Coconut Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the only way I make my carrot cake.  To me carrot cake should be fully-loaded with raisins, pineapple, coconut, nuts, and carrots.  Coconut Pineapple Carrot Cake 1 cup raisins, plumped by soaking in hot water (I usually use golden raisins but I didn't have enough golden raisins...

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Stir-Fried Water Spinach

I learned how to make this dish from my friend Kellie. Her secret (or her mom's secret) is the lime juice. Stir-Fried Water Spinach 1 bunch water spinach (about 1.5 pounds) 2 tablespoons oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced 2 Thai chilies, sliced MSG, to taste 2 tablespoons...

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High Altitude Red Velvet (and Aqua Velvet) Cupcakes

Red velvet are the most problematic cakes for me. I can't get them just right at this altitude. I think it's a combination of leavening issues, flour structure issues, and weird chemical reactions of the acidic ingredients (vinegar, buttermilk and even natural cocoa powder) with the baking soda....

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Best Cocoa Brownies and the Quest for the Best Cocoa Powder

How many batches of brownies can I bake over the course of a week? A lot. I've been testing different brands of cocoa powders. Cocoa powder is something I have in my pantry but rarely give it a second thought. I buy the Ghirardelli because it’s the fanciest-looking cocoa powder on the grocery...

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macarons on my mind

I’ve been meaning to make and blog about French macarons for quite a while now but as with most of my cooking, I really have to be in the mood in order to do it well. How do I feel about making them after spending two days in the kitchen? They are not hard but can be a little finicky. I actually...

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