Have you ever virtually baked with anyone?

What’s the problem with baking bread at home?
The fact that you cannot find fresh yeast at the store? No
It’s difficult to make? No
You don’t have flour in the pantry? No
No time? Yes!

A few years ago, or in December 1997 to be more specific, I was an M.A student, sharing a tiny two bedroom apartment with a roommate, working 2-4 temp jobs at a time, studying whenever I could (a.k.a when I did not work or party), and eating giant size salads for “linner” – I made [...]

Sometimes unplanned dishes are the most delicious (Ooh, a rhyme!). And sometimes making pasta for dinner is actually an excuse to eat kale.
Kale, chard, mustard greens, and all their green friends are new in our fridge, on our table, in our hearts, and now also in our backyard (more about it later). Those are ingredients [...]

Things I love about summer…
Dedicated to my friend Keren, the Frantic Foodie who is trying to do it all (she is getting SO much done! Amazing.) and all the mothers out there. I love you, Moms!

taking a nap…

curly hair… (OK, it has nothing to do with summer)

water and everything in it (well, most of it, [...]

Creamy mashed potatoes with tanned and crunchy and cheesy topping. A combination of all good things together in one dish. Doesn’t this make it the ultimate comfort side dish? I assume that you don’t really need a recipe for mashed potatoes, do you?! But I will share a few tips for making an even better [...]

Once a week I take my son, who is 5 years old, to do the grocery shopping with me. It’s a lot of fun (but wasn’t always like that). I love to see how his interest and excitement about food grows and grows. This of course, doesn’t mean that he is not a picky eater. [...]

Sometimes I get frustrated. Trying to do it all and having to compromise in everything that I do. I feel like I’m doing the best I can – which is not good enough to me – because I want to do everything perfectly. But in reality I find that I’m not giving enough attention to [...]

A while ago I bragged about how my son, who is 5 years old, wrote a recipe for Chocolate-banana cookies. A recipe! From scratch! All by himself! And no one asked him too.
He made mommy, that’s me, very proud, of course.
That was in September (2008) and I have finally found the time to share with [...]

* I use canola oil and extra virgin olive oil (evoo) together for pan-frying.
Canola oil for the higher cooking temperature (burnt oil is not a good thing) and evoo for the flavor.
* When frying, the food needs only to visit the oil for a short while, not move in together. You don’t want the food [...]

A week ago I invited friends to come over for dinner on Saturday. A few days later I found out there is a going to be a bloggers’ conference that day. Hmmm, what to do? I want to see my friends. I want to go to the conference. How can I have a cake and [...]

To my dear friends, family members, and readers who don’t bake,
Having the tools in the photo below will make baking so much easier, and much more successful, oh, yes, and a lot of fun too. That is the secret to a good cake. Kids like to play with those tools too (see here). The tools [...]

Definition of tea infuser in Wikipedia:A tea infuser is a device in which loose tea leaves are placed for brewing. The infuser is placed in a cup or pot of hot or boiling water, allowing the tea to brew without loose tea leaves spilling into the pot or cup. A rod or chain is commonly [...]

The best cooking advice I can give you today is: always, and I mean ALWAYS, place your cake pan inside a sheet pan before you bake it.I love cheesecakes and I love a streusel topping. So I found a cookbook with a recipe that combines both. I was happy.
Then… while I was making the cake, [...]

An essential part of teaching children about food is educating them about where food comes from. Visiting farms and U-pick farms is a terrific experience and an excellent opportunity to show them how food grows and where it comes from. Growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs in your own back and/or front yard makes a wonderful [...]

Thank you to all the people who attended the session I gave at Planet Kids Bellevue tonight “Beyond Mac & Cheese – Learn to cook a home-made Family-Friendly Dinner every day”!
You asked me about the following:
Cooking schools:
I forgot to mention that I offer private one-on-one, or small group, cooking classes, done at your own kitchen, [...]