I am pleased to hear you found this inspirational. Gardening is fun, and truly rewarding, although somewhere along the growing season Mother Nature always finds a way to remind me that She is in control! It is strange indeed that your nurseries do not stock a large variety of vegetables. I assumed you would have access to an absolute treasure trove. I hope you do find a few seeds for your husband. I eagerly await garden reports!

Welcome to The Front Burner. I am so pleased you like the ravioli. I enjoy using my various Italian kitchen implements. And although this is not a traditional use for a cavarola board, the results were so lovely, I just had to share with my readers. I agree with you; many of us have our own “pink quilt” memories of our mothers and childhood. There is a lot of Crocetti Family history wrapped up in that quilt! Thank you so much for visiting The Front Burner. I hope you return often.

The colors are something, aren’t they? And I always wondered what I would do with that purple sanding sugar! The cake is surprisingly easy to make, and the dough is a dream to work with. It is supple, and so easy to roll. Try this one. You will be pleased with the results. Thank you so much for stopping by The Front Burner. Laissez les bon temps roulez!

This cake is fun. It is just too wild. Like Mardi Gras, I suppose. I saw the recipe in the Times, and wanted to try it right then. So I checked my colored sugar & deco box, and all the colors were right there, Even the purple. Plus I had my little ceramic king for my Galette des Rois; I was, as they say, in business. Dig it. This was a good one, even if it is not Italian! Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Oh my, “Empress”! I love hearing that! Well let me say that after I put all the beads down I had a most mischievous idea. Yes, I did it. I introduced some of the good stuff into the mix. And what’s more, for a brief moment I actually contemplated a contest “Find the real stuff and win a cookbook!” But I worried that might be just a tad too decadent. Just a tad. And the answer for how to get the icing and colored sugar off is “quickly and with a damp cloth.” I hope all is well with you, and thanks so much for stopping by the Front Burner. Laissez les bon temps roulez!

It is good to see your comment. I always love to hear your opinion. I have seen King Cake recipes for ages, but had never made one. I saw the recipe in last Thursday’s LA Times, and I decided to try it. I looked in my colored sugar box, and lo and behold I had all the colors, even the purple. So I figured it was meant to be. It is a great recipe, and really not at all hard to do. I hope all is well with you AND your new and VERY spiffy stove! Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, indeed I have been busy in the kitchen. This one was very spur of the moment. The recipe ran in the Times, and I just jumped on it. I couldn’t resist. It was really delicious, and II can honestly say it was pretty easy to do. I hope all is well with you and Guy. Thanks again for your comment!