I was born into a family with a history of heart disease and farming. My father is blessed with a green thumb but that gene didn't pass to me, the butter gene did. I will never be caught trading plant secrets unless I'm on the phone at 1-800 flowers, however I do know the butter fat content of a guernsey cow, it's 5%.  

I am afflicted with the opposite disease, black thumb, and thanks to my children,  the place where the plants reside in my home is called the corner of death. One day I heard my gentleman husband whispering, and I use that term loosely, ( I suppose you could take that two ways, but I only meant it one)  to one of them on the phone,

"your mother has plants, 15 of them" but he said it like he was informing them I had some sort of exotic incurable disease, like something you'd have to look up on the internet and then convince your doctor you have.

"She's going to purify the air in the house and you need 15 plants, not 14 or 16. Gotta be 15. It's that Dr. Oz, gotta be, he's making my life, a living...well you know"  Then the conversation was over.

I took photos of the plants to prove they were still living and emailed them to all the kids and it was good for awhile, and then the trouble started. First it was a shriveled leaf here, a yellow leaf there. Then the dirt started to get matted down. I repotted, got different dirt and different pots. I called in experts, learned how to dead head but my little plant family started to dwindle and went from 15 to 13. I started taking plants to my Dad for hospitalization and special care.

All my fears were starting to come true and I  started sneaking out after my husband went to work to replace the dead plants with new ones out of desperation but it didn't work. I was now down to 10 plants and beginning to panic. Nothing seemed to help despite all my efforts, I couldn't sleep, the plants were taking over my life and all they did was sit there. How on earth did I manage to raise 4 children?

"I just don't understand this!" I declared outloud to absolutely no one at all and the truth is I don't have a clue. It did occur to me that some of the plants might be seasonal or sick, or depressed. Maybe there's a plant whisperer out there or the water in our town is sub par or the dirt is undernourished because it couldn't be that I took on more than I could handle. That would be nonsensical! 

I hope to get a handle on it before the last leaf falls, which on a side note is my favorite O'Henry story. The Last Leaf. If you haven't read it, do so. If you're afflicted with the same plant problems as me take a page from the Pastry Girl, plant guide. Water your plants with bottled water, play songs for your plants by Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin and leave dishes of planters peanuts on the counter so they won't feel lonely. Other than that, I'm at a loss.

I am off to do something I know how to do. Bake!

All the best, Kate

"Butter makes it better"

I've always been of the opinion that food evokes emotion and can spark the best memories. There are some foods that have created such a great feeling for me I still remember them to this day. There was fruit punch my piano teacher made for me when I was too sick to sing in the choir, chicken mole our best man's mom made when our first child was born, queso fundido from a little restaurant in Florida on our first vacation, my Mother in law's Texas sheet cake on 4th of July. That's just the beginning of my gastronomic memories.


When I was little I used to sit at the kitchen table, head in hands and watch while my mom prepared certain sweets, apple pie and cinnamon sweet rolls were two of her favorites. It was my first introduction into baking. I watched in awe as the dough was rolled out and in anticipation as leftover pie dough was rolled into a smaller pie dish and then quartered and savored later with jelly. It was a treat for just us two and sometimes my Dad. I gazed on as she plumped the raisins for sweetrolls in warm water and brushed ribbons of butter on absolutely everything as she exclaimed,' butter makes it better'.

It's true, and I don't just say that because I'm from the dairy state and have extraordinarily high cholesterol. Butter does make it better. I love you Mom!

All the best, Kate

Autumnal Equinox

Fall is my favorite season! Aside from the cooler weather, I love everything about it, the colors, the scent and the culinary delights, the food!! I can't think of a better time of year for cooking and baking. The markets are full of squashes and apples, pumpkins and corn, gourds and harvest vegetables. What more could a pastry girl ask for?

I have amassed an array of lentils in various shades, rices and quinoa, a variety of beans and a large stock pot at the ready and I'm dreaming of soups and stews and hearty bread.

This is the time of year that I become energized about new recipes and delight in leafing through books and magazines, pouring over recipes, experimenting and looking for new favorites. I ran across a majestic little jem at my local library and it's called 'Sustainably Delicious' by Michel Nischan.

It's such a great book I checked it out twice and renewed it until all my grace periods were used up and finally purchased it from Barnes and Noble. His recipe for macaroni and cheese is amazing and well worth the time it takes to make as is the mushroom and bacon dish, pumpkin soup, corn chowder and everything else in the book. I have many, many beloved cooking and baking books from professional tomes to the Star Trek cookbook and I've asked my gentleman husband to build me a wall of shelves with a sliding library ladder to house them and I definitely can't live without this particular book.

Next week we go to Cranberry festival up North so there will be a plethera of cranberries to behold and with that, cranberrry apple tart, cranberry coffee cake, cranberry hazelnut biscotti, cookies, oatmeal bars, to name a few and that doesn't include apples, nuts and pumpkins. It's getting exciting and fun and we'll have recipes to share!

Pastry Girl Chhaya and I have lots of plans for fun cooking and baking projects for the holidays, infinity and beyond. We're looking forward to our Gingerbread project as well as our holiday cookie project and if you catch us on a good day we might sing for you too! 

Now, take time to admire your flours!  All the best, Kate