Wow, these were delicious. It’s worth the extra time to make these with pastry cream. I’ve done gluten-free versions with coconut and sweetened condensed milk, but these little babies far surpass my others. There are some steps involved – and advanced prep – but it’s worth it. Be sure to measure everything out.
Coconut Macaroons
Flour, Joanne Chang Continue reading
I have a major sweet tooth. It’s been passed on to my kids. I must have eaten a lot of chocolate when I was pregnant with C because he considers chocolate a food group. Or should I say THE food group. As much as a love to cook, I’ve never been much of a baker. Sure, I started out making chocolate chip cookies in high school, even made a from the box cake that I decorated as a clock for a new year’s eve party my senior year, but I wouldn’t say that baking has been a strength. I have a number of baking books in my collection – a testament to my attempt to improve – but nothing inspired me to get to that “omg good” that I hoped to achieve. Until I found Flour.
I’ve had this cookbook about 4 years. It started when I was watching the Food Network with Jeff one morning and he saw an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay that featured sticky buns. He thought they looked pretty great, so I grabbed the recipe online and made it for fathers day. It was a 2 day process that pushed my baking boundaries, but I had that “omg good” moment. So when I saw the book at Barnes and Noble, it was a must buy. Full disclosure for the review – this is my go-to baking book, so I’ve made a number a birthday cakes from this. But all the recipes I tried for the review are brand new and unpracticed…maybe not bakery pretty, but let’s just say I had happy kids this week.
The Recipes
Raspberry-Rhubarb Muffins
French Lemon-Poppy Pound Cake
Basic Brioche
Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
Coconut Macaroons
Intense Chocolate Brownies
Granola Bars
Classic Carrot Cake (Cupcakes) with Cream Cheese Frosting
White Coconut Cake with Coconut Frosting
Country Ham Cheddar, and Tomato Quiche
Pate Prisee II (pastry for the quiche)
Oatmeal-Maple Scones Continue reading
I couldn’t believe the response my kids had to this burger. I’ll have to make it again just to make sure it’s legitimate. I served it up with some local naan that a friend gave me for my birthday – and it was really good. Toasted pita pockets would also be good – but skip a bready bun. It’s too much for this tasty guy. Italicized comments are my own.
Hellenic Lamb Burgers with Eggplant Feta Salad
from The Big Burger Book, Jane Murphy and Liz Yeh Singh
Continue reading
Summertime means burgers. And my family LOVES hamburgers. So I thought it would be perfect to do the burger book right before Memorial Day weekend – the official kick off for summer. The kids were thrilled. They thought that meant cheeseburgers every day. Preferably with a free toy. Little did they know what I was really going to do!
I picked up this cookbook about 10 years ago when my brother was living with me in Kansas City. My brother loves burgers. He’s made a science around making the perfect burger. And since I can’t beat him with the classics, I thought I’d defeat him with creativity. When I saw this book on the $5 table at Barnes and Noble, it was a no brainer. But I really didn’t capitalize on the book until this week – it sat dormant on the shelf. Ready to see how it (or me!) performed?
The Recipes
Classic Beef Burgers
Kick-Ass Ketchup
Chicken Satay Burgers with Peanut Sauce
Spicy Cucumber Salad
Sloppy Joes
Mushroom Goat Cheese Burgers
Sun Dried Tomato Chutney
Honey Whole Wheat with Seeds
Hellenic Lamb Burgers
Eggplant Feta Salad Continue reading
When this was coming out of the oven, I had to yank C’s hand away from the pan. The whole house smelled delicious. This recipe isn’t quite as sweet as some other granolas I’ve tried – and you can always adjust the sweetness based on the amount of syrup you use. I love granola – especially now that my adult braces are off! Here’s to celebrating all things crunchy. My comments are in italics.
Granola
From Jamie’s Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver. Continue reading
99 cookbooks 