I was spurred to write this post by two things (the usual two): a big life change and a recipe I just had to share.
Showing posts with label easy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easy. Show all posts
Friday, 3 November 2017
A Life in Seasons (Real Ones!) and Apple Cider Caramels
Pin It
I was spurred to write this post by two things (the usual two): a big life change and a recipe I just had to share.
I was spurred to write this post by two things (the usual two): a big life change and a recipe I just had to share.
Monday, 3 August 2015
Cocktails or Cake – Why Not Both? Limoncello Birthday Cake with Campari Frosting
Pin It
Remember when I made that adorable ha-cake for my friend's half birthday? Well, luckily for me, despite generally preferring savory to sweet, K does love a good celebration cake, so when her full birthday rolled around this year she requested a cake that incorporated one of her favorite things: booze. Specifically, Campari, which she fell in love with during a trip to Italy a couple years ago and which has been so well-loved as to have spawned its own hashtag.
Even better than suggesting (I won't go so far as to say demanding) a specific cake for her birthday, K suggested we bake it together, at my parents' house in the Napa Valley. K is a food blogger too, although she focuses more on savory dishes and wine pairings, and while we've cooked together (we lived together for a while and we made some delicious dinners) we've never baked. Plus, since she moved to Napa last year we get far too little bonding time, and this sounded like an excellent way to get some 'us' time (plus our assistant, but he's good at respecting our girl time).
So without further ado, to the cake-baking! Of course, we started with booze: Negronis (a classic Campari drink), natch, mixed by our handsome assistant (to whom also goes credit for all the photos herein and on Flickr).
Remember when I made that adorable ha-cake for my friend's half birthday? Well, luckily for me, despite generally preferring savory to sweet, K does love a good celebration cake, so when her full birthday rolled around this year she requested a cake that incorporated one of her favorite things: booze. Specifically, Campari, which she fell in love with during a trip to Italy a couple years ago and which has been so well-loved as to have spawned its own hashtag.
Even better than suggesting (I won't go so far as to say demanding) a specific cake for her birthday, K suggested we bake it together, at my parents' house in the Napa Valley. K is a food blogger too, although she focuses more on savory dishes and wine pairings, and while we've cooked together (we lived together for a while and we made some delicious dinners) we've never baked. Plus, since she moved to Napa last year we get far too little bonding time, and this sounded like an excellent way to get some 'us' time (plus our assistant, but he's good at respecting our girl time).
So without further ado, to the cake-baking! Of course, we started with booze: Negronis (a classic Campari drink), natch, mixed by our handsome assistant (to whom also goes credit for all the photos herein and on Flickr).
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Another Win for Laziness: Chocolate Chip (Etc) Cookie Bars
Pin It
The first time, I made them because I needed something easy and transportable for a graduation party and I knew I wouldn't have time to wait for the butter in my freezer to soften, or to make multiple batches of drop cookies. I googled 'melted butter cookie bars' and voila! Bloggers to the rescue, as usual.
The recipe was super simple and I had all the ingredients, plus some pecans I thought would enhance the flavor of half the bars (we have a friend with a nut allergy so I wanted to leave half plain), and nobody was expecting cookies so the pressure was off. I gave it a go and an hour later my companion and I were burning our fingers trying to 'test' the batch.
The first time, I made them because I needed something easy and transportable for a graduation party and I knew I wouldn't have time to wait for the butter in my freezer to soften, or to make multiple batches of drop cookies. I googled 'melted butter cookie bars' and voila! Bloggers to the rescue, as usual.
The recipe was super simple and I had all the ingredients, plus some pecans I thought would enhance the flavor of half the bars (we have a friend with a nut allergy so I wanted to leave half plain), and nobody was expecting cookies so the pressure was off. I gave it a go and an hour later my companion and I were burning our fingers trying to 'test' the batch.
Once we were able to try a bite, we agreed: these things are good. So good that I ate three that night, which is unusual for me – often when I bake something, no matter how tasty it is, I tire of it quickly and am obliged to convince someone else to eat the rest. It's no coincidence that I favor tall boyfriends with hollow legs ;)
In this case, though, not only did I eat a bunch of the baked good in question but I also started thinking about making them again almost immediately upon leaving the party (I nearly brought home a couple bars but I stopped just short of embarrassing myself that much). So when I was gifted two glass jars of Nutella from Italy and was antsy to use one as a wine glass, I knew exactly how to put the Nutella inside to good use.
