Tag Archives: dogs

IN MY KITCHEN, SUMMER 2026

Posted in In My Kitchen by


In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from  Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is a chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.

Starting with gifts….

From Monique, my friend and volunteer of all things homeless and meals-on-wheels, a set of kitchen cloths that celebrate the loves of my life, Dalmatians! My heart flipped, thank YOU, Monique!

In our kitchen…

Black lime powder, something I had about online, and decided I had to bring home to play with. Stay tuned for my first recipe using it, if all goes according to plan, should be the next post in the blog. Available here. You can use it anytime and anywhere you want a sharp citric taste without adding any liquid.

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In our kitchen…

A huge pizza peel, which we bought after visiting my stepson in San Diego. He and his wife make pizza often, and I was in love with their peel, so I ordered one for us. Pretty big and very efficient! This brand is truly the best.

In our kitchen…


I splurged. Bought this super cool set of bamboo steamer + steamer pan. I want to learn and make Chinese dumplings and steamed bao, as part of the expansion of my horizons after retirement, and I firmly believe you need the right tools for the job. So that’s that. I got mine on eBay, but it is not available anymore, so I found the exact same product on Evil Empire, in case you are interested (click here).

In our kitchen…

If you love Nutella, but hate the potential harm that industry causes to the environment, here is an alternative for you that is equally delicious, but environmentally-friendly: SOOM Sesame Spread. You might be able to find it in stores such as Whole Foods and Marshall’s, but of course, it is “there” too (click here).

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In our kitchen…

Shiitake mushroom powder, a great product to add to sauces, stir-fries, meatballs, for that added funky-umami flavor that can be quite pleasing to the palate. Available here.

In our kitchen…

A blend of grains and seeds sold by King Arthur Flour (click here). I’ve been adding it to sourdough, in my basic formula of 500g total flour, adding about 25g of this product. It does not affect the texture and I love the taste, slightly richer than a plain sourdough bread.


In our kitchen…

Little sugar decorations I bought for cookies a couple of months ago, but had a few leftover. They came in handy to celebrate the beginning of the World Cup of Soccer with chocolate-covered pretzels… Available here.


In our kitchen….

These are low-carb lupin flakes that can do the job of bread crumbs. I don’t follow a particularly strict low-carb approach, but often will search for ways to reduce them without compromising taste. I was intrigued by this product and very recently bough it, but have not tried it yet. Stay tuned I am just worried that there will be some after taste, but the reviews online seem quite stellar. We shall see…

In our kitchen…


Something new to me, just like vanilla paste can substitute for vanilla extract, this is a lemon version. Very good, I’ve used it in cookies and buttercream. Highly recommend it, I think Nielsen-Massey is the only company that makes it, I love their stuff.

But now, it is time to get our furry friends to bark hello, they have been anxiously waiting, so without further ado, let’s go over their shenanigans.

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Life has been pretty awesome, now that our humans are retired… they hang out with us more often, take us for longer walks, and even golfing is back in our routine…

Prince is a model golfing companion, but unfortunately the same cannot be said about his sister. She often runs wild after squirrels, bunny rabbits, birds, loose leaves blown by the wind, and the eventual lonely golfer trying to practice putting. We only take them when the golf course is closed, but she manages to generate chaos no matter what.

What if I give you kisses????

Well, I guess it is impossible not to forgive her, who can stay mad at that sweet face?
Even if sometimes she chooses the goofy path?

Star really gets a pass on a lot of naughtiness that girl… She defaced a poor pig that used to squeak when gently squeezed, turning him into a horror freaky creature, silenced for eternity.

And what was the consequence of this act of unparalleled brutality?

Full disclosure: Phil went on a shopping expedition to find the exact same piggy,
because “she needs a new one”.

Prince wants to know what does he get for being such a good boy?

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Well, he gets to be the Official Kitchen Helper!

He is also the official golf-watching-TV-companion for Phil, and will sit and watch the longest of games like the very best buddy…

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But maybe better than all that? They both get Homemade Puppacinos!

