This Unsweetened Strawberry Applesauce recipe is made in less than hour with only three ingredients: strawberries, apples, and a bit of vanilla. You may think that no added sugar means that it’s going to be tasteless and hard to swallow.. You’d be wrong. This homemade strawberry applesauce is unsweetened because strawberries provide that gorgeous color…
The French 95 is a variation of the classic French 75 that uses bourbon in place of gin. Add lemon juice, simple syrup, and top with sparkling wine, and you have a sparkling bourbon cocktail that’s perfect for celebrations or to accompany spicy meals. So read on to learn all about bourbon and the detailed…
This recipe makes a delicious and easy Cranberry Sauce from Dried Cranberries when you are craving cranberry sauce but can’t find fresh cranberries anywhere. Made in just 30 minutes, it’s the perfect accompaniment to turkey dinner or cast iron pan-roasted chicken breasts. Read on to learn all about cranberries and the key recipe tips and…
Apples are the quintessential fall fruit. Check out some of my sweet and savory apple recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between. Here’s a brief overview of some key things to know about apples, the best apple varietals for different uses, and some helpful tools for all your apple-centric cooking and baking.
This Purple Cabbage Slaw recipe makes a purple cabbage and carrot salad that will be your go-to mayo-free coleslaw for all your hot weather barbecues. It’s in its happy place piled high atop a pulled chicken or pulled pork sandwich or served alongside all the burgers and hot dogs you can eat. But if you’re…
These Apple Pie Baked Beans take baked beans to a whole new level. Yes, you read that right – this apple pie baked bean recipe is what happens when two classic American comfort foods get together and make a delicious baby. So say goodbye to blah canned baked beans, and say hello to the new…
This creamy Sumac Sauce will take your taste buds on a journey. Travel to the Middle East in just 10 minutes with a blend of sour cream, yogurt, lemon, olive oil, garlic and tangy sumac. Make it thinner and drizzle the sumac dressing over a crisp garden salad or a hearty fattoush. Or serve the…
If you’re like me, you love making (and eating) meatballs because you know that homemade meatballs are super easy to make with infinite variety. But some times you need ideas for what to serve with meatballs instead of pasta. So read on for tons of suggestions for side dishes for meatballs! Or use the table…
Make this Strawberry Apple Pie and you’ll be forever dreaming about ways to make recipes with strawberries and apples. That’s because strawberries provide sweetness and color you can’t get from apples alone. Read on to learn all the tips and tricks for making this recipe. Or just grab your rolling pin, hit that Jump to…
These Mashed Purple Sweet Potatoes make an easy two-step, three-ingredient recipe to accompany a simple roast or an unusual Thanksgiving side dish. If you love mashed sweet potatoes and banana, this is the recipe for you! You’ll love that the richness in these vegan mashed sweet potatoes comes only from the sweet potatoes and the…
Apple waffles with caramelized onions are a scrumptious fusion of sweet and savory flavors. Imagine waffles packed with apples, soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Whipping up these apple and onion waffles is a breeze, especially if you have some leftover caramelized onions on hand. If not, don’t worry! Just…
These Sourdough Apple Muffins were requested by a reader who asked for an apple muffin recipe packed with apples. They are quick and easy, coming together in under 30 minutes. The fruit seems to be an afterthought in too many apple muffin recipes. That’s not true for these sourdough discard muffins with over one cup…
Many hazards in the kitchen are obvious. Knives are sharp, or at least they should be. The stove is hot. But there are other common kitchen hazards you may not be aware of. These thirteen surprising hazards are things that doctors like me want you to know. Because we’re the ones in the emergency rooms…
This lemon apple curd recipe makes a silky smooth apple curd that’s not too sweet and not too tart. Whether enjoyed straight from the fridge or freezer or used to fill a pastry shell, every bite is a mouthful of memories of rain boots and red-orange maples. This apple curd follows in the footsteps of…
This blackberry strawberry banana smoothie bowl is for those of you looking for a simple, beautiful, fruit-filled breakfast bowl. Or keep it as a blackberry strawberry banana smoothie and drink it on the go. Making smoothies and smoothie bowls isn’t challenging. All you need is a blender.
This Apple and Blackberry Pie recipe is a variation on a classic apple pie. It’s made brighter in color and flavor by adding plump blackberries to crisp fall apples. It’s the perfect fall pie for when apple season comes around. Or this apple blackberry pie will bring back memories of late summer if you have…
This Perfect Brandy Manhattan recipe is a variation of one the most classic cocktails. It combines the rich and smooth taste of brandy with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. There are few rights and wrongs when it comes to what you like in food and drink. You might like a traditional Manhattan. You might…
Dehydrated Cherry Tomatoes transform your everyday tomatoes into tiny bits of joy, intensely concentrated with flavor. Delight in your oven-dried cherry tomatoes as a snack, a topping for salads, or even to make a pesto. You’ll soon be dehydrating everything, from dried strawberries and dried apple rings to kale waffle chips. It’s easy to preserve…
These oatmeal blackberry muffins are soft and moist, with big chunks of fresh blackberries and a cupful of cooked oatmeal. The muffins seem almost, well, good for you. Enjoy them for breakfast or a snack with only the tiniest bit of guilt.