The point is this: these bars are infinitely adaptable. They were delicious with pecans, indulgent with Nutella, and likely would be even more toothsomely tasty with oats – that's my plan for next time! In other words, make these. As soon as humanly possible.
You're welcome.
Chocolate Chip (Etc) Cookie Bars
Adapted for pecans/Nutella from Em's Bytes
(I doubled the recipe the first time and used an 8x13 pan – ain't nothin' wrong with twice the amount of this goodness)
Preheat oven to 350F/175C and grease an 8" pan, square or cake, whatever you have.
Mix together in a large bowl:
1/2c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4c sugar
1/2c brown sugar
Beat in:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Add and stir until combined:
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Stir in:
1c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1c chopped pecans (optional – you can also place them on top of the dough once it's in the pan, if you fancy the look or want to limit their reach)
Spread into prepared pan, pausing to top with blobs of Nutella if desired, and bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. (Side note: mine never got as golden as I'd like, but I'm glad I pulled the first batch out when I did anyway, as they were getting close to dry. I suggest using the cake tester method if in doubt, and remembering that gooey cookies are always better than dry.)
In this case, though, not only did I eat a bunch of the baked good in question but I also started thinking about making them again almost immediately upon leaving the party (I nearly brought home a couple bars but I stopped just short of embarrassing myself that much). So when I was gifted two glass jars of Nutella from Italy and was antsy to use one as a wine glass, I knew exactly how to put the Nutella inside to good use.
The point is this: these bars are infinitely adaptable. They were delicious with pecans, indulgent with Nutella, and likely would be even more toothsomely tasty with oats – that's my plan for next time! In other words, make these. As soon as humanly possible.
You're welcome.
Chocolate Chip (Etc) Cookie Bars
Adapted for pecans/Nutella from Em's Bytes
(I doubled the recipe the first time and used an 8x13 pan – ain't nothin' wrong with twice the amount of this goodness)
Preheat oven to 350F/175C and grease an 8" pan, square or cake, whatever you have.
Mix together in a large bowl:
1/2c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4c sugar
1/2c brown sugar
Beat in:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Add and stir until combined:
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Stir in:
1c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1c chopped pecans (optional – you can also place them on top of the dough once it's in the pan, if you fancy the look or want to limit their reach)
Spread into prepared pan, pausing to top with blobs of Nutella if desired, and bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. (Side note: mine never got as golden as I'd like, but I'm glad I pulled the first batch out when I did anyway, as they were getting close to dry. I suggest using the cake tester method if in doubt, and remembering that gooey cookies are always better than dry.)
Friday, 27 March 2015
Monkeying Around with Birthday Cakes
Pin It
When my sister told me that her daughter, who turned three last week, had requested three cakes for her birthday party, I immediately volunteered to bake one of them. I adore my niece and nephew and have had a blast getting to know them better since moving back from London, but I still see them rarely enough that any opportunity to impress them is worth jumping on. It only got better when my sister told me the only other request my niece had made: that the party be 'a monkey party'.
I remembered a cake I'd seen on Smitten Kitchen, years back, a monkey face that looked surprisingly easy to put together. A quick google confirmed my suspicions that this was something I could definitely handle, and I spent the rest of the day at work printing recipes, doubling and tripling ingredient lists, and blocking off the day before the party in my phone calendar. I was going to go all out this time.
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Prosciutto and Pastries and Prosecco, Oh My! The Foodie Low-Down on My Italian Adventure
Pin It
#stuffmyface #ItalyAdventure #girltime by @ahputnam
Hello, strangers! I realize I haven’t seen you around here in MONTHS, and that’s entirely my fault. I had this idea (I’m always having these ideas…) that when I was in Italy I would cook and photograph it (badly, with my iPhone) for you, and post at least once or twice, but alas, like so many of my ideas this one lacked follow-through. I did very little of anything that could be called ‘cooking’, preferring to spend my time eating paprika-flavored Pringles and making Caprese salads and roasted chicken breast and veggies when I needed to eat a real meal inside my home. And of course much of my consumption happened outside the apartment, because: ITALY. That said, I did make a Thanksgiving dinner for my Italian friends (and a few Americans), including my famous pumpkin pie recipe and a whole roasted turkey that would have fed twice as many of us, so the trip wasn’t completely without kitchen activity.
