This is my third food blog. One should have been sufficient, but the road to blogging has been a journey.

My last two food blogs were posted anonymously. I had so many recipes due to years of learning how to make gluten-free (anyone else remember when you could barely find a gluten-free label on products in the grocery store?) and vegan dishes at home. Enough that it filled two recipe books and two recipe boxes.

As a creative individual I tend to make up recipes. Cooking and baking can be likened to art, but a good deal of the satisfaction is in the taste. One of my greatest challenges is when I make something off the cuff. Trying to diligently reenact what I did to create the same taste may not happen.

Since I am a photographer, adding pictures to recipes seemed a given, but food photography can be quite different than other forms of photography. Photographing food has so many stages.

Do not get me wrong, I do enjoy food photography, but it can sometimes be a daunting process. Especially if a setup is particularly difficult with irregular light and shadows (I like using natural light from a window). But the final picture can be satisfactory and nice to view, again and again.

In elementary school, I went through a phase where I checked out recipe books with no other intention than to view photographs. Seeing all the different pictures of cookies, cakes, and candies, really made for a pleasant way to pass time. Looking at images with recipes seemed to make the outcome more tangible. I did not actually start cooking until years later, likely with those past images still in mind since I tend to gravitate towards baking.

Thankfully I am able to do more than boil water, so to speak, but my most preferred kind of recipe is one that is simple with fewer ingredients and steps. Ironically, my food photography tends to be minimal as well. No matter how many times I try different scenes with props, the subject is all I really want to show and highlight.

So, what kind of recipes will you find in my food section? Always gluten-free. Usually vegan. Whole food ingredients. I do like using way less sweetener than is the norm, and I do not use white or brown sugar at all. Also, the best kind of recipes are those when an error occurs, the result is still edible and tasty.

This is not a critical food blog. It is laid-back with an open invitation to all with any level of baking or cooking background for participation. To me, baking in the kitchen should be enjoyable. And the best part is the winning taste of something freshly made. Let’s start.

My first recipe can be made vegan. You will need a high speed blender or food processor for best results. I often make this when my favorite vegan ice cream is already in the freezer, that way it is more convenient. Vanilla ice cream is used for this recipe, but you can use any kind of ice cream you have on hand. So many flavors would be complimentary.

Notes: Darker chocolate with a higher percentage of cacao is recommended for the filling. Think at least 70% cacao or cacoa content. Highly recommend adding ice cream and chocolate sauce around five to ten minutes before ready to eat so chocolate sauce can cool before adding and ice cream does not melt. Chocolate layer will turn into a fudgesicle when left in freezer for very long. Can be made without ice cream layer and stored in refrigerator. On the day of shooting recipe photos, ice cream melted. Good news is melted ice cream does not detract from the overall taste, just makes things a bit messier.

Dessert Recipes: