Cranberry Muffins with Toasted Almonds

What better way to celebrate Hurricane Irene than with baking? It's been a while since I've had time to bake and with the forced shut down of NYC, I'm spending it in the kitchen.

French Toast - - Chinese Style

New Yorkers were able to enjoy a snow day due to the blizzard that hit our area. I celebrated with a leisure breakfast: French Toast, Chinese style. The main difference between Chinese and American style French toast is the topping. Chinese-style use condensed milk and American-style use maple or pancake syrup.

Chinese Almond Cookies

The Chinese Almond Cookies recipe is from Pichet Ong's cookbook "The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts."  Almond cookies to Chinese people is similar to how chocolate chip cookies are to Americans; it's one of our notorious dessert items. People can find them in Chinese bakeries and supermarkets.

Not My Grandma's Homemade Banana Pudding

Through some random internet searches, I came across My Wooden Spoon and her Grandma's Homemade Banana Pudding recipe. The 'Grandma' in the title reeled me in. A grandma's recipe is practically no-fail and everyone knows that grandmothers are the best cooks so this was a must-try.