For those of you who don’t follow me on Instagram or Twitter, I offer here by way of apology for my absence some of my favorite foodie photos from the trip (for those of you who do follow me, I’m throwing in some new pics), and at the end of the post I’ll link to the recipes I used for Thanksgiving – I’m happy to report that the Italians were properly blown away, especially by the pumpkin pie and the stuffing, which was unlike anything they’d ever tried before. I also promise to work harder to get back to our regularly scheduled programming, and to share some of the exciting developments that have occurred in my life since last we met.
Pics and captions are after the jump!
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Last Minute and Low Supply: Vanilla Bean (Apricot) Shortbread Cookies
Pin It
(This will be a shorty because I've been asked for the recipe enough times in the last 24 hours to get me to write the post the day after these cookies were baked and consumed. I know – bonkers fast for me!)
I went to a friend's Summer Solstice barbecue yesterday, and when I woke up late, a bit hungover after a night out, I suddenly realized that while I had offered to bake cookies for the party I had a seriously limited stock in my cabinets. I knew I had butter (in fact, despite being tipsy the night before when I got home, I had even remembered to take a stick out of the freezer and let it soften on the counter), and I knew I had flour and sugar, but I was eggless, and my roommate who moved out recently took her raising agents with her, so I was pretty much at a loss for ideas on what to make. BUT THEN! Inspiration struck. Shortbread doesn't have eggs or raising agents!
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Getting Rid of Reminders, Deliciously: Pistachio Pound Cake
Pin It
Unfortunately, despite there being many ‘special occasions’ that last year, somehow the cookies were never a top priority. The jar sat in the kitchen, patiently waiting to be used by some day before February 28, 2014. At the time that seemed miles away, yet February came upon me so fast and here was the jar, still staring at me; when the boy it was intended for broke my heart I had thought to pour the crème all over his expensive clothes and fancy felt hat, but instead I packed it in my suitcase and took it with me to America, hoping to one day make something sweet for someone else.
I
once shared my life with a boy who adored pistachios. He demolished them roasted and salted, and thoroughly
enjoyed them in biscotti, but his absolute favorite form was gelato, preferably
consumed in Rome. Whenever I see
pistachio gelato, I think of him.
Another of his favorite treats is a bag of traditional Italian almond
cookies, and when we were together I made these knockoffs for him – the same
day I bought the almond crème I used in that much loved recipe, I also picked
up a jar of pistachio crème, with the express intention of using it to make
pure pistachio cookies for him on some special occasion.
Unfortunately, despite there being many ‘special occasions’ that last year, somehow the cookies were never a top priority. The jar sat in the kitchen, patiently waiting to be used by some day before February 28, 2014. At the time that seemed miles away, yet February came upon me so fast and here was the jar, still staring at me; when the boy it was intended for broke my heart I had thought to pour the crème all over his expensive clothes and fancy felt hat, but instead I packed it in my suitcase and took it with me to America, hoping to one day make something sweet for someone else.
Well,
I didn’t make it for anyone else, but that was a silly thought – and a
spiteful one – anyway. I don’t really
bake for the men I date, after my banana bread received a middling (and I’m
pretty sure pure negging) review from someone I dated back in October. The sheer blasphemy was enough to end that
brief dalliance (not really, but it was one of the nails in the coffin). No, these days I bake for family and friends,
and for myself, and I try to pour as much love as I can into those treats, as
if to make up for all the love I spent on the boy who threw it all away.
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Any Excuse for a Celebration: Half Birthdays and Ha-Cakes
Pin It
It’s holiday time in the blogosphere – everywhere I look I see recipes for Christmas cookies or Hanukkah cakes or generalized ‘winter holidays’-themed party food. But I think you’re all forgetting the most important holiday of the year: my friend K’s half-birthday.
