honey cake

October 30, 2016 by Stesha Brandon in cake, baked goods

I developed this recipe (as well as these lemon cardamom cookies) to showcase the honey from my friend Bob’s hives at Urban Bee Company. having grown up with the 'honey bear,' I had never really thought about honey as a flavoring agent in and of itself. it was always just a sweetener that I added to my tea (or my whiskey) when I was feeling a bit under the weather. but when I subscribed to Bob’s honey CSA, I discovered that each month’s honey had a distinct flavor profile depending on where the hives were situated in the city. if the bees have been foraging on wild fennel, there was an anise-seed finish to the honey. the honey from south Seattle had a citrusy start, but ended with an almost piney finish, as there were evergreens near the hives.

pumpkin spice and storms can be nice

October 16, 2016 by Stesha Brandon in lunch, savory

the weather has been stormy here in Seattle. walking the dog yesterday meant risking the storm. the streets were nearly empty, as most folks were bundled up inside, and I was eager to get back home myself, but when the dog stopped and sniffed, I stopped too. Although we were getting soaked standing there, I took a deep breath in and was rewarded with the intoxicating tinge of wood smoke carried on the rain-swept wind. the scent was quintessentially October in Seattle: rain and maple leaves and fire, underscored by the damp piney freshness of the evergreens.

spice cookies: two ways

October 02, 2016 by Stesha Brandon

I love to bring people treats—practically speaking, it’s a great way to make sure that I don’t subsist solely on baked goods, but really, I love seeing people smile when they realize that I brought them a little treat, just because.

so you can imagine how excited I was to see this idea formalized by the wonderful Dorie Greenspan. Dorie has been working on her forthcoming cookie cookbook (which is GREAT!) and started giving away cookies so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the test batches. she started the #cookiesandkindness project, inviting other bakers to share cookies, to "make the world a sweeter place." I found the perfect opportunity to participate in the project when I was heading to a trade show where I would see lots of colleagues. I thought about what cookies my friends would enjoy, and what would travel well, and decided that these spice cookies would be the perfect sweet treat for a busy fall day.