Archive of Past Blog Entries

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses, #Lick the Bowl Good

Kissing deep chocolate is a splash of kirsch in my Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses. Just because Valentine’s Day has passed doesn’t mean chocolates and kisses are no longer relevant.  Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses The recipe is adapted from popular blogger Monica Holland's Lick the Bowl Good cookbook. As this Ninja Baker was gifted with permission to print the recipe for  Chocolate Cherry... Read Full Article273

Majestic Burgundy Mushrooms & Cookie Cups with Burgundy Cream, #SundaySupper

  Two courageous grape-growing dreamers, Ernest and Julio Gallo, followed the call of their hearts. With a five thousand dollar loan from a family member, the Gallo brothers ventured into the winery business. More than 80 years later, Gallo Family Vineyard wines are sold nationwide and overseas. This year, the Gallo family celebrates another milestone – the 50th birthday of the first iconic red blend,... Read Full Article274

3 Japanese-Style Treats for Your Sweet, #SundaySupper

An arsenal of made-for-two recipes and how-to treat your sweet on Valentine’s Day will be unleashed tonight on Twitter by the #SundaySupper group. (For more details on how to participate, please scroll down.) Susan of Girl in the Little Red Kitchen  - who always has clever culinary tricks up her sleeve – will host. For the Valentine’s #SundaySupper, I’ve prepared 3 Japanese-style treats: Mandarin Orange... Read Full Article275

Super Bowl Bento, #SundaySupper

With the arrival of Super Bowl season, a spell seems to take hold of my husband. Like many American football fans, the TV mesmerizes him. He shouts, waves his hands and dances in front of the television. With all this expended energy, my husband needs nourishment. But man - especially a gluten sensitive one - cannot live by bread and football alone. So, I prepared a Super Bowl bento (Japanese lunch box.)    Super Bowl Bento:... Read Full Article276

The Ninja Baker's Japan, Part 1

With the start of the New Year, I'm adding a new feature entitled the Ninja Baker's Japan. I'll be bringing you photos, videos and poetry from my Japan journal.  Hope you enjoy!      The knell of the bells at the Gion temple Echoes the impermanence of all things. The colour of the flowers on its double-trunked tree Reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. He... Read Full Article277

Valentine Fairy Cookies, #Creative Cookie Exchange

Snooping can pay off. I spied a container labeled Fairy Cookies in my cousin-in-law’s kitchen. Turns out the jar held homemade cookie mix that cousin Nancy learned how to make in the third grade! Lucky for me, Nancy had just baked a batch of the fairy cookies. Valentine Fairy Cookies Nibbling Nancy’s freshly baked cookies whirled me back to memories of my grandmother Nona’s baking. There is something magical... Read Full Article278

Pocky Cake Pops, #SundaySupper

“Pokkin, pokkin.” Ah, the symphonic sounds of a bite of Japanese Pocky. (A chocolate covered biscuit stick.) In America, M & Ms are Mom’s prayer to avoiding messy hands. In Japan, Pocky allows mommies to hand over snacks without worry. A small portion of the Pocky stick - the handle -  is free of any chocolate coating. In the past several years, new Pocky cream coatings have surfaced. Pocky! The strawberry... Read Full Article279

Not Ketchup Chicken & Cupcakes

Dreams are conveyer belts of messages from Heaven. At least that’s true for my friend Erika Kerekes of NotKetchup.com. Erika went on a cherry picking excursion and hauled thirty pounds of cherries home. A cherry blizzard of homemade cherry cobblers, pies, and jams hit the Kerekes' kitchen. There came a day, however, when she says, “I couldn't look at another jar of jam. I started thinking about what else I could do with... Read Full Article280

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