porcupine Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 apricot butter cookies cardamom butter cookies chocolate pepper cookies brown sugar ginger cookies 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Lemon bars! The magic table at work of excess produce has been kind lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 Italian rainbow cookies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Honey-oat bread in my new pain de mie pan. Why did I wait so long to buy one? Next up is a whole wheat loaf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 > Blood orange olive oil cake. To be served with whipped Chantilly cream and a supremed blood orange and honey sauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Blood orange olive oil cake. To be served with whipped Chantilly cream and a supremed blood orange and honey sauce. Recipe, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen. And big thanks to AB for alerting me that it's blood orange season. I'm hoarding them and processing for freezing. Zest and juice (in ice cubes). I think this is the 4th dish I've made with them, aside from eating fresh. Giant has had good prices on them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 > I'd suggest baking at 325 because it browned up quickly and I think the cake would benefit from lower and slower so that the browned (definitely not burnt or anything) surround does not overwhelm the delicate citrus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 > Blood orange panna cotta with supremed segments, Rea's Farm honey and blood orange "syrup". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Chocolate Ricotta Pie. I happened to have a bit of ricotta, chocolate and cream cheese left over and this dessert fit the bill. I used pecans vs. pine nuts in the crust and topping, and added a good dash of Vietnamese cinnamon to the custard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Blume Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen. And big thanks to AB for alerting me that it's blood orange season. You're welcome! But do try this and see what I posted in response to DanielK recently in Dinner thread where I recommended an extra step that streaks insides fuchsia. I misattributed the recipe to Claudia Roden, but I gotta say the drama and ease of a cake w oranges processed whole, peel, pith and all is worth the comparison. I happened to use a very fruity olive oil last time I made it and the cake assumed colors of both fruits. P.S. Ricotta tart looks smashing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Chocolate Ricotta Pie. I happened to have a bit of ricotta, chocolate and cream cheese left over and this dessert fit the bill. I used pecans vs. pine nuts in the crust and topping, and added a good dash of Vietnamese cinnamon to the custard. That's gorgeous. And I love it all the more because I have that cake plate too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 That's gorgeous. And I love it all the more because I have that cake plate too. It must have been a mandatory serving piece in the '50's-60's-70's Mr. MV and I each brought this cake stand from our moms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Cream cheese banana nut bread (with pistachios, since I have lots of them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post zoramargolis Posted March 6, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted March 6, 2013 It started yesterday, with two blackened, ripe bananas that were beyond slicing onto cereal. I was going to pitch them in the trash. J said: "I like banana bread. I don't get nearly enough of it." Today, the snow storm's a bust. We're unlikely to lose our power, which would knock out the oven. So, I checked a few cookbooks for banana bread recipes, settling on the one in Cook's Illustrated's baking book, which doesn't require creaming butter and sugar, thus no need for hauling out the Kitchenaid. I was cleaning up the kitchen, clearing the decks for the baking project, when J announced that he wanted to help, a very rare offer. (He was supposed to go to work today, but his office follows the federal government weather guidelines, and so he was at home.) Ordinarily, he avoids the kitchen, and hot dogs, Bubba burgers and scrambled eggs are pretty much the only things he ever cooks for himself. A couple of times a year, he makes baked beans from a Cook's Illustrated recipe, which provides strict instructions and amounts, down to 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and comes out perfectly, albeit a bit sweet for my taste. Late last year, he announced that he wanted to try to cook a few more things, so I bought him a Cook's Illustrated cookbook, and found the CI baking book at a rummage sale. He'd looked at them, but hadn't yet taken the plunge. My using "his" recipe book to make the banana bread was probably what propelled him away from his laptop and into the kitchen to help. Those of you who know me, know that I am an experienced cook, and can assume that I know my way around the kitchen. But on the rare occasions when he wants to help me, J, who doesn't know anything about cooking if he isn't slavishly following a simple recipe, feels compelled to advise me about how I should do things, warns me urgently about things he believes are about to go wrong, and generally resists any instruction from me, and often argues with me when I try to tell or show him how to do something differently than he wants to do it. This is not the ideal sort of help one wants, to put it mildly. But we plunged ahead. First, a few ground rules: "Please don't argue with me." HA! Like that would work. "Don't expect me to slavishly follow the recipe, I may want to add some flavors that they don't call for." A grudging okay to that, as long as it wasn't citrus. Which was a good thing, because the recipe called for three large bananas (1 1/2 cups) and we had only two medium ones (3/4 cup). We could cut down the recipe, or substitute canned pumpkin puree or bake a sweet potato to replace the missing volume of banana. Pumpkin, he decides. And the recipe called for walnuts, which I can't eat due to an allergy. I suggested almonds or hazelnuts. He wanted pecans. Okay, pecans. After that things went fairly smoothly. I wanted him to sift the flour, salt and baking soda together with cardamom and nutmeg, which were my additions. He resisted, because the recipe said only to whisk them together. We had a bit of a tussle about my replacing part of the sugar with Sucanat (raw sugar). He argued with me about pureeing the eggs, bananas, pumpkin, melted butter and yogurt in the blender, because the recipe said to stir them together. He went out of the room for a minute and I added a few drops of tangerine oil, despite his ban on citrus. Finally, it went into the oven. We had some with coffee a little while ago. I thought it was just right, not too sweet. He thought it could have been a bit sweeter. In hindsight, I should have bumped up the sugar because I'd used canned pumpkin for half the volume of the banana pulp that was supposed to be there. But then I would have found it too sweet. Snapshot portrait of a very long-term relationship. