Baked in Vermont

It's Gesine Prado's turn to host her knitting club's monthly get-together. The ladies will be showing up hungry, so Gesine stitches together a menu of small appetizers and simple finger foods including Cheese Puffs and Steak Hand Pies. For dessert, she makes a beautiful Charlotte Royale Ice Cream Cake along with Homemade Caramels.

Gesine Prado is making a big home-cooked meal for football players from her husband Ray's alma mater, Dartmouth College. While Ray shows the offensive line a few veteran moves in the backyard, Gesine bakes a Hearty Pork Pie with a Big Green Salad. She makes The Big Winooski Fudge Cookies and a decadent Interior Cake for dessert and tops it all off with a rich, chocolatey Hot Cocoa.

t's apple season, and Gesine Prado is inviting a few friends for baked brunch and cider-making in the barn. The menu is full of Gesine's apple-inspired brunch favorites including Poached Eggs on English Muffins with Helga's Hollandaise, Apple Cider Donuts, Latticed Apple Slab Pie and a Sparkling Apple Cider Cocktail.

Gesine Prado throws a twilight backyard birthday party for her husband, Ray, and she fills the table with both savories and sweets. On the savory side, she bakes Flaky Bacon Bruschetta and a Creamy Artichoke and Tomato Tart. Then Gesine pulls out all the sweet stops with Chocolate S'mores Pudding and a showstopping Flaky Birthday Berry Pie with a Celebratory Jaconde.