It’s holiday time in the blogosphere – everywhere I look I see recipes for Christmas cookies or Hanukkah cakes or generalized ‘winter holidays’-themed party food. But I think you’re all forgetting the most important holiday of the year: my friend K’s half-birthday.
Yes,
I said half-birthday. I can’t tell you
how many people have balked when I tell them I’m planning to make a half-cake
for K. “Half-birthday?” they ask,
incredulous, “isn’t that just for kids?”
Well, yes. It is. But one of the things I love about K is that
she is pretty much the definition of unabashed.
She wants to celebrate her half-birthday with a few friends, some tasty
food, and a ha-cake (as in hapenny, jeez), and honestly I don’t see any problem with that. It is a bit strange for a grown woman to
count her age in halves, to be sure, but on the other hand, couldn’t we all use
a little more whimsy and celebration in our lives? I know I could.
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Adventures in Baking in Other People's Kitchens: Blueberry Olive Oil Cake
Pin It
Baking at my parents' house is always a bit of a...complicated adventure. Whereas I'd slowly and methodically built up a system in the London home where I lived for four years – I knew which specialty pans and ingredients I did and didn't have, and what stocks were low in the baking cupboard – living here in someone else's house, and especially working in someone else's kitchen, has really been a challenge. I never know what ingredients we have, in what quantities, and in what state of freshness (the other day I used molasses with a 'best before' in 2012, which is actually really recent for my mom's cupboards – it was fine). And while the double oven gas Viking range is amazing, the rest of the supplies are sketchy at best: we have a mini muffin pan and a popover pan, but no normal muffin tins; a heart-shaped silicone cake pan but no loaf pans; and one usable cookie sheet. One.
So when I offered to bake something with the blueberries that were lingering on their last legs in the fancy fridge drawers a few weeks ago, I figured it would be an experiment. I wasn't really prepared for just how many things I would need to change, but I was at least ready to be flexible. And thank goodness for that!
Baking at my parents' house is always a bit of a...complicated adventure. Whereas I'd slowly and methodically built up a system in the London home where I lived for four years – I knew which specialty pans and ingredients I did and didn't have, and what stocks were low in the baking cupboard – living here in someone else's house, and especially working in someone else's kitchen, has really been a challenge. I never know what ingredients we have, in what quantities, and in what state of freshness (the other day I used molasses with a 'best before' in 2012, which is actually really recent for my mom's cupboards – it was fine). And while the double oven gas Viking range is amazing, the rest of the supplies are sketchy at best: we have a mini muffin pan and a popover pan, but no normal muffin tins; a heart-shaped silicone cake pan but no loaf pans; and one usable cookie sheet. One.
So when I offered to bake something with the blueberries that were lingering on their last legs in the fancy fridge drawers a few weeks ago, I figured it would be an experiment. I wasn't really prepared for just how many things I would need to change, but I was at least ready to be flexible. And thank goodness for that!
Saturday, 27 April 2013
A Dream Deferred: Italian Almond Cookies
Pin It
When my guy and I were in Rome a couple of years ago with my brother and his girlfriend for Christmas, the apartment we stayed in was just down the street from a tiny bakery that had the reputation of selling some of the best cookies and panettone in the whole city – a lucky accident of which we took full advantage! Every few days we would wander in and make use of my ever-more-limited Italian to buy a bag of treats: chocolate-dipped Christmas trees, jam studded thumbprints, mini pistachio biscotti, and our absolute favorites, chewy, dense, heavy-sweet almond cookies. Those ones were always the first to go, and we kept finding ourselves having to negotiate over who got the last one. If only I didn't require so much time stalling while I tried to remember the word for almond (mandorla – of course now I can remember it!), we might have just gotten bagfuls of those each time and called it a day!
So of course the minute we got back to the UK I looked up a recipe. And then I bookmarked that recipe, bought ground almonds, and... promptly put off making the cookies. I think I avoided it for so long at first because almond paste (one of the main ingredients) is super expensive, but after a while I just kept forgetting about them.
