chicken with olives and lemons thumb Chicken with Olives and LemonsIt was a dark and stormy night. Well, truth is, it was a sloppy wet January Monday afternoon; we aren’t used to rain here so we make a big thing out of it in LA. And rain makes me want to cook. Chicken with Olives and Lemons was my plan, using edibles from the yard. Lemons, oregano, rosemary.

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Potato Crusted Onion and Cilantro Quiche Dinner thumb Potato Crusted Onion and Cilantro Quiche with a Cuban Touch–Bijol!It is 3:30 PM, Sunday afternoon. Neither lunchtime nor dinnertime. I’d spent the morning packing meals at Project Angel Food. Came home and took a 3 mile walk. Football on the TV. The house has a chill – all good reasons to turn on the oven.  A Potato Crusted Onion and Cilantro Quiche idea “showed up.”

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IMG 6941 thumb Armadillo Sighting in Beverly HillsAngelinos (and frequent visitors)…  Does this armadillo look familiar? Surprise! It’s part of a Route 66 art installation on Santa Monica Blvd. between Century City and the 405 freeway. Technically NOT Beverly Hills, but a stone’s throw away.  Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California is Route 66.

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Eating & Drinking in Cuba ~ Good Eats But Pack a Bottle of Hot Sauce

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“The food in Cuba is not so good,” said a friend who’s been.  Liar!!  I found plenty of awesome eats and washed it all down with copious amounts of rum. Here’s my photo gallery of eating in Cuba. Beans, rice, chicken, beef, lobster, shrimp, soup, salad, fruit, ice cream, eggs, pasta, pizza, ham, pork, plantains, [...]

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Why Cuba Has So Many Classic American Cars

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We just returned from the island of Rum, Cigars, Great Music and Beautiful Women – Cuba. There, we got the feeling that time had somehow stopped. And it was there that we witnessed thousands of Cubans going about their daily lives, transported via late-50’s American automobiles.

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Sweet Potato, Chili and Lime Soup

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This Sweet Potato, Chili and Lime Soup is so chock-full of the good stuff, it literally burned up the immersion blender. No matter, squishing harder thru the sieve produced the chili-good results.

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Seared Scallops with Orange-Ginger Sauce

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If New Year’s Eve is a night when you want to cook something lovely, flavorful, but light, try Seared Scallops with Orange-Ginger Sauce. We had them as an appetizer. But over a bed of rice with baby greens for a salad,… LOVELY.

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Sautéed Spinach with Almond Cream and Arils ~ Christmas Colored!

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  Rich, creamy, Christmas-y! This is one gorgeous platter of Sautéed Spinach with Almond Cream and Arils. According to its source, Chef Virginia, the recipe only has 167 calories a serving. I think THAT fact makes it even more gorgeous. Nom, nom, nom.

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Zucchini Cheese Tart

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What an appetizer! More like an appetite-spoiler… at THIS party (Gourmet Club), the plan is to cook and eat for HOURS. How would that be possible if we started off with this flaky, cheesy, mustardy, bubbly hot Zucchini Cheese Tart? 

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The Chef, The Designer, The Kitchen and The Party

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Ordinarily, I write here about cooking, trips and/or the antics of our Gourmet Club. But for this post, I was urged by Club Member Laura to write about the KITCHEN of our most recent dinner party, and the DESIGNER, who also happens to be in our Club. Laura is right, it doesn’t always have to [...]

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Historic Route 66 Trip ~ Days 7, 8, 9… OK, 10 & 11, too

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I’m immersed in producing my way-cool slide show of our Route 66 road trip (Westwood Library, January 12, 6 PM, plus other bookings to be announced soon). Back to blogging, it was Day 7 when we started to really hightail it. With a budget of 12 days, we were NOwhere near a half-way mark in [...]

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Light Molasses Cookies

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Larry is a crisp connoisseur. He likes cookies with crunch. He also loves when they have a spicy wallop. I prefer “al dente,” slightly soft. These Light Molasses Cookies ROCK for both of us – crisp crunchy edges, flavor that’s fairly intense. Then… right in the middle, awwww… a tender softness.

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Big Green Salad Moroccan-Inspired, Sort Of

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I’m not claiming this to be a “Moroccan Salad.” It is a good example of how to contribute to a dinner party. Friends Chris and Patricia (she’s the chef blogger at Fresh Food in a Flash – and photographer that night) hosted. Patricia was marinating meat in “Moroccan seasonings,” so I said we’d bring salad. [...]

