I have to give a big shout out to Manas Ranch in Esparto, CA. They specialize in peaches and every year, I make sure to get at least one box of their juicy, flavorful O’Henry peaches when they come into season. (They are the best!) Another cool thing about Manas Ranch is that you can sign up … Continue reading
Hap-pie Birthday to us! Hap-pie Birthday to us! That’s right, Friday was cookplantmeditate’s first birthday! Thank you to all who have read, followed, liked, tweeted, facebooked, googled, yahoo’d, pinterested, reposted, emailed and just generally supported us. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Cheers to another year! And just how did we celebrate our first birthday? … Continue reading
A couple weeks back we celebrated my daughter’s 9th birthday. She had only two requests. The first was to celebrate her special day at Jump Highway in Fairfield. The second was to have a strawberry Monster High birthday cake. Putting together the birthday party at Jump Highway proved to be the easy part as they … Continue reading
Tis the season for holiday treats! How about a little homemade baklava as a gift? With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season in full swing, how about taking some time out to do what you’d rather be doing anyway – baking! Trust me – one bite of this sticky treat and they won’t … Continue reading
This pumpkin cake is flavorful, light, delicious and has a perfect crumb to it. A special thanks to my dear friend Vicki, who first gifted me a recipe for “Pumpkin Bread”. After many years of making it, I’ve decided to call it “Pumpkin Cake” instead. I’m not sure where she originally got the recipe for … Continue reading
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PUREE This year, my tiny garden yielded quite an abundant surprise – a random pumpkin plant that sprouted and grew these beautiful sugar pumpkins. I hadn’t planted the plant there but somehow, some way, some of my sugar pumpkin seeds must have gotten loose. How cool though! I’ve harvested 3 good sized pumpkins … Continue reading
Camping Day 4 – Massacre Rocks State Recreation Area, Idaho Did I mention that it’s HOT? It is. Even my iPhone complained of the heat when I turned it on. It told me that I couldn’t use it until I cooled it off. But one of our camping campadres mentioned sightings of wild currant bushes along the … Continue reading
The inspiration for this cake recipe comes from a lavender shortbread cookie I adore from Miette, in the San Francisco Ferry Building. This cake is rich, fragrant, has a nice crumb and, due to it’s floral nature, really adds a wow factor. It is perfect paired with a cup of coffee or a dollop of … Continue reading
Cheese pandesal can be made into a tasty dessert with this recipe! Today as I wandered the Island Pacific Seafood, my thoughts turned to the Bulbacan Bakery (right next door) and their cheese pandesal. Ever since my dear friend Victoria introduced me to pandesal, many years ago, I’ve been hooked. Cheese pandesal is the sweeter, cheesier … Continue reading
I love crepes. Sweet, savory, plain, they’re all good! The first time I recall having crepes was at a sleep over when I was 9 or 10. They were homemade, filled with hot cherry pie filling and topped with whipped cream. It was love at first bite! I don’t really remember where I got this … Continue reading
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