One of my first food memories is of me standing over a large pot of bubbling applesauce.  I was perched on a stool in my Aunt Vicki’s kitchen, my nose hovering as close as possible to soak up the amazing smell.  I don’t remember much else other than that snapshot, but I have never forgotten the intoxicating aroma.  Aunt Vicki and I were making homemade applesauce – yes, I said making.  (As far as I was concerned, applesauce grew in jars.)  Whenever I smell baking apples to this day, I am immediately reminded of that afternoon.  It was about twenty years later until I had another taste of homemade applesauce, yet somehow my memory of the sweet sauce was perfectly on point.

So let’s start from the beginning: Aunt Vicki.  As the story goes, the first day my parents moved in, Vicki Giffin showed up on their doorstep with a large welcome basket filled with goodies, tea, and her lifelong friendship.  Aunt Vicki became my surrogate grandmother, seeing that mine was a long drive away.  Some of my first childhood memories are of Aunt Vicki.  A woman way ahead of her time, Vicki was a vegetarian nurse who taught yoga (and yes, this was the early 80s).  She was famous for all sorts of kooky things, ranging from setting her lamppost on fire one Halloween (she made a “ghost” out a sheet – however did not account for the flammability of said sheet) to spending ungodly amounts of money to save a tree in her backyard that was in the way of an impending addition (by the way, the addition was a jacuzzi room).  She had a working slot machine in her living room, an ancient rake hanging on the family room wall, and every toy imaginable in her basement.  She was one of the coolest people I have ever known.  Along with all these quirks, Vicki had the largest heart.  She was kind, genuine, and loving.  Unfortunately, Vicki’s life was cut short by a very rare form of brain cancer.  While she is no longer with us, her memories live on in all those she touched.  I smile and think of her every time I make my own sauce. (more…)

An evening in wine.

It all started about a year ago at our wedding…

As a token for their involvement in our wedding, Scott and I presented two of our groomsmen, Reed & John, with bottles of Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. I believe John was the first to suggest that he and Reed hold on to their bottles and we all drink them together at a nice dinner.  Flash forward 10 months and four failed scheduling attempts and finally we all managed to congregate at our apartment for our “Stag’s Leap Wine Dinner.” However, in the time that it took us to plan this event, we found that we had another reason to come together and celebrate; our dearest friend Reed proposed to his girlfriend Kristina. Now we really had a reason to open those bottles of wine. (more…)

As promised, although slightly late, here is one option for using all of those perfectly ripe summer strawberries.  These fresh strawberry cupcakes certainly let the sweetness of the strawberry shine.  I used white cake and filled the cupcakes with berries marinated in sugar, grand marnier, mint and orange zest.  Surprisingly so, these additions really help to make the flavor of the berry pop and add some depth to the overall taste.  To top the cupcakes, I made a fresh strawberry buttercream.  Using my traditional Italian Buttercream recipe (post to come soon), I added fresh, mashed strawberries.  The juices from the mashing helped to not only flavor but also color the buttercream a perfectly pale pink.  I purposely mashed the berries instead of pureeing them because I also wanted small pieces of the strawberry throughout the buttercream.  If you are going to go to all the trouble of making fresh strawberry buttercream, you may as well show it off, right?  To finish up, I adorned each cupcake with a small perfect berry (stems attached, for that just from the farm look) and there you have it.

Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry Plant

Because of the nature of the business (pastry that is), my schedule is erratic at best.  Days off are weekdays and never consecutive.  Unfortunately, its the price I pay for doing what I love.  Anyways, because my schedule can be demanding at times, I have recently decided that my rare day off will be appreciated and valued.   Rather than running around trying to accomplish all the tasks that were cast aside the week prior, I have decided to spend the day, or at least part of the day, doing something fun and enjoyable.  Last week, I treated myself to lunch out and even a glass of wine.  I sat by myself at the bar and just enjoyed the simple pleasure of a cup of soup and a portobello sandwich.  This week I decided I would go berry picking – strawberry picking, that is.

Rose's Berry Farm

Strawberry season is just starting and my favorite local farm recently opened their “pick your own” season.  Although picking our own is a nice activity that Scott and I enjoy doing together, I decided to use my day off to its full advantage and pounce on the first pick of the season.  Living in the Hartford area, I think Rose’s Berry Farm is the best place for berries around.  Located in South Glastonbury, Rose’s offers a variety of pick your own, concentrating on berries, but also including some harvest apples and pumpkins. (more…)