Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

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

Category: Holiday baking

  • 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…

  • 09 October 2025: Mulled Wine Pâtes de Fruit

    I opened a bottle of Pinot this week which was not unusual, but the bottle was truly not to my liking. Not wanting to waste it, I looked a ways to cook with it other than as a braising liquid. Andrea Geary recently published some interesting recipes for Pâtes de Fruit in America’s Test Kitchen,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 02 December 2023: Spiced Cappuccino Kiss Cookies

    Holiday baking has begun! Along with some of our favorites, I’ll be adding new bakes, including this one from Cynthia Messenger, from Taste of Home. You can access the recipe here. The list of ingredients to have on hand follows: Spiced Cappuccino Kiss Cookies