When my guy and I were in Rome a couple of years ago with my brother and his girlfriend for Christmas, the apartment we stayed in was just down the street from a tiny bakery that had the reputation of selling some of the best cookies and panettone in the whole city – a lucky accident of which we took full advantage! Every few days we would wander in and make use of my ever-more-limited Italian to buy a bag of treats: chocolate-dipped Christmas trees, jam studded thumbprints, mini pistachio biscotti, and our absolute favorites, chewy, dense, heavy-sweet almond cookies. Those ones were always the first to go, and we kept finding ourselves having to negotiate over who got the last one. If only I didn't require so much time stalling while I tried to remember the word for almond (mandorla – of course now I can remember it!), we might have just gotten bagfuls of those each time and called it a day!
So of course the minute we got back to the UK I looked up a recipe. And then I bookmarked that recipe, bought ground almonds, and... promptly put off making the cookies. I think I avoided it for so long at first because almond paste (one of the main ingredients) is super expensive, but after a while I just kept forgetting about them.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Converting the Skeptics: Sticky Toffee Pudding
Pin It
I made sticky toffee pudding for the first time back in November – I'd been invited to a British-themed dinner party and I had no idea what to bring for dessert (having of course claimed that course before my phone had even registered the invitation email). Normally I count on my large roster of American sweets to wow the Brits among me with little effort, but I didn't think it would be fair to break from the theme just because it was outside my comfort zone. Still, what exactly constituted a British dessert (or, as the Brits say, 'pudding' – actual pudding is 'angel delight'...don't ask me why)? Most of the really successful dishes have American and European counterparts: lemon drizzle cake, shortbread cookies, fruit crisps... I didn't want to make super-classic Eton mess or a Bakewell tart (I actually hadn't thought of that one, but it would have been too much effort for the day anyway), so I was at a loss. Until I remembered that old pub classic, and one particular skeptic to whom I still have something to prove.
I have a personal bone to pick about sticky toffee pudding: I need to prove to my older brother that a dessert made mostly of dates can be indulgent and delicious and completely unfruity. I tried to explain sticky toffee pudding to him last summer and he wouldn't listen to my description of the dish itself, just kept making that irritating 'blegh' face that only brothers can keep mastering to such an infuriating degree well into seeming adulthood. I swore up and down that I would make it for him someday and he would eat his words (and facial expression), along with half the pan. So when I was trying to think of a British dessert to bring to girls' night I decided this was a good opportunity to practice, ensuring that when I do eventually make sticky toffee pudding for my family in SF, their socks will be duly knocked off.
I made sticky toffee pudding for the first time back in November – I'd been invited to a British-themed dinner party and I had no idea what to bring for dessert (having of course claimed that course before my phone had even registered the invitation email). Normally I count on my large roster of American sweets to wow the Brits among me with little effort, but I didn't think it would be fair to break from the theme just because it was outside my comfort zone. Still, what exactly constituted a British dessert (or, as the Brits say, 'pudding' – actual pudding is 'angel delight'...don't ask me why)? Most of the really successful dishes have American and European counterparts: lemon drizzle cake, shortbread cookies, fruit crisps... I didn't want to make super-classic Eton mess or a Bakewell tart (I actually hadn't thought of that one, but it would have been too much effort for the day anyway), so I was at a loss. Until I remembered that old pub classic, and one particular skeptic to whom I still have something to prove.
I have a personal bone to pick about sticky toffee pudding: I need to prove to my older brother that a dessert made mostly of dates can be indulgent and delicious and completely unfruity. I tried to explain sticky toffee pudding to him last summer and he wouldn't listen to my description of the dish itself, just kept making that irritating 'blegh' face that only brothers can keep mastering to such an infuriating degree well into seeming adulthood. I swore up and down that I would make it for him someday and he would eat his words (and facial expression), along with half the pan. So when I was trying to think of a British dessert to bring to girls' night I decided this was a good opportunity to practice, ensuring that when I do eventually make sticky toffee pudding for my family in SF, their socks will be duly knocked off.
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
How to Tart up a Dinner Party: Easy Apple Tart
Pin It
I have a fantastic friend here in London who used to be my tutor and is now the source of most of my shocked belly laughs – he's crude and shameless and hilarious and I love being around him. So when he invited the BF and me to dinner at his house, of course we rearranged our schedules to make it work. I offered to make dessert, and my request for preferences was met with the line 'A tart sounds appropriate.'
