My most stressful class in culinary school was Classical Pastries. Chef Jan Bandula was the instructor and he was also a Certified Master Pastry Chef. And he was European. Failure was not an option in any of his courses. But Chef Bandula also wanted us to win. He never made us feel like idiots if…
baking
Tres Leches Chocolate Cake with Cajeta Drizzle
We’re smack-dab in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month and do you know what that means for my Puerto Rican family? Absolutely nothing. That’s right. Since we celebrate our “hispanicness” on a daily basis, this weirdly-dated pseudo-holiday holds no importance to us. But, that’s just us. I do have a Hispanic recipe I want to…
Zucchini Bread- Easy and Freezer-Friendly
My children humble me on an almost daily basis. Case in point: my son told me this past weekend, “I really love zucchini.” Me, being the humble person I am, thought, “Well, clearly I’m an amazing mother. He loves vegetables and has a love of healthy food. He takes after me.” Come to find out,…
Coconut Rum (Coquito) Cream Pie
Okay, Friend, make sure you get my autograph now because, once this Coconut Rum Cream Pie recipe hits the interwebs, I’m blowing up like the Goodyear blimp. Picture it: the infamous Puerto Rican holiday cocktail- Coquito– in. Edible. Form!! Yes, I have done it. I have created a dessert that will go down in the…
Chicken and Biscuits with Maple-Butter Dipping Sauce
This Chicken and Biscuits recipe is sponsored by Danish Creamery, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. An invitation to your buddy’s party/cook-out/shindig is inevitable, so why not have a recipe on hand to wow your host(ess) with? Not only will this Chicken and Biscuits recipe wow the inviter, the other invitees will marvel…
Piña Colada Layer Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
Easter is right around the corner. I’m going to give you everything you need to wow your guests at dessert time. My ancestors hail from the island that brought you such classics as the Piña Colada and Mark Anthony (my husband’s glaring at me through the computer right now). This cake is great for Spring…
Chocolate Stout-Pretzel Cupcake w/Bailey’s Buttercream & Caramel Sauce
Do you ever just look at images like the one above and tilt your head in adoration? I’m totally doing that right now. It’s as if the pretzel is saying, “Hey, Marta, you’re pretty fantastic for making us. How about you devour me like a little savage?” And I’m over here all, “Yes, little Chocolate…
Mardi Gras King Cake Filled with Fun
I was recently away on a work trip to California. Long story short: I loved it, I learned a lot, and now I’m pining for luxury. None of that matters, and the only luxury I’m getting is this Mardi Gras King Cake. It was inspired after seeing a guy lug a three foot box onto…
Confetti White Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’m always on the lookout for new products to test in the kitchen. It’s this weird obsession I have with new flavors, techniques, and tools, I guess. My hard and fast rule is: whatever I bring into the kitchen cannot be single-use. If it’s in my place, it’s gotta give me a variety of things…
Soft Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
I’d never before tasted Lofthouse-Style cookies. That was, not until I tested the original version of this recipe for Simply Recipes. Cindy Rahe– pastry gal extraordinaire- developed it. Check out the original version here. I’ve passed by the commercial version of these soft sugar cookies plenty of times in the store, sure. The key words there…