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Historic Route 66 Road Trip — Days 4, 5 & 6

October, 2011 Larry and I flew to Chicago, rented a car and drove Route 66 back to Santa Monica.  The adventure continued, and now that we knew we were taking way too much time each day pulling over to photograph every "66" we saw, we agreed to hightail it and use the interstate, when necessary. [...]

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Gingersnap Cherry Cheesecake and Dinner Parties vs. Restaurants

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This Gingersnap Cherry Cheesecake was our contribution to the party. Dinner parties, in my opinion, are so much better than restaurants. Cost, sure. But parking, pressure to eat and turn the table, not being able to talk with the whole group, the din of music and room noise. And I know how restaurants cook my [...]

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Route 66 Legend ~ Hanging With Bobby Lee at his Big Texan Steakhouse

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Steak, corn, bread, salad. Just what the doctor ordered the day we rolled into Amarillo on our Route 66 road trip. You’ve seen the Big Texan Steakhouse on the Food Network, right? Man vs. Food. Or in travel books… “Home Of The Free 72 Oz. Steak!” We watched anxiously for signs of it off the [...]

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Kahlua Sweet Potato Pie with Kahlua Whipped Cream ~ Food Bloggers Gather to Cook and Share for Thanksgiving

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The recipe to make this autumn leaf-laced Kahlua Sweet Potato Pie with Kahlua Whipped Cream is at the bottom of this post. Seven bloggers arrived at our home for an early Thanksgiving Feast in the spirit of blogging recipes for our readers’ holiday cooking. As Project Manager, or more realistically “Micro Manager,” I instructed each [...]

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Historic Route 66 Road Trip – Days 1, 2 & 3

Get your motor running. Head out on the highway…. this road trip may be on your Bucket List – driving Historic Route 66 the full way.  Mapbooks, websites, chatrooms, AAA guides all confirmed – there IS NO one long Route 66 road. It’s been chopped and rerouted to smithereens over the decades.  But still, what an adventure [...]

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Route 66 Road Trip ~ Before I Post Our Journey, Lessons Learned If You Go

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I shot this iconic Historic Route 66 scene on my smartphone. Larry and I live in LA; we flew to Chicago, rented a car and drove 11 days, 8 states and 2675 miles across our big country to reach end-point Santa Monica, a few miles from home. Some people have this trip on their bucket [...]

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Our Tour of Wilton and My Autumn Leaves Pie Crust

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This pie crust is brought to you by Nancy Siler and Gretchen Homan, who are helping me perfect my autumn leaves. They’re the go-to home economists for baking pretty things – they work at Wilton. 

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A Few Favorite Photos and Their Related Posts ~ A Roundup

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My photography skills fall between Good Camera <—> Lucky Shot. I’m not saying these are award-winning, just favs that bring the reader to interesting stories (in my opinion). Larry and I travel quite a bit, and exotic destinations can produce killer shots. But beauties happen right here at home, too.  Enjoy!

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My Favorite {aka Best} Recipes ~ A Roundup

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Early in this blog’s life, I published my go-to recipes. I know their outcome, and I cook them often. But they have fallen deep, deep, deep into the archives after years of new posts. No! Don’t get lost, my little favs! Here are my 10 go-do recipes, which means they are my family’s “best.”

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Frozen Soup ~ Product Review and Celebrity Schmooze

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9:30 PM – I was not thirsty. That is an important observation. Just a few hours earlier, I was one of a collection of food bloggers sampling a new line of frozen soups: Bertolli Premium Meal Soups for Two.

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Warm Egg Salad Sandwich with Provolone

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This elegant restaurant lunch will be simple to replicate at home, I think. Oh wait, maybe its anchovy butter could be a challenge here. But I don’t feel bad suggesting this — I live in LA and my Warm Egg Salad Sandwich was happily consumed at San Francisco’s Il Cane Rosso – who knows when [...]

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Wurstsalat ~ My Version of Swiss Sausage Salad

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After several years of quarterly dinners, our Gourmet Club is getting VERY creative with themes. Laura and Jeff announced the next dinner to be Swiss, as in “Fondue Party,” and gave Larry and me the salad assignment. !?!  Sure, the Swiss have salads, one on the surface looked just right, a chopped salad with plenty [...]

