New Book Release

Changeling Press has just released my Valentine Candy Kiss, Lupercalian Feast. You can learn more about it and read and excerpt here. *Warning: This story if for those 18 and over only.*

Banana Nut Muffins

I made these muffins for breakfast yesterday and we ended up snacking on them all day. The recipe is very simple and relatively healthy for a muffin. I lowered the fat from the standard recipe I had used, added a whole grain (oatmeal) and cut the sugar.

Banana Nut Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2T sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or any nut you prefer)


Preheat oven to 400F. Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Then spoon into 12 lined or greased muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.

I used regular paper muffin liners and had some trouble with them sticking to the liners before they were thoroughly cooled. I'm hoping to get some silicone muffin cups soon and see how they work.

Great New Site - Tastespotting

I spent an embarrassing amout of time last night looking at the pictures and following links from Tastespotting. Delightful food porn and fun kitchen gadgets too. Check it out!

January Passionate Kitchen Column

The January edition of the cooking column I write for Changeling Press's free ezine is now available. To read it, click here

Cheese Scones

I took a longer than expected holiday vacation from blogging but I'm back now and hoping to bring you regular recipe posts once again at least until my baby is born around the beginning of spring. Then I'll be taking another hiatus for certain :)

My daughter and I have been having a lot of tea parties lately so I wanted to share one of our favorite tea accompaniments, cheese scones. Theses scones are fabulous on their own, with butter, or sliced open and filled with jam and ham or prosciutto.

Cheese Scones

1.5 cups flour
2t baking powder
1t dry mustard
1/2t salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2T grated Parmesan
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Mix dry ingredients together then cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives or rub it in with your fingers. Mixture should look like soft granules.
2) Mix in cheeses. Beat egg into buttermilk then add to bowl and stir until a dough forms.
3) Turn dough out onto counter and knead a few times. (This is the tricky part. Either too much or two little kneading can ruin the texture of the scones. I've found that about 2 minutes of kneading works for me.)
4) Roll out until dough is 1/2 inch thick. Cut into triangles or circles. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes.

Makes 12 scones.