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

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

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

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

Rustic Apple Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce 4 Granny Smith apples peeled and thinly sliced ½ cup dark brown sugar 1 tbsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg ⅛ tsp. all spice Pinch of salt 2 tbsp. flour ½ tbsp. lemon juice 1- 397 g. package puff pastry thawed 2 tbsp. melted butter Preheat the oven to 400°F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and salt. Toss to coat all the apple slice

In my memory bank there lives memories of hot evenings on the front steps of our farm house enjoying rare treats of shortcake piled with clouds of farm fresh whipped cream. We milked our own cows and after separating the milk from the cream, we poured it into those sterilized tin pails and sold it all. On rare occasions Mom and Dad would allow us to have some of the whipping cream as a treat, and it was so delicious. When our daughter was very young I would recreate this memo

2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp.ginger ½ tsp. cloves ¾ cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg ¼ cup molasses ½ cup sugar in a small bowl Crispy Gingersnap Cookies Heat oven to 350 F°. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until fluffy

1¼ cups Graham Wafer crumbs ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ cup melted butter 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese ½ cup sugar 1 tbsp. lemon juice ½ tsp. vanilla ¹/8 tsp. Salt 2 eggs 1 cup sour cream 2 tbsp. brown sugar ¼ tsp. vanilla 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries thawed 2 tbsp. cornstarch 2 ybsp. water ¼ cup sugar 1 tbsp. lemon juice Raspberry Cheese Cake Everyone loves a good cheesecake but this one is not as rich as most and the raspberry sauce adds a nice tart flavor. Serves 8. Heat oven to 32