Blog Entries | myrasbest

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day!

Looking for something different to do to honour your mom on Mother’s Day? Transform a weekend afternoon into a tea party for the women you admire most. Include some delicate mini deserts from my cookbook “Soulful Helpings” and you are on your way. Mother’s Day should be dedicated to any woman who is helping to make this world a better place by nurturing and sacrificing to care for another person. These women should never be taken for granted. They deserve your respect, gra

April is Upon us!

April is Upon us!

Spring 2015 -- it’s all about making a statement with pastels. Enjoy this heavenly pastel ice cream layered cake that’s bursting with the freshest flavors of the season. When I think of spring my first though is of Easter and how it is symbolic of the season with the glorious promise of rebirth and rejuvenation after a long winter season.The inspiration for this ice cream cake comes from the colors of the traditional candy coated mini eggs that my parents would hide around th

Valentine Cherry Crumble

Valentine Cherry Crumble

Valentine Cherry Crumble For the Topping 1-cup flour ½ cup packed dark brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg ¾ cup butter cut into pieces 1-cup large flake old-fashioned oats ½ cup pecan pieces [optional] For the fruit 6 cups frozen pitted cherries ⅓ cup granulated sugar (more or less depending on tartness of the fruit] 1 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tbsp. lemon juice ½ tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. lemon zest Heat the oven to 375°F. Combine the flour, sugars, cinnamo

A Special Treat to Share with Your Loved Ones

A Special Treat to Share with Your Loved Ones

Food can be a great expression of love. Our fulfillment and the fulfillment of our loved ones depends on the real thing. So, forget the store bought chocolates and flowers and bake up a real treat today. From the moment I received an easy bake oven as a gift as a young girl, I was enthralled with sharing my baked goods with the ones I loved. When I ran out of the little cake mixes I would create tasteless hockey puck cakes from flour and what ever other ingredients were on h

Pecan Thumb Print Cookies

Pecan Thumb Print Cookies

Pecan Thumb Print Cookies 1 cup d,Or Co-op butter ½ cup brown sugar 2 cups enriched all-purpose Co-op flour 2 d’Or Co-op eggs separated ¼ tsp. salt 1 tsp. almond extract 2 cups enriched all-purpose Co-op flour 2 cups finely chopped nuts 1 cup pure Co-op jam (I used cherry but any flavour will work) Preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, salt and almond extract and bea

Lemon Poppy Seed Slice and Bake Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Slice and Bake Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Slice and Bake Cookies 1 cup unsalted d’Or Co-op butter ⅔ cup icing sugar 2 d’Or Co-op egg yolks ⅛ tsp. salt zest of 2 fresh lemons ¼ cup poppy seeds 2 cups enriched Co-op all-purpose flour Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, add the salt, lemon zest and the poppy seeds. Beat just until incorporated, then add the flour and beat again un

Raspberry Filled Linzer Cookies

Raspberry Filled Linzer Cookies

Raspberry Filled Linzer Cookies ⅔ cup almond powder (small packages available ready to use in all Co-op grocery stores) ½ cup light brown sugar (divided) 2½ cups enriched Co-op all-purpose flour ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. cinnamon 1 cup d’Or unsalted Co-op butter 1 d’Or co-op egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tbsp. icing sugar 1 jar pure Co-op raspberry jam Heat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl combine the almond powder and ¼ cup of t

Joyful Christmas Baking

Joyful Christmas Baking

Fill your home with the Christmas spirit by baking some of these great cookie recipes. Your children will love it, and it is a great way to spend time with you family this holiday season. This time of year always brings me joy. This year, however, my feelings are tempered by the recent loss of my dear brother. I miss him terribly and my sadness will endure for a long time. I take comfort in the secure knowledge that I will see him again, and that is related to the reason we

Pumpkin Puff Pancake

Pumpkin Puff Pancake

Pumpkin Puff Pancake 1 cup flour 1 tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1 tbsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg ¼ tsp. all spice ¼ tsp. ginger 1 cup milk ½ cup canned puree pumpkin 2 slightly beaten egg yolks 2 tbsp. melted butter 2 stiffly beaten egg whites 3 tablespoon butter Preheat oven to 400°F and place a 9 or 10 inch cast iron pan into the oven to get hot. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and ginger. In another

Pumpkin Season

Pumpkin Season

Pumpkins and the autumn season go hand in hand. For me, pumpkins bring up a host of memories: a cozy fireplace and the tantalizing rich spicy aroma of baking with pumpkins. There are so many options besides the ever-popular pumpkin pie. There are cookies, cakes, muffins and many more. Besides the baking there are savory recipes for pastas, soups and lists of other wonderful recipes. I have one memory from my youth that still makes me smile. I planted some “Jack ‘O Lantern” pu

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