Pie

The Pie Company's Co-Owners,
Lina Hoshino and Angelo Sacerdote

Banana Cream Pie

    From my point of view, pie dominates as the most favored of all the dessert family. Well, friends of my family (yes, my human family we're not all cupcakes and cream-puffs here) has recently opened up a cute little pie shop in Petaluma, A.K.A. Petaluma Pie Company, hence the name. The Pie Co. has a wide variety of pies and new ones always coming in. My recommendations would be: Banana Cream (if you're a cream pie fan), Strawberry Rhubarb (if you're palate prefers fruit), and Salmon or Potato pie (if savory is your thing). Either way, all of the pies are delicious, so make sure to stop by, definitely worth the trip.            

Ice Cream: Homemade or Store-bought? The Modern-Day Cook's Dilemma.

Ice Cream Maker

Ice Cream 

   Naturally, the common "cook's dilemma" usually falls under the category of dessert. Specifically speaking so that we're on the same page here, ice cream. Ice cream is one of the most favored sweet treats in the United States, not just for kids. There is a tremendous variety of flavors ranging from the original chocolate, to oddities like peach-black licorice. Given the current state of the processed food in the U.S, I believe there are two main types of ice cream, real ice cream and the mass-produced ice cream knock off. Now, when I mean "real" ice cream, I mean ice cream without harmful preservatives or additives (mostly made of corn) "to maintain freshness" that cannot usually be bought at your local supermarket. The dilemma for most cooks is whether to buy ice cream or make it. Homemade ice cream is much fattier than store bought due to the combined fat of whole milk and heavy cream. It also can take up to two days per batch. On the other hand, store bought ice cream can be artificial and a waste of money. Yet at the same time, homemade ice cream uses natural, cheaper, ingredients and store bought ice cream is quick, easy to store and melts slower. No matter what you choose, make sure your decisionreflects what you stand for in terms of ice cream.