Happy Easter everyone! With the warm temperatures we’ve been having this week in the mountains, coupled with the fact that March is just about over, I’m feeling upbeat and excited for summer. I know we still have a ways to go, but I’m ready. A lot of snow has melted and now I can actually go out onto my patio. The last few mornings I like to go out there with my coffee and something to read, while I soak up some warm Colorado sunshine. Looking through an old cookbook one morning, I came across this recipe. My mom used to make this bread in the summertime, and it was one of my favorites. There is just something about the classic pairing of lemon and blueberry- wonderfully tart yet sweet, [...]

Talk about a snow day. It’s the second day of Spring and I haven’t seen it snow this hard in quite a while. It took me over 20 minutes to uncover my car this afternoon! Lucky for me all the work I need to do today allows me to work from home. I am preparing display cakes for a bridal show in Denver next month and trying to be organized and ready way ahead of time. All of my Megan Joy Cakes are very labor-intensive with lots of detail. Busy busy! I just got back in town from a quick trip to Indiana for one of my grandmother’s surprise 80th birthday party. We all had a fun time. Also, doesn’t she look great for her age?! So now I’m easing [...]

Sorry it’s been awhile folks. My family was in town last week and I’ve been busy with Megan Joy Cakes, especially with wedding season right around the corner. But take this as a peace offering- my prized recipe for cornbread. I used to make this for staff meal at the restaurant and it’s amazing served warm from the oven. What makes this cornbread truly delicious is its sweetness and moist crumb- no dry cornbread here. I love serving the cornbread with chili and hearty soups, or with barbequed chicken, as we did last night. It rounds out the meal perfectly. The cornbread can be baked in muffin cups as well. Fill them about 2/3 full with batter and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. In [...]

Okay friends, today we have another gluten-free high altitude baking recipe. This recipe can be deliciously made using all-purpose flour as well, so whatever works for you and your diet. I have been experimenting with gluten-free all-purpose flour substitutes and so far have been very pleased with the Cup4Cup brand. There is not a noticeable taste to the product and it bakes up beautifully. You can find Cup4Cup at Williams-Sonoma Stores and Whole Foods. I had some sweet potato puree so I decided to play around with my trusty Vanilla-Scented Butternut Squash Quick Bread and Banana Bread with Peanut Butter Glaze formula. It makes the best quick breads- moist, not too greasy, light texture yet substantial density…you just have to try it. Yesterday we hosted a little brunch get-together and [...]

Have you ever considered the idea of making your own english muffins? I have to admit, I’d never even thought about it until I saw a recipe in my Breakfasts & Brunches cookbook by The Culinary Institute of America. Sometimes I forget about english muffins. Then during a stroll down the bread aisle, I will remember how good they taste, toasted and spread with butter and jam. When split open with a fork, their interior is deep and craggy, and delightfully spongy. Let’s not overlook what made them famous either. Eggs Benedict. Imagine this classic breakfast indulgence with a homemade english muffin. Just throwing that out there, in case it’s a sleepy weekend day… English muffin dough is just like any other soft yeast dough, except it is a bit [...]

This last week I was fortunate enough to take a little getaway to Telluride with my boyfriend. We’ve visited Telluride before, and it never disappoints. I loved that while we came right on the tails of a winter storm that brought about 35″ of fresh snow, the town itself still remained fairly quiet. On Tuesday, we had perfect weather- 45 degrees and full sunshine. It felt like Spring! We spent some time exploring highway 145 and the area near Lizard Head Pass. I love bluebird days- when there is not a cloud in sight, and pure, blue Colorado sky.     Now I’m back in Vail and back to business. The last two months I’ve been hard at work on my new wedding/special event cake business. Many hours (and still [...]

We are getting some snow in the mountains today and it is falling down in the most beautiful, fluffy flakes. I wish my camera took pictures fast enough to capture the snowfall. My brother was visiting this past weekend and with the warmer temperatures last week, there was a lot of snow melting. It felt like Spring! So it’s nice to see some new snow today. I’ve made this bread twice in the last week. Every time I bake fresh bread, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. The process of making bread is such a soothing one to me. I like knowing that a few simple ingredients were formed into bread with my own hands. Of course nothing compares to the flavor of fresh baked, preservative-free bread [...]

Well, my house is in dire need of cleaning but I’m going to procrastinate by uploading this new blog post first. Yesterday the beloved Christmas tree came down, and was put to rest back in the mountains where we cut it. Of course it left its mark everywhere in the form of a zillion pine needles. May it rest in peace. January has been kind of chilly for us. I do appreciate the warm Colorado sunshine on days that I venture outdoors. As you can see below, we’ve had a decent snowfall so far this winter, and plenty of ‘powder’. These mini corn breads come to us courtesy of the new Williams-Sonoma catalog. Thanks to the rosemary and fontina cheese, they are a bit more sophisticated than your typical cornbread [...]

This last month has been a hectic frenzy of baking for me. Lots of birthdays, special occasions, and my latest little project- a holiday baking cookbook featuring exclusively high altitude adjusted recipes. It will include all of the treats we love to eat and bake this time of year: red velvet cake, spicy peanut brittle, cinnamon rolls, cut-out sugar cookies, cheesecake, creme brulee, biscotti…the list goes on. I’m hoping to have it completed by mid-November (just in time for Thanksgiving!). The best part about it is that it will be downloadable, meaning you will have instant access. I will be sure to keep all of you who are interested updated on it’s official launch. For the most up to date news, be sure to subscribe to my email list. In [...]