Brown Derby Grapefruit Cupcakes

Grapefruit Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

The Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood was famous for a variety of reasons: it was the “it” hangout for celebrities back in the day (Clark Gable, Lucille Ball…), the iconic dome shaped architecture that resembled a man’s Derby hat, the supposed birthplace of the Cobb salad… and last (but not least) the origin of the legendary Brown [...]

Flower shaped Mini Lemon Curd Tarts

lemon curd tart

I am currently in the process of making Limoncello… which takes 80 days.   After zesting about 15 lemons for that recipe (check back in 80 days for results), I had 15 lemons worth of juice.  My husband got sick of drinking lemon drop martinis, so I made lemon curd with the remaining juice.  Now I [...]

Homemade Corn Tortillas

corn tortillas

So how can I live in San Diego (or Southern California for that matter) without learning how to make fresh corn tortillas?  They are so EASY to make, and the taste of freshly made tortillas is to die for… perfect for soft tacos!  (I’ve been making grilled shrimp tacos using lime-coconut marmalade as a marinade, [...]

Blood Orange Loaf Cake

blood orange cake

Blood oranges are amazing fruits… orange colored peel, with red/orange vesicles within the endocarp.  I received a generous gift of some lovely homegrown blood oranges, and immediately thought they would be perfect for an adaptation of Ina Garten’s amazing Lemon Yogurt Cake. This cake did not disappoint, and makes a wonderful gift.  You can divide one recipe [...]