This cranberry curd pavlova from Hanne, of Supper in Stereo, is a recipe I'll be adding to my Awesome file. (It's a file in my head reserved for Awesomeness.) 1. The opening is in the shape of a heart. Or Africa. Take your pick. 2. I've already revealed my curd freak ways, so you shouldn't be surprised by my enthusiasm. Cranberry curd sounds good, but I'm already thinking up alternative flavors to fill my meringue with. That grapefruit curd from last week would be a good start... As Hanne says, it's "so light that you register only delicious without noticing that you’re already full from dinner." Definitely my kind of dessert.... More

Ahhh, a nice cuppa tea and a sit down. The sky may be falling in, but there's always time for a break, especially the kind that gives you a minute or two to yourself and something sweet to nibble on. Some people "forget to eat" when they're stressed (what a concept!). I forget lots of things (like the ironing, or a looming paper deadline), but I've not quite found a way to ignore a rumbling belly. A good thing, given I'm always left restored and better able to take on the world post-break. You'll have your own perfect tea-and-munchie combination, of course. But to my belly, nothing beats a piping hot pineapple bun, fresh from the oven, accompanied by... More

I still remember my first sandwich press. I convinced my mom to let me order it after spending a day at home sick from school watching some lady make apple pies, brownies, waffles and, of course, sandwiches. I also remember my first car accident—it was caused by my fumbling for a boombox that had just tumbled off the dashboard of my Honda (the car stereo was broken). I can't help but think that S. King had me in mind when it developed the car-powered Pro 12-Volt Sandwich Maker—it's perfect for that person who is in love with cheap sandwich presses but also stupid enough to put an appliance on the dashboard.... More

Matt of MattBites shares his memory of sopaipillas, a dessert that always takes him back straight to his childhood: "Made by my grandmother, the tender warm pillows of fried dough were sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with honey and always disappeared within minutes. She would encourage us to eat them immediately while they were still warm, but it was always said with a wink in her eye – she knew we couldn't keep our hands off them until there was an empty plate of grease-laden cinnamon-scented crumbs."... More

David Lebovitz says, "Here's my address book for the most popular, and my favorite places for ice cream in Paris," and proceeds to list six top glaciers and what he likes to order at each, plus the names and addresses of four more he's heard about but has yet to try. There's possibly no one else whose opinion on this I'd trust more, as he lives in Paris, is the author of the cookbook Perfect Scoop, and his recipe for Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream is supposed to be better than that of Berthillon, which is regarded as the best ice cream maker in the world. Consider it a list you must print out when visiting Paris!... More

It's finally warm enough for me to reacquaint myself with the ice cream truck guy, but hey, he's kind of creepy, so maybe I'll just save my pennies and invest them in this Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine. Awfully cute, guaranteed to help me not pass out from the coming summer heat, and only $20 from Fred Flare.... More

Easy Home Cooking Magazine's recipe for Peanut Butter Ice Cream Triangles (at left) has you making the triangles out of scratch and then just adding vanilla, cinnamon or chocolate ice cream to make the ice cream sandwiches, but you can add some extra oomph by using Haagen-Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream to get PB flavor both inside and out. If you'd like to make the entire sandwich from scratch, ice cream included, Emeril Lagasse has a recipe for Peanut Butter and Chocolate Praline Ice Cream Sandwiches from a 1999 episode of Emeril Live, which'll have you making both vanilla-praline ice cream and the peanut butter chocolate pralines to sandwich them in. A lot of work to be sure,... More