My Madison Bistro

Vanilla sugar is great to have on hand to give your baking recipes another layer of vanilla flavoring (if you’re already using vanilla extract), or to give a very subtle vanilla flavor. It’s extremely easy to “make” and it allows you to get your money’s worth out of a vanilla bean. Any time I use […]

I still remember the first time I made lemon bars. I was in college, and I was finishing up my spring finals. My roommates had already left for summer, and the contents of our cupboards and fridge were dwindling. But there still remained a bottle of lemon juice concentrate. And Betty Crocker just happened to […]

After Christmas, I swore I wouldn’t eat a cookie again for…well, a very long time. I don’t believe I actually quantified this timeline, but frankly, I was cookied out. I guess I’m healed. I should have known I wouldn’t even be able to last two months before feeling the need to make another batch of […]

I became intrigued by Red Velvet Cake after watching an episode of Throwdown (one of Bobby Flay’s shows) a couple of years back. This was right around the time I was plotting to take out Sprinkles with my own cupcakes, so intrigue soon turned into borderline obsession. I made red velvet cake a few times over the […]