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What can we say? Life has been good at The Kingdom of Tatarrax, even if Star gets into heavy tantrum mode when she finishes her chewy way ahead of her brother (sigh). Not sure where she gets the Drama Queen personality….

She is also expert at catching food mid-air, something Mr Picky Eater Prince does only reluctantly.

We are indeed very different,
but here’s is how our life is going to be….

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See you in the Fall, friends! Until then, enjoy each minute of your life, we’ll do the same…

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1 YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, Summer 2025

2 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, Summer 2024

3 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, Summer 2023

4 YEARS AGO:  In My Kitchen, Summer 2022

5 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2021

6 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2020

7 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2019

8 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen – July 2018

9 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2017

10 YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Falafel and a Bonus Recipe

11 YEARS AGO: Chocolate Toffee Banana Bread

12 YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2014

13 YEARS AGO:  Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

14 YEARS AGO: Baked Coconut and “The Brazilian Kitchen”

15 YEARS AGO: Honey-Glazed Chicken Legs

16 YEARS AGO: French-Style Rolls

17 YEARS AGO: Chicken Breasts, Coffee, and Serendipity

IN MY KITCHEN, SPRING 2026

Posted in In My Kitchen by


In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from  Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is a chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.


The picture above was made by my friend and cookie magician, Haniela as a virtual Bday gift to yours truly. I just adore it… March is a busy moth for the Bewitching Kitchen: both Star and I celebrate our Birthdays just a couple of weeks apart, but there is also my sister Nyrma, and our grandkids Greenlee and Leo. March people are great people, even if I say so myself. Don’t you agree? 🙂 I knew you would…

Starting with a gift…

From The Haydens, a surprise gift that arrived in the mail, in fact they also sent one to Phil with “King of the Grill”, so that pretty much settle our placement in the Kingdom! THANK YOU!

In our kitchen…

I first learned about this lower-carb, high protein pasta in a food blog. Much to my surprise, doing a search online I realized that our Wal-Mart store carries several shapes. Of all the brands I tried, this is the closest to the real thing. Shiratake noodles have zero carbs and almost no calories to speak of, but they will not leave you happy and satisfied. Brami pasta will. It is made from lupini beans and it also contains wheat, but much less than a regular type.

In our kitchen…

A super flavorful oil that I got after a recommendation from Martin, winner of Great American Baking Show a couple of years ago. He used it in a bread, which is fantastic and I urge you to try. Super simple to make, by the way. Check his recipe here.

And this is my delicious version of his bread….

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In our kitchen….

Speaking of bread, I can’t tell you how much we love this little baby! I have tried all sorts of knives that promise to deliver as far as slicing a hearty loaf of sourdough goes, but nothing compares to this. I highly recommend you get one. Ordering info here.

You can see it in action here, and it is sooooo cool!

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In our kitchen…

I eat A LOT of eggs, love to have a fried egg with sourdough for lunch. Do you “need” a silicone ring? Probably not, but isn’t that super cute? I like this one because it allows me to put a lid on the pan, which helps create steam and properly cook the egg white. I hate a slimy white, don’t you? You will find the rings here.

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In our kitchen…

These are my favorite sprinkles for the time being… They are not hard, and have a fantastic shine. Great on cupcakes! I found them at Hobby Lobby, and they were on sale, lucky me!

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In our kitchen…


I just love a stamped cookie, because it makes decorating so easy… The square ones are part of a set with several different adorable shapes. Check them out here. The second one I got at a store in etsy, but it is not available anymore. I have a very soft spot for anything mandala.

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In our kitchen….

Still on the subject of stamped cookies, I gave myself this new one as a Birthday present. You can find it on KitchenVixen’s store at etsy. I adore it!

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In our kitchen….


I’ve been seriously considering expanding my horizons into the chocolate world. I bought this little mold which has a very interesting feature: it is holographic! So the surface of the chocolate bar will have a special color effect. Apparently the effect lasts for quite a few uses, and even when it fades it still makes nice looking bars. I just got them last week, now I will go through my normal inertia phase, before attempting something new. In any case, stay tuned. Sooner or later I’ll put this baby to use!