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Hot Coffee ~ We Saw The Movie

Remember the lady who sued McDonald’s for millions of dollars after she spilled their hot coffee in her lap?  If you one day have the chance to see the movie Hot Coffee, I think you might find it quite worthwhile.  I now know what a Tort is… besides a yummy dessert. This is a teensy [...]

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Lime & Shallot Pork Chops

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Have you ever followed a new recipe only to realize {after it’s all gone} that you DIDN’T follow it properly? That’s the story of these Lime & Shallot Pork Chops. Which, by the way, were totally worth it.

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Chocolate Kahlua Zucchini Bread

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Instead of cooking up a healthy minestrone with zucchini my friend Cathi grew in her garden, I baked a boozy Chocolate Kahlua Zucchini Bread. It’s already wrapped up (minus two slices) for my upcoming weekend at Camp GetAway… definitely a grownup snack, but of course, this is a grownup getaway.

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Cherry Tomato Crockpot Soup

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When a friend hands you 100+ homegrown, very ripe cherry tomatoes, just say THANKS and grab the slow cooker. This Fresh Cherry Tomato Soup crockpot recipe is a great idea, if I do say so myself. Sure, I could have made a ton of salsa, or salads out the wazoo, but I worked for the [...]

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Light Monkey Bread ~ Larry’s Project

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Sniff, sniff. Mmmm! This is Larry’s baking project: Lightened Up Monkey Bread. Gotta love Cooking Light magazine, it doesn’t disappoint. Their column, The Enlightened Cook, publishes “recipe makeovers” that actually, factually work. Friday, the October issue arrived. Sunday, Larry was making their Lightened Up Monkey Bread  from page 160.

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake ~ a Southern Cake for the Groom

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This Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake was the companion cake at my sister’s Friday night pre-wedding family shindig. Groom, Mike likes chocolate. I like chocolate. I like Mike and wanted to make him a chocolatey cake from Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cakes – Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations. But OOPS — three mistakes got me THIS [...]

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Pineapple-Coconut Cake ~ a Southern Cake for a California Bride

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This bride-inspired Pineapple-Coconut Cake is from Nancie McDermott’s dreamy Southern Cakes – Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations (will post the groom’s little cake, behind, soon). My sister remarried on 9-10-11-12. September 10, 2011 at noon. No, no, this isn’t the “wedding cake.” Janie and Mike tied the knot at the house (Mike’s). But [...]

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Comfort Food ~ Chile Cheese Pie

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Today, I could write flowery “there’s a touch of autumn in the air” prose.  Noooo, this is about cheese. And sour cream. Things suited to be baked up with rice, chilies and hot sauce for a Chile Cheese Pie. 

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Fresh Beets and Farfalle

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  This has been a Big Summer o’ Beets. Not complaining; here’s another beet-infused recipe. Honesty, if I tried harder I would find a whole wheat bowtie pasta, but this is DAMN GOOD.  There, I said it – we attempt to eat whole wheat but luv the white stuff. Fresh Beets and Farfalle is a [...]

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I Have Gray Hair

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This post may totally torpedo anybody wanting to read my blog again. Gray hair does that. It makes certain people turn away. Yet, just yesterday, a stranger told me, “I like your hair color.” A MAN, and I don’t think he was gay. So if you don’t already know, I have gray hair. Silver. Salt [...]

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Kahlua-Glazed Peaches & Vanilla-Kahlua Yogurt For Two

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  Tell me if I’m wrong, but more words aren’t necessary. Fresh summer peach. Kahlua. Dunk, roast. Stir a little more into plain yogurt. Fresh vanilla bean. Drizzle. Sweet. Savoring. Kahlua-Glazed Peaches & Vanilla-Kahlua Yogurt for Two. Only Larry and me here, today that’s all that counts.

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Have You Heard The Table Set?

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Maybe you live up the road from us in LA? My guess is, no. You’re in New York, or Iowa, or Auckland, or Delhi. This “recipe for fun” is for you. This stunning Rainbow Jell-o Mold was just one ooooh – aaaah moment at a pool party, thank you homeowner and party host Greg, the [...]