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstar965 Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 It started yesterday, with two blackened, ripe bananas that were beyond slicing onto cereal.... Snapshot portrait of a very long-term relationship. This is a fabulous post. Loved every bit of it and laughed a lot. Thanks Zora. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I successfully made the classic icebox sugar cookies from One Smart Cookie, I added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans and 1T ground lavender. They turned out really good! I really like them. I wish I could post a picture, they are simple, but pretty in a simple way. I could have taken a bit more care to roll the roll perfectly round so the rounds were a bit more perfect, but most of it is very round. And they tasted good. I really like the One Smart Cookie book, as it gives you nutrition info for all the cookies. I tried to make a lower calorie one. Hubby had a long long not so wonderful day, so he really appreciated the cookies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Meyer lemon, macadamia shortbread made with Kerrygold butter and half-dipped in Valrhona Manjari chocolate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choirgirl21 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Monovano, I love your photos. Paleo lemon pecan mini-scones 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Sourdough rye with caraway and fennel seeds, and blood orange zest. This recipe is from Breadtopia, which I've been referencing to help me work with a sourdough starter I purchased (from Breadtopia through Amazon). The dough was extremely wet, but I added flour while kneading before the second rise, and it held together, albeit tentatively. The end result was a large, moist, soft crumb and excellent chewy crust. I'll make this again with a bit less water, but overall I was not only happy that it actually came together (I was sure I'd wind up tossing it and actually made a backup dough), but Mr. MV and I are loving the smell and taste of this flavor combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 That ^ sounds like a great combination. As soon as lunch is done, I am beginning a chocolate stout bundt cake. Also planning to make a Cook's Country biscuit recipe later that uses mayo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xochitl10 Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 This is a fabulous post. Loved every bit of it and laughed a lot. Thanks Zora. It was a great post. Azami and I would've gotten about two points of negotiation in before one of us gave up and left the other to his/her own devices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choirgirl21 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Last night I made these Coconut Lime Macaroons. Have never made macaroons before - so easy! I really like the addition of lime zest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted May 12, 2013 Author Share Posted May 12, 2013 > bettyjoan's buttermilk pie with beach plum jam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Local strawberries and strawberry rhubarb jam for strawberry bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 bettyjoan's buttermilk pie with beach plum jam Looks amazing! Hope you enjoyed it - your crust looks so yummy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Looks amazing! Hope you enjoyed it - your crust looks so yummy. It's a keeper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Applesauce spice muffins for road trip food. I made them GF and used a jar of apple butter that had been in the pantry a while, so I adjusted the sugar content. Still into the pantry challenge, so I finished up a container of walnuts from the freezer as well. These are really nicely textured - they came out like a nice, tender, apple spice cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Made my famous "best blueberry muffins ever" yesterday morning. When the oven beeped, my husband, who was still in bed (and a little...say, altered...from the previous night's fun), said that he didn't even know we had muffin mix in the house. I gave him my best shocked and appalled look and told him that I couldn't believe he would accuse me of such a thing. The muffin recipe came from an old recipe of ATK, and it is seriously the best ever. Loads of blueberry flavor, and a lemon/sugar "crumble" on top. Not too sweet, great texture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted July 3, 2013 Author Share Posted July 3, 2013 Triple Berry Custard Tart- Raspberries, Tayberries (seriously good-- who knew?!) and Blueberries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Enough cookies for an army - oatmeal butterscotch and chocolate chip pecan. Also, Nutella banana granola - yum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Labor Day Bagels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies with pecans and a pinch of fleur de sel. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 ^ pretty cookies I've got English muffin bread that should be ready to go into the oven fairly soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies with pecans and a pinch of fleur de sel. YUM!!! Those look delicious. I baked chocolate chip banana bread muffins yesterday - I opted for the lower-fat-and-sugar version of my usual recipe, so the texture wasn't perfect, but it's a tasty breakfast on the go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 ^ Thank you! I'm sold on the chunks vs. chips- takes the cookie to another level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Owl Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Yesterday... weekend 2 of learning from Mom how to make Chinese mooncakes for the Moon Festival this Thursday. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 I have discovered making bread. Yes, I grew up with an amish nanny, but a Kitchen Aid dough hook is amazing. I made dough for homemade pepperoni rolls earlier this month. This weekend I homemade focaccia, bundino cake. I am hoping to make brioche chocolate soft pretzels from smitten kitchen and maybe the gruyere, rosemary crackers. It's a big weekend for me coming up, holiday times at home. I also made some gf cornbread that was good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 "Booscotti" Apple pie with oatmeal crumble topping 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 I haven't baked anything memorable lately (I can't count cornbread from a mix), but I read this article, http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/best-cookbooks-to-cook-your-way-through, & I started thinking about cookbooks that I love (on that list, I have 6 out of 18, & have read many of the others from the library). When I was a stripling, right out of school, I worked in a Waldenbooks, & we had a really good selection of cookbooks. We could check books out (so that we could familiarize ourselves w/ them, & recommend them to customers) & Maida Heatter's dessert books are amazing- http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/The-Queen-of-Cake. I wish I could be that focused these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marketfan Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 If anyone is interested in experimenting with local wheat, Pecan Meadow at 14&U FM on Saturdays is growing and selling their own stone ground Pennol wheat flour. It is a 1940s strain, lower in gluten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Made cranberry upside down cake yesterday, and it turned out great - tasty AND pretty. The same cannot be said for the maple pumpkin cheesecake I attempted - epic fail. I have never managed to make a successful cheesecake. I think I will leave it to the pros from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Made cranberry upside down cake yesterday, and it turned out great - tasty AND pretty. The same cannot be said for the maple pumpkin cheesecake I attempted - epic fail. I have never managed to make a successful cheesecake. I think I will leave it to the pros from now on. How did it fail? Cheesecake is a type of baked custard, which can curdle if cooked at too high a temp. Dense cakes that usually have a crack on the top are baked directly in the oven. Lighter, fluffier ones (which I prefer) need to be baked in a waterbath, with the springform carefully wrapped in double heavy duty aluminum foil, to prevent leaks. The best recipe I have ever found, which can have endlessly varied flavor fillings, is from Rose Levy Barenbaum's Cake Bible, called the Cordon Rose cheesecake. Shirley Corriher also has Rose's cheesecake recipe (appropriately attributed) in her book, Cookwise. The technique involves baking in a slow-moderate oven in a waterbath for 3/4 of an hour, then turning the oven off and leaving it in the oven with the door closed for an hour. The only time I had a failure was when I wrapped the springform pan carelessly and put too much water in the waterbath--some water migrated up inside the foil and got into the pan. But I have used the recipe dozens of times with great success--I always add a T of cornstarch to the batter, which Rose says is optional, and a cookie crust base, which she recommends against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 The filling was lumpy, despite properly softening the cream cheese, and the end result was just...off. Now that you mention curdling, it seems very likely that's what happened. Thanks for the recipe sources - if I am feeling adventurous, perhaps I will try again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithA Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 While I love to cook, I'm not much of a baker never having made much beyond cookies, brownies, and birthday cakes. But I've really been in the mood to try my hand at bread baking. I'd love to be able to make a crusty outside airy inside loaf/boule/baguette in my own house. Anyone have any good recipes? Preferably not sourdough as my wife has an aversion to it and the starters seem a bit advanced for me for now at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 While I love to cook, I'm not much of a baker never having made much beyond cookies, brownies, and birthday cakes. But I've really been in the mood to try my hand at bread baking. I'd love to be able to make a crusty outside airy inside loaf/boule/baguette in my own house. Anyone have any good recipes? Preferably not sourdough as my wife has an aversion to it and the starters seem a bit advanced for me for now at least. Look up "no knead bread" and have a go at it. Fabulous flavor and texture, minimal work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Look up "no knead bread" and have a go at it. Fabulous flavor and texture, minimal work. Click here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Anyone know of a good recipe for some southern style yeast rolls? The ones from Green Pig Bistro when they opened were like what I had growing up, and now I really want to find a good recipe for them. I never know if online recipes are really any good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xochitl10 Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Today is hardcore baking day. We're hosting an open house for Azami's artwork next Sunday around brunchtime, so I'm making banana-nut muffins and cranberry-orange muffins. I also committed to baking for the office dessert auction -- they're getting a spice cake with blackberry jam and caramel icing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Did some double-chocolate muffins yesterday, and today I'm making chocolate-cinnamon-chili crinkle cookies. The latter is a new recipe, so we'll see how it goes. I may also make some of my ginger chewies, just in case (not that we don't have enough sweets in the house, but holiday time always feels like baking time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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