Mango Sun Cake

After the delicious joy of extra-sweet, slightly tart, perfectly ripe mango season has come and gone, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the bright flavor of mango.  This recipe is perfect when mango is in its prime, but is also a nice way to bring not-quite-there mango into the spotlight it deserves.

Its a wonderfully light dessert, that is extremely simple...just right for after a mid-summer meal.

Flan for the Soul

This is a fantastically dramatic yet healthy dessert: Flan. With simple, pure ingredients and no oil and just a little sugar, its a great ending to a light meal.  The flans are inverted just before serving, making a gorgeously elegant caramel-covered custard.

5-Minute Ice Cream Cake

Sometimes there are shortcuts that make life so easy - this is one of them!  Learn how to make a homemade ice cream cake in a matter of minutes.

Lemon Poppy Seed Madeleines

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As the weather gets chilly outside, there is nothing better than waking up in the morning and warming up the house with a warm oven and the smell of freshly baked French pastries!  These Lemon Poppy Seed Madelienes are simple, elegant, and the perfect snack with your favorite hot beverage.

The Homemade Kitchen: Plum Tart

Plum season doesn't last for long, but I can't resist the juicy little fruits while they last. They're great simply sliced and eaten as a snack, but when I get a big batch I love baking them into a tart. 

Sticky Apple Date Cake

"I wanted to explore a broader spectrum of complementary tastes and flavors, and to imaginative beloved classics as a more balanced blend of sugar and spice.  In these recipes I've tried to take down the sugar to bring up the flavor.  I think that less sweet leaves more room for delicious." - Samantha Seneviratne

Rustic Spanish Pear Tarte

I love learning new recipes when I travel, and this is one that I picked up on a trip to Spain.  We enjoyed it at a bustling street cafe somewhere in Barcelona and I had to bring the recipe home with me. The texture is light and creamy, and the pears give it just the right amount of sweetness.  Its a perfect dessert after a heavy meal, or on a warm summer night!

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

We are absolute yoghurt addicts at our house.  We eat it for breakfast, for dessert, and substitute it into recipes all the time with deliciously creamy results!

While living in Europe, I found myself preferring tubs of plain, unsweetened yoghurt.  This way I could decide just how much I want, and how I want to use.  As a savory substitute for sour cream, as the base for an improvised veggie dip, or sweetened with fresh fruit or homemade jam for dessert. 

French Almond Yogurt Cake with Pears

It seems like every French home I've visited has some version of this quick, tasty recipe taped to the inside of a cupboard door.  This is a simple dessert that is perfect for making together with the kids because the measuring is so wonderfully simple.

This version is topped with fresh pears, which adds a luxurious flavor and appearance to the cake.

Dark Berry Chia Smoothie

Chia seeds are everywhere these days, which is fantastic news for our health!  They're a natural source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids which have amazing health benefits like improving arthritis symptoms, helping with depression, and aiding in the development of childrens' brain development.  They're also full of vegan protein, amino acids, fiber, calcium and plenty of other great vitamins.

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

We love our fruits and vegetables at our house, but that doesn't mean that we don't enjoy a nice chocolate indulgence from time to time!  These chewy, fudgey cookies are the perfect chocolate fix.  They're perfect for cookie exchanges, as homemade gifts for Valentines day and Christmas, and of course for dessert!  

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

We became absolutely addicted to Green Tea Ice Cream while living in Asia, and I'm thrilled to share with you this recipe to make it at home!

Making green tea ice cream at home couldn't be simpler!  It is so delicious - the perfect ending to a heavy meal - and is filled with all the great health benefits of Matcha Green Tea like:

French Financier Almond Pastries

These light, airy French Financier pastries are a delight.  Financiers are traditional French bite-sized cookies that have a texture reminiscent of sponge cake but with a hint of almond.  The name is said to come from the fact that they look like adorably delicious little bars of French pastry gold when they come out of the oven.

Financiers are the perfect afternoon tea snack, or really...the perfect anytime snack because they're so good!  I like to eat them on weekend mornings, dunked into a warm Cafe Latte.

Nutty Homemade Granola

This granola is amazing sprinkled over yogurt.  We eat it for dessert!  Or, put a ribbon around the mason jar and it makes an adorable hostess, teacher, or DIY holiday gift.

Roasted Pineapple and Ice Cream

This dessert makes me think of a trip to Hawaii.  So simple, so fresh tasting, and a healthy after-dinner treat.  

French chocolate tarte with dark chocolate ganache

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.  This tarte is so terrifically indulgent.  I make it for every occasion I can justify, and can't stop eating it when I do!

It is a smooth, almost chewy chocolaty base covered with a deep chocolate ganache glaze.  A-maz-ing.

French Madeleines - Easy French Pastries!

Madeleines are the traditional french cookies that are finally making a big move to the US...much to my joy!  

Save yourself a trip to the boulangerie...or the line at Starbucks... and make these very simple, delicious Madeleines at home in minutes.  Really.  Minutes.

French Peach Compote

When peaches are ripe and in abundance, there is nothing easier that a fresh peach compote to turn them into a healthy dessert!  This is a classic French recipe that is perfect for warm summer evenings.