Well, what could that be besides a challenge? (Okay, yes, it could be an insult, but it was written in a cheeky tone, not a mean one.) I immediately started going through my recipe bookmarks in search of the perfect tart – I wanted to make this super-easy showstopper, but of course we couldn't find raspberries anywhere in London in the dead of winter, so it had to be apple or pear. The tricky bit: as I had plans that day to go to the Taste of Christmas event, it had to be something I could make either very quickly or in advance. As it turned out, the recipe I used was a little bit of both.
I have a fantastic friend here in London who used to be my tutor and is now the source of most of my shocked belly laughs – he's crude and shameless and hilarious and I love being around him. So when he invited the BF and me to dinner at his house, of course we rearranged our schedules to make it work. I offered to make dessert, and my request for preferences was met with the line 'A tart sounds appropriate.'
Well, what could that be besides a challenge? (Okay, yes, it could be an insult, but it was written in a cheeky tone, not a mean one.) I immediately started going through my recipe bookmarks in search of the perfect tart – I wanted to make this super-easy showstopper, but of course we couldn't find raspberries anywhere in London in the dead of winter, so it had to be apple or pear. The tricky bit: as I had plans that day to go to the Taste of Christmas event, it had to be something I could make either very quickly or in advance. As it turned out, the recipe I used was a little bit of both.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Beauty Comes from Within: Sexy-Ugly Hedgehog Cookies
Pin It
One of the BF's favorite kind of cookies is oatmeal chocolate chip, for which he'll hardly get a raised eyebrow from me: the toothsomeness of an oatmeal cookies with the sweetness of chocolate? Obviously. I myself am a fan of the good old oatmeal raisin as well, but the more people I poll, the more I feel like this cookie has unfairly fallen out of favor. Alas, poor oatmeal raisin... well, more for me!
Anyway, when I went to visit the BF in Boston a few weekends ago, I planned on bringing him some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but for some reason (I guess because, really, I wanted to eat them), I went with my gram's chocolate chip shortbread cookies instead. He was never any the wiser, and those cookies are the bomb, so I didn't feel too guilty. I did, however, find myself craving them the following week (I suppose the idea had planted and refused to let go!), and as I was going to have some girlfriends over for dinner – and needed to make some cookies to mail to a friend for his birthday – I had an excuse to make them.
One of the BF's favorite kind of cookies is oatmeal chocolate chip, for which he'll hardly get a raised eyebrow from me: the toothsomeness of an oatmeal cookies with the sweetness of chocolate? Obviously. I myself am a fan of the good old oatmeal raisin as well, but the more people I poll, the more I feel like this cookie has unfairly fallen out of favor. Alas, poor oatmeal raisin... well, more for me!
Anyway, when I went to visit the BF in Boston a few weekends ago, I planned on bringing him some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but for some reason (I guess because, really, I wanted to eat them), I went with my gram's chocolate chip shortbread cookies instead. He was never any the wiser, and those cookies are the bomb, so I didn't feel too guilty. I did, however, find myself craving them the following week (I suppose the idea had planted and refused to let go!), and as I was going to have some girlfriends over for dinner – and needed to make some cookies to mail to a friend for his birthday – I had an excuse to make them.
Monday, 29 October 2012
Work/Life Balance and Lemon Sugar Cookies
Pin It
Life has been manic lately. I know every third post for the last two years has probably started that way, but this time it's really true (or maybe life just gets more and more manic as we get older, and manic takes on a whole new meaning every year?? Oh god, I hope not...). Anyway, work has gotten increasingly more intense, and as of next week I'm going to be working in the office every day (as opposed to my current schedule of half-in, half-out), and things with the book are heating up too – the relevance of all these facts to you lovely sweet-toothed readers is that posting may be a bit sparse in the coming months. I'll definitely do my best, as this little corner of the internets is one of my favorite places to spend that in-between time (not quite free, as in time to stuff my face and watch Downton Abbey, but not quite work, as in bust my butt and get paid a little bit for it), but these days I have little time to bake, and even littler daytime to photograph.
