OK, guys. We know each other well enough now... I think it's time we admitted something to one another. Beyond the relaxation of working with your hands in the kitchen, seeing a project to completion, and pleasing friends and family, one of the things home bakers (and maybe all bakers) like the most...

Don't judge a book by its cover. This is a lesson I learned the day I got my beloved gun-metal gray Kitchen Aid stand-mixer. Everyone who has ever gotten a kitchen implement, gadget, tool, notion, or widget knows that most of them come with a booklet that, along with some basic assembly and care...

And speaking of our dear departed Gourmet Magazine (as I was just yesterday), did you know I am only two degrees removed from Ruth Reichl? Well, OK... maybe 3 or 4. It's true! How is this, you ask? Well, because I am a fan of and well acquainted with one Miss Jeanne Brophy, Bay Area food writer...