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Not quite in our kitchen, but close enough…


I need to show you one of the many hidden qualities of my hubby… This little tricycle belonged to him as a very young boy, maybe 6 years old. He carefully refurbished, weeks of work, finding small pieces online (mostly on eBay). replaced the wheels, which was quite a tricky task. Isn’t that amazing? So many details! SORRY, LADIES, HE’S TAKEN!

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In our kitchen….

How could I possibly resist getting this blanket? Star seems a little puzzled, but as you shall see later in this post, she and the Royal brother ended up giving this purchase two paws up!

Speaking of the pups, they’ve been anxiously waiting
to tell you all about their adventures
since last time we met…

They’ve been indulging in one of their favorite activities, which is watching TV with Dad. It does not really matter what is on the big screen, although Prince seems to be quite fond of golf and anything with active quadrupeds. Horses and bears are high on the adrenaline-inducing list.

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But the usual routine is…. once dinner and dishes are done, it is time for our humans to watch TV laying on their yoga mats with us. Big party, made even more special with a blanket that celebrates the best dog breed in the known universe: The Black Dotted Heroes!

Once we are all settled and ready, we each get a special chewy for the evening. We await that moment with great anticipation, and if Dad takes his time to deliver the goodies, here is the look he gets…

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But, overall life has been pretty awesome… Star practices her power naps on a regular basis….

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Prince shows quite a bit more class and dignity as he indulges in that activity, like the Royal being he is….

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Star does not care, Discombobulated is often a middle name she carries with pride, much to her brother’s amusement!

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But let’s face it, even Royals can act a little quirky at times…

Anyhoo, life is for the most part pretty awesome in the Kingdom,
but sometimes things do not go quite the way the pups expect…

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And when they rough play around the Kingdom, things can get messy…

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For more on that tricky subject, watch the video below…

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But who can get mad at these two adorable beings for more than a few seconds? Particularly when they promised to never ever again mess up with the rug….

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And when the apologies come with kisses, now that is even better!


That is all for now, folks, we are headed to warmer temperatures, which means more time outside, more walks off-leash, more fun and games!

SEE YOU IN JULY!

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, Spring 2025

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2024

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, Spring 2023

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2022

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2021

SIX YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2020

SEVEN YEARS AGO:  In My Kitchen, April 2019

EIGHT YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2018

NINE YEARS AGO: First Monday Favorite

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2016

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Spring has Sprung with Suzanne Goin

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Chai Brownies

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Pomegranate-Molasses Glazed Carrots

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Peach Glaze

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Spring Rolls on a Spring Day

STAR IS THREE YEARS OLD TODAY!

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We love you to pieces, little girl!

HAPPY NEW YEAR IN MY KITCHEN!

Posted in In My Kitchen by

In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from  Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is a chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.  

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Starting with some super special gifts…


If you follow this site, you may remember that we said goodbye to our Osky Boy back in November. To my surprise, I got this beautiful artwork in the mail, from Veronica, who does not even know me in real life. We’ve been friends online for a very long time and she is an amazing artist. She captured the essence of Oscar in a way that was incredibly touching. Thank you, we are framing this to showcase in our home.


These amazing pottery pieces were a gift from Marlyn, former cookie decorator wizard, turn Pottery Art Extraordinaire. The teacup has a tiny little frog peeking from the bottom and I adore it. This was a gift that left me speechless when I opened the package. Thank you, not only for the gift, but for everything you taught me over the years. I never get tired of seeing your beautiful productions online, and now I am the proud owner of some of them!


And my special gift to Phil…


His Birthday is December 27th, which happens to be the day we met in a lab at Institut Pasteur. Years went by, we got married, and lived again in Paris, where Cafe de Flore and Les Deux Magots were part of our routine. Our dear friend Alain and his wife Corinne gave us little coffee cups from Cafe de Flore more than 10 years ago. I decided to splurge and get this set of cappuccino cups to celebrate his day.

A call from the past. On my Birthday, March 2007.

In our kitchen…


These were a joint acquisition, I got the small cast iron first, Phil loved it so much he went ahead and splurged on a bigger version. They are both from Field company, and super high quality. We are using them almost daily now.

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In our kitchen…

This is a fun gadget that Phil installed. He had it for years, probably bought at a flea market somewhere, it is a bottle opener and works like a charm. With a vintage look, to match the owners of our home (wink, wink).

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In our kitchen…


Ready to eat (or use) chestnuts. They came in very handy to make a special dessert that should be featured in the blog soon. Stay tuned. Ordering info here.

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In our kitchen…


This pan was recommended by a food blogger I follow. They are perfect for egg muffins, or any kind of muffin you bake. Non-stick, easy to clean, bake perfectly without the need to line or grease. I am in love! Ordering info here.

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In our kitchen…


This is a very tasty chutney, recommended by Amber, a cookie decorating artist I’ve been following for a long time. Available here. I put it to use in two different types of cookies, will blog about them hopefully soon.

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Speaking of cookies, I have three little cookie-related things to close this post with…

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In our kitchen…


This set of cutters is simply adorable! Available from amazon (click here). It will work not only for the cookie itself, but also if you like to cut rolled fondant or rolled buttercream to decorate. Very handy for Christmas cookies, as you can see in this post.

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In our kitchen…

These are new products by SugarArt, natural food colors. They aren’t cheap, but they provide a good alternative for food dye using exclusively natural pigments.

In our kitchen…

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I saved the best for last. This is the best acquisition ever if you are a cookie decorator! I am so in love with it, I don’t know how I lived without it. Seriously. You stick the bag with icing through the opening and slide it down. It comes out with the tape neatly closed around it. No mess, no struggle with bands. Works also with bigger bags of buttercream if you need. Available at amazon (click here). The tape is not sold with it, must be ordered separately.

So that’s all for now, my friends! We wish you a wonderful New Year, and….

Well, with the New Year I was hoping to do things differently but apparently the furry friends feel the need to bark their piece…. So be it… Let’s see what they’ve been up to.

But truth is, with the holidays and the fireplace going inside, we have perfected
The Art of the Snooze!

Every once in a while, we manage to circumvent the sophisticated security system of The Kingdom and take a nap where we really belong.

Unfortunately, for the most part the Door to Nirvana is kept annoyingly closed, which forces Royalty to sit, stare and show his displeasure.

But Prince is not the only one to stir trouble in our peaceful palace. Star decided to destroy a very important cookie decorating tool: textured parchment paper. Guilty on all counts.

This was the last cookie made with the murdered paper…
A moment of silence, please and thank you…

In her defense, she seems ashamed and apologetic, so yeah, all forgiven for the time being…

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Together, the two Black Dotted Heroes can create quite a bit of chaos…

And make dinner preparation a bit tricky…

But even with all the trouble, the pups are a ton of fun and keep the Humans happy, either watching their favorite shows on TV….

Or playing a super fun ball game…

Santa decided that they’ve been nice enough to get new toys for Christmas….

And maybe even an invitation to sit at our table….

This is the first time in many many years that our beloved Grumpy Terrier is not around. We miss him, and share one of the last pictures of him, just a few days before he crossed The Rainbow Bridge.

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That is all for now, friends! We hope 2026 will be a kind year for all of you, and for us here as well at The Kingdom of Tatarrax… See you when Spring starts!

ONE YEAR AGO: Happy New Year in my Kitchen!

TWO YEARS AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen, 2024

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, January 2023

FOUR YEARS AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen!

FIVE YEARS AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen!

SIX YEARS AGO: Happy 2020 In My Kitchen!

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Happy 2019 In My Kitchen!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

NINE YEARS AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: Happy New Year!

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: And another year starts…

TWELVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: January 2014

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Tacos with Pork in Green Sauce

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO:  Maui New Year!

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Natural Beauty

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Sunflower Seed Rye


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GOODBYE, DEAR FURRY FRIEND

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The wall in our living room has portrayed those images for a very long time. They left us in the order they were placed, strange coincidence. Yesterday we said goodbye to Oscar, our Osky Boy, who had just celebrated 15 years with us. Rest in peace, dear pup. You have brightened up our life. Now it’s time to go play with Bogey and Buck.

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