blood orange & blueberry tart w/ almond crust

Posted on March 7, 2011 by allison

A blood orange is one sassy fruit. It defies the norm, dares to be different, and looks good doing it. I think maybe every orange citrus fruit secretly wishes it could be of the blood variety. There’s just something so alluring about the red blush on orange skin, and the deep red center that never ceases to amaze me each time I cut into one of these fiery beauties. Since noticing them at the farmers’ market a couple of weeks ago, I have been plotting a way to incorporate them into my baking exploits. I also just liked the idea of having a blog post with blood in the title (I grew up obsessed with cemeteries, witches, and The Addams Family and this morbid side of me continues to leak out in strange ways). Continue reading →

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pear crostata with almond oat crust – how to please your toughest critic

Posted on February 21, 2011 by allison

Today I received one of the best compliments about a baked good I’ve ever heard.

First, a little background: My father, who’s visiting from Southern California with my mom, is one of my favorite people in the world and also one of my biggest critics. I really believe the saying “tough crowd” was invented with him in mind. It’s not that he doesn’t care and it’s not that I feel like I can never be good enough for him. It’s just that my dad doesn’t sugar coat anything. Like, nothing. He doesn’t care for fluff, he plays devil’s advocate like it’s his full-time job, and he’s Italian so he’s more than happy to share his opinions with you whenever and however he likes – and whether you like it or not.

When I was a teenager I decided to bake an apple pie using the apples from our backyard tree. Apple pie is my dad’s absolute favorite. I didn’t kid myself into thinking any pie of mine could live up to the time-tested nostalgia of my grandmother’s — my dad’s mom’s — creations, but I figured that by baking my dad’s favorite dessert, I surely couldn’t fail at pleasing him. Continue reading →

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peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Posted on February 7, 2011 by allison

I can’t believe this cookie didn’t happen to me sooner in life. It is the ultimate trifecta of deliciousness. I am now kicking myself for not thinking about throwing these three dietary staples together before now, adding some butter, egg, and flour, and indulging in the flavor-filled blast that is my new favorite cookie. Continue reading →

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chocolate cream pie w/oatmeal crust (minus the cream)

Posted on January 31, 2011 by allison

There is no cream in this chocolate cream pie. Yet creamy is the best adjective I can think of to describe this delectable non-dairy dessert. Despite it lacking the milk fat typical of cream pies, this one packs a flavor punch that will satisfy any chocolate craving. Plus you don’t have to feel [too] guilty when you eat a piece with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as for a midnight snack. For how awesome an outcome this recipe produces, it’s shockingly simple to make. Though, I highly highly recommend using a food processor (as opposed to a blender) if at all possible. A blender did the trick, but took far longer than it needed to (and anything that can shorten the amount of time before a pie enters your life is a very, very good thing). Continue reading →

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lands end trail – san francisco is an easy place to love

Posted on January 11, 2011 by allison

Most of us spend the majority of our days indoors. Head down, focused, busy, thinking about our next move, constantly bombarded by news of the world, and tempted by one distraction after another. Restless. Fast. That’s life in the 21st century, the digital age.

But when we’re ready to come up for air, to press pause on the craziness of our everyday lives, we find that nature – the one and only Great Outdoors – is there. Like a selfless old friend, it’s always happy to see you, always happy to share whatever it can give with you, and lets you stay however long you like without making you feel weird.

Continue reading →

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vegan almond cookies – these are so good.

Posted on January 3, 2011 by allison

Sometimes a cookie walks right into your heart and stays there.

A friend baked these cookies over a year ago and brought them to a meeting for Akili Dada, the nonprofit organization I’ve volunteered my time to over the past three years (and whose cause of empowering young women is very near to my heart). After just one bite I was sold. This was the best cookie I had eaten in a very long time – and a vegan cookie at that. After issuing copious compliments to the chef, I, along with everyone else, made her swear to pass along the recipe. I vowed to myself that I would one day recreate these almond gems. Continue reading →

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paradise falls hiking trail: prickly pears & going home again

Posted on December 31, 2010 by allison

Paradise Falls – Wildwood Park (Thousand Oaks, CA)

December 28th, 2010. My last day home in Thousand Oaks, California for the Christmas holiday. My older brother and I have decided to go for a hike. It has rained buckets for much of the week I’ve been home, but not today. The brilliant blue sky is particulate-free thanks to the recent storms, and the winter sun blazes, quickly warming a brisk December morning.

Thousand Oaks (or TO for the locals), my home town from age six to age seventeen, is suburbia at its finest. You legitimately cannot get anywhere without a car. There allegedly is something resembling public transportation called Thousand Oaks Transit, but I’ve never seen it. I can count on one and a half hands the number of non-chain, family-owned, decent restaurants. The soccer fields are something to marvel at, and the parking lot there is bursting at the seams on Saturdays and Sundays. Minivans rule the road.

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vegan lemon tart w/almond crust & blueberries

Posted on December 22, 2010 by allison


Pie will always have my heart.

But I have to admit, there’s something sweetly tempting about a delicately balanced tart. It brings many of the same satisfactions of a pie without the bloated feeling that so often occurs just after indulging in a hearty slice (or three). Although I’ve never really felt a strong affinity toward tarts, I have definitely come to appreciate their charms. And after making this little beauty I must say I’m looking forward to making many more (it helps that I just became the proud owner of this stunning red tart dish).

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flaky pie crust that’ll never let you down

Posted on December 14, 2010 by allison

It is my firm opinion that pie crust makes a pie. I will never, ever bake with a store-bought pie crust. Ever. I don’t trust them. How can I guarantee that a pie will taste delicious if I can’t ensure the top quality and true love that went into all the bits – from the crust to the filling to the cinnamon sprinkled on top?

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banana bread to make friends by

Posted on December 10, 2010 by allison

The first time I baked banana bread I was 13 and I followed the recipe I found in my dad’s ancient, crumbling Good Housekeeping. I don’t remember what inspired me to pull out those old cookbooks and flip through them. And I don’t remember why I settled on banana bread to bake that day. I hadn’t baked much at all before then. Just a little bit, in home economics class (or whatever the PC version is called these days), and when I helped my grandmother with her pies and cookies (but even then, I was more of a bystander and a taste-tester rather than anything very useful).

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