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OMG, There’s A Spa Within Walking Distance of Our Home

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Our neighborhood is a wreck. Westwood and Brentwood area, Southern California. The 405 freeway widening project, now known the world over for “carmageddon,” is exhausting. Noise level, grit, gridlock and general construction chaos make it nearly impossible to feel peaceful anywhere outside of our own homes. Don’t bother walking with an iPod unless you crank [...]

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Careers, Connections & the Art of Reinvention

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Stick your neck out. Show up. Say yes to opportunity. Be kind to everyone on your way up. Eyes wide open. Face fear. Change when you need to. Or, change when you decide you WANT to. The Southern California IACP regional conference on “Careers, Connections and the Art of Reinvention” delivered on its promise to [...]

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Indian Spices on U.S. Store Shelves

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Hey, I can’t believe I forgot this post was in DRAFT mode!  Larry and I rang in last New Year’s in India. What American food blogger travels all the way to India and doesn’t publish the ubiquitous “spices in sacks” shot?  Well, here it is, above. And now, what to do about it…

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Fresh Beet, Feta & Pistachio Salad

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  NEVER open a can of beets again, if you can help it. Fresh. Roasted. Sweet. Dense. Beet, Feta & Pistachio Salad – not what I first planned to make for my sister, Janie’s wedding shower. But two days prior to the party, Larry and I were treated to a media tasting at hip Ray’s [...]

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I Think About Food A Lot

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Here I am at one year of age, clearly not happy with being jailed for some infraction of toddlerhood. I was a robust baby; mom says I was born “full grown” at 9+ lbs. Second of five girls. No dessert unless you finished dinner.

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Puff Pastry Straws with Truffles ~ In Erika’s Kitchen

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This past weekend was Trufflepalooza, the brainchild of blogger Erika of In Erika’s Kitchen. It’s a private party, packed with her friends, family, fellow bloggers and members of the media. The occasion? Erika’s love o’ the truffle, and her showcase of recipes featuring Les Truff, including these crispy beauties, Puff Pastry Straws with Truffles.

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Gorgeous Green Greek-ish Salad

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Some lovely things, I’ll just never be in real life — Southern is one. Another is Greek. I love Greeks. My high school/college posse included two Greek brothers, John and George, who provided a peek into an ethos far removed from mine. They may have been native Californians, but they were GREEK. Loud. Multi-generational home. [...]

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5 Kitchen Remodel Ideas I’d Recommend; 2 I’d Skip

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Julia Child had a kooky kitchen feature: a pegboard with the outline of her pots to precisely hang them in their proper places. Functionality, love it. Three times in my married life, we’ve torn a kitchen to the studs. One was our commercial building (renovated a 50-year-old Hungarian restaurant into offices and professional test kitchen). [...]

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Carmageddon Report ~ When You Live In “The Zone”

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Hello from Los Angeles! I shot this from the top of the Angelino Hotel. Larry and I live just East of the 405 freeway, and south of Sunset Boulevard. It’s now officially Carmageddon; the freeway is closed for 53 hours in order to knock down half of the Mulholland Bridge, and clean up in time [...]

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Jalapeno Lime Coleslaw for a Crowd

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OOPS, forgot to take a “hero shot” photo of my Jalapeno Lime Coleslaw before we dug in at Laura and Jeff’s July 4th gig. No worries, it looks like any other coleslaw, but but but…  has a tang and a punch, really worth checking out yourself.

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Best Paint Advice I Can Give

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You’re looking at my well-traveled paint palette. When we remodeled this house a decade ago, we had the daunting task of deciding colors for every room. Sounded fun… wasn’t. One step forward and three steps back until I landed on the right approach, thanks to a kind stranger.

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What to Pack for Africa

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No… I don’t have another trip to Africa planned. Yet… I WISH! My friend, Marlene is going on her first safari and asked a simple question, “What is your number-one recommended item to pack?” One?? When only allowed 26 lbs. of luggage total, EVERY ITEM is vital. After I emailed her with this collection of [...]

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Kahlua Ice Cream Layered Cake ~ A Tutorial

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Step-by-step, make this killer Kahlua Ice Cream Layered Cake by following my photos. The idea has been in my recipe binder since 2004, a Family Circle cover recipe made with kid-friendly flavors. No way, this had Kahlua potential, requiring a dinner party at home for obvious melting challenges.

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