These Fried Patty Pan Squash Patties are a great recipe if you love patty pans or it’s that time of year when you’re overrun with zucchini and summer squash. If you have a garden, you know the summer bounty. Summer berries for blueberry muffins and blackberry quick breads. Perfect tomatoes for your Caprese salads and…
This Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe makes a quick Thanksgiving-inspired lunch in just 10 minutes. Pack it into a sandwich made with this semolina bread or pita pockets, or go light with just a bit of lettuce. Read on for all the tips and tricks for making an easy cranberry chicken salad. Or grab your…
As I pledged on my About page, I’ll be donating any income generated by the Ugly Duckling Bakery blog. It may not be much for now, but everything has to start somewhere. 2021 in review:In the first year, the blog had over 40,000 visitors and nearly 65,000 views.Best month: December 2021, with 11,773 visitors and…
I have been committed to the perfection of this Peking duck-inspired ground duck meatloaf for a while now. There’s just something about Peking duck. The crispy skin. The hoisin sauce. The pancakes. While this duck meatloaf doesn’t include those beloved pancakes, it does have all of the flavor reminiscent of your favorite Peking duck. I’ve…
Dehydrated strawberry chips are a simple snack with the concentrated, candy-like sweetness of strawberries. They’re easy to make with a dehydrator or your oven, and all you really need are strawberries. Pack them in lunchboxes or take them to the office for the mid-afternoon munchies. They’re proof that not everything in life is immoral, illegal,…
This Sourdough Apple Cake is fragrant, moist, and densely packed with apples, pecans, and raisins. It’s easy to make. And it is a great illustration of the Ugly Duckling Bakery motto that my recipes taste delicious but look homemade. Because it is very very ugly. So read on to learn all the tips and tricks…
This one-pan apple bourbon pork tenderloin is a quick, easy, and tasty meal that you can make on a weeknight. It takes 30 to 40 minutes from start to finish. And you can make a salad, unpack lunchboxes, and help out with homework during the same time. The preparation of pork tenderloin in this recipe…
This recipe for Baked Chicken and Apple Meatballs brings together two favorite dinner ideas: meatballs and fruit for dinner. Meatballs are great for weeknights, because, aside from a little chopping, they are simple to make and come together in about 30 minutes. Once you learn there’s a pretty standard meatball formula, you’ll realize they have…
These duck burgers with cherry ketchup are a delicious alternative to a traditional beef burger. With just 30 minutes of active time and your favorite condiments, you can make juicy duck burger patties that will be your new go-to for a mouthwatering and memorable meal.
This Strawberry Gimlet is a slightly sweet, refreshing cocktail made with gin, strawberry simple syrup, and fresh-squeezed lime juice. It’s a classic cocktail variation made for sipping alongside a cheese or charcuterie plate, great friends, and good conversation. Read on for information about gimlets and detailed tips and tricks how to make them. Or just…
When life gives a Jewish girl purple sweet potatoes, what does she do? She makes purple sweet potato pancakes and homemade applesauce.
These Orange Zest French Toast Waffles are a fusion of crispy waffles and the bright orange citrus flavors of your favorite French toast. They are super easy to prep in under 10 minutes. That’s just enough time to get that waffle iron heating up. So if you’re looking for something different from your basic (read:…
These Strawberry Heart Pop Tarts are a great weekend project to get your kids in the kitchen and the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. My kiddo had been asking for these strawberry pop tarts ever since we made Nutella pop tarts. So read on for all the detailed tips and tricks for making homemade pop tarts….
Dried Apple Rings are proof that not everything good in life is illegal, immoral, or fattening. That’s because these oven-dried apples are as sweet as candy but take only two ingredients. So read on to learn everything you might want to know about dehydrating apples. Or just grab your apple, hit that Jump to Recipe…
This list of my favorite cookbooks was inspired by Pi day. March 14th, you know, 3.14. Pi? All I can ever remember of the most famous irrational number is 3.1415927 (rounded). What I remember more clearly is the person who sat behind me in multivariable calculus who used to finish his tests early and then…
This Garlic Bread Baguette is the answer to all your garlic bread prayers. That’s because a whole head of roasted garlic magically transforms your baguette into a garlic bread with the sweetest and most mellow flavor. It’s the perfect accompaniment to spaghetti and meatballs braised in tomato sauce or this cheesy white bean tomato bake….
This Raisin Challah is a classic Jewish bread filled with plump raisins and made soft, fragrant with citrus zest, and just slightly sweet. It makes a lovely bread for sandwiches, base for French toast waffles, or side for soups or salads. With this raisin challah recipe, I’ll show you how to braid an impressive 5-strand…
When Prue, one of the judges of the Great British Bake Off, said in Season 8 that Kate’s sticky toffee apple caramel cake was the best cake she had ever eaten, I wanted to try it. And when the list of bakes in the reddit 52 week baking challenge included GBBO, I knew that this…
This Homemade Gourmet Granola is one of those things everyone should make at least once. Homemade granola is so simple to make, there’s not much too it. Pick your favorite nut, mix and bake. But you can read on to follow along step by step and learn all the tips and tricks to making the…
