stage. We all have special family moments that we treasure, but food is [...]

A Bountiful Harvest A friend of mine, who is a wonderful chef/caterer, asked me to try out a new dessert that she had made. Because my friend is a fabulous cook, I happily skipped my way into her ‘office’ (a/k/a commercial kitchen). I am always game to be a guinea pig for anyone who enjoys cooking and/or baking. In front of me was a bar cookie/brownie covered in nuts and dried cranberries. My mouth started watering right away. I took a bite but realized, immediately, that I was feeling conflicted: I loved the topping with its sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, dried cranberries and sesame seeds. Yet, the crust was lacking one of my favorite ingredients – butter. My [...]