Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

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Amy’s Writing, Photography and Art can be found at amybisson.com

Category: Baked goods

  • Thanksgiving Week: Day 4

    Cranberries. They are arguably the quintessential flavor of Thanksgiving. For all the debate over homemade or jellied cranberry sauces, the way I like my cranberries is in bread, and this one has been a family favorite for years. Anna Thomas, author of Vegetarian Epicure Books I and II, was the force behind the recipe I…

  • 05 October 2025: The Most Pumpkin Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

    I’ve been testing out quick breads that will eventually find the way to our Garden Club’s bake sale, a fundraiser we hold around Thanksgiving. So when King Arthur Baking featured this pumpkin recipe, I gave it a try. And as usual, it did not disappoint. The recipe yields 1 larger loaf (8-1/2 x 4-1/2), but…

  • 06 Apr 2025: Pane del Pescatore

    We recently spent several weeks in Sicily and Firenze. If you ever need some inspiration for eating and cooking as an art, these are the places you need to go. Our morning in Firenze began with a walk along the Arno which is remarkably uncrowded at 7 am, after which we stopped in at a…

  • 22 Dec 2024: Baked English Muffins

    King Arthur Baking’s newest cookbook, King Arthur Flour’s Big Book of Bread, has not only helped this old bread baker to perfect some techniques, it has opened my eyes to trying some new bakes. The Big Book of Bread’s English Muffin recipe is more of a traditional bake – longer rise time and griddled muffins…

  • 20 Dec. 2024: Mexican Wedding Cakes

    This recipe comes from my Aunt Eleanor’s collection of recipes, and while the original source is no longer known to us, it was one of my Dad’s favorite cookie recipes. Aunt Eleanor, a career woman who did not marry until later in her life, always made sure we were well-stocked with cookies whenever we visited…

  • 15 Nov 2024: Fudge Nut Bars

    This recipe comes from the 1963 (!) Pillsbury Bake-off, the 60s version of the Great British Baking Show. I baked these so often that my Girl Scout leader used to call them Amy Puglisi’s. While not taking credit for their origin, they’ve been a family favorite, especially with the tweak described below. Since there never…

  • 28 Oct. 2024: Dad’s Favorite Cut Out Cookies

    My Dad, like most dads in the 1950s and 1960s, was not the chief cook in the family. After he retired, I think he did a bit of cooking and maybe even some baking. This recipe card is labeled “Bud Likes These”, so it may have been something Dad – always called Bud, never by…

  • 20 Oct 2024: Lemon Walnut Squares

    Gourmet Magazine, RIP 2009, was one of my favorite sources for challenging my cooking and baking chops. This recipe, hand copied by me after it appeared in July 1983 – that’s 40 years ago if you’re keeping track – was a favorite bar cookie, brought to many gatherings. Because we have some folks with walnut…

  • 28 Sep 2024: Family Oatmeal Cookies

    This oatmeal cookie originated on the back of a Quaker Oats container and has been a favorite of many of the cookie lovers in this family for a long time. In fact, these may be the all-time favorite of my maternal grandfather, Palmer Flournoy, my dad, Bud Puglisi and my husband, Adrien. Because the recipe…

  • 05 Aug 2024: Rosemary & Sea Salt Focaccia

    During this, one of the hottest stretches of weather we’ve had this summer, I’ve made it a mission to try out my new stand mixer. My 30-year-old Kitchen Aid has been a workhorse, but lately we’ve made multiple paddle replacements and not only does it rock the bowl in the stand, but the motor is…