Nonetheless, we all know I'm not going to stop baking altogether, and between my usual stress-baking tendencies and the fact that we're doing our own Thanksgiving over here this year, there should still be plenty of fodder for posts. But you may have to forgive me if I'm not super creative; when I'm stressed and pressed for time, all I want to do is throw together something I'm pretty sure will taste good.
And that was the plan with these cookies. Lemon + sugar + butter = obvious choice.
Life has been manic lately. I know every third post for the last two years has probably started that way, but this time it's really true (or maybe life just gets more and more manic as we get older, and manic takes on a whole new meaning every year?? Oh god, I hope not...). Anyway, work has gotten increasingly more intense, and as of next week I'm going to be working in the office every day (as opposed to my current schedule of half-in, half-out), and things with the book are heating up too – the relevance of all these facts to you lovely sweet-toothed readers is that posting may be a bit sparse in the coming months. I'll definitely do my best, as this little corner of the internets is one of my favorite places to spend that in-between time (not quite free, as in time to stuff my face and watch Downton Abbey, but not quite work, as in bust my butt and get paid a little bit for it), but these days I have little time to bake, and even littler daytime to photograph.
Nonetheless, we all know I'm not going to stop baking altogether, and between my usual stress-baking tendencies and the fact that we're doing our own Thanksgiving over here this year, there should still be plenty of fodder for posts. But you may have to forgive me if I'm not super creative; when I'm stressed and pressed for time, all I want to do is throw together something I'm pretty sure will taste good.
And that was the plan with these cookies. Lemon + sugar + butter = obvious choice.
Monday, 15 October 2012
Falling into Nostalgia Again: Apple Spice Cookies
Pin It
One of the times I miss the US most is the first week of fall, when that first bite hits the air in the mornings and people start pulling out scarves and boots from the backs of their closets and the leaves haven't quite turned yet but you can tell they will be soon. This time of year always brings the nostalgia pretty hard, and usually I cope with it by taking long walks in the park with the BF, stopping for coffee and a snuggle, and, of course, baking.
This year, the BF just happens to be abroad – back in the States, actually – for a sort of med-student study-abroad program. I've been handling the separation pretty well, due mostly to being run off my feet with work, book stuff, and general back-from-vacation admin, but when the leaves started turning I did start to pine a bit (no pun intended). Still, I was determined not to mope (or eat my feelings any more than I'm already wont to do); I may not be able to take long, chilly walks with my guy, but I can still bake, dang it!
One of the times I miss the US most is the first week of fall, when that first bite hits the air in the mornings and people start pulling out scarves and boots from the backs of their closets and the leaves haven't quite turned yet but you can tell they will be soon. This time of year always brings the nostalgia pretty hard, and usually I cope with it by taking long walks in the park with the BF, stopping for coffee and a snuggle, and, of course, baking.
This year, the BF just happens to be abroad – back in the States, actually – for a sort of med-student study-abroad program. I've been handling the separation pretty well, due mostly to being run off my feet with work, book stuff, and general back-from-vacation admin, but when the leaves started turning I did start to pine a bit (no pun intended). Still, I was determined not to mope (or eat my feelings any more than I'm already wont to do); I may not be able to take long, chilly walks with my guy, but I can still bake, dang it!
Saturday, 8 September 2012
A Tart and Tasty Birthday Treat: Lemon Cream Cupcakes
Pin It
It was my mom's birthday a couple of weeks ago, and since I was in town for it for once (had you guessed that the past 6 weeks of radio silence had something to do with me reveling in the delights of the Great Bay Area?), I wanted to make her a little treat. Of course, my mom being the healthy lady that she is, I knew nothing rich or heavy would be up her alley, which made for a slightly tricky situation when, without thinking, I suggested that my nephew and I should make and decorate cupcakes together... My mom is so not into buttercream, or cake, really – she prefers fruit tarts and crisps and maybe the odd cookie (just one).
Still, I figured there was one way I could still have bonding time with my nephew (who's nearly 7, and a boy, and not so into grown-up baking like tarts) and serve my mom a dessert for her birthday that she'd actually enjoy: when in doubt, make it citrus. My mom, like me, loves anything lemon. And when I found a recipe, it came with an accompanying recipe for a whipped-cream-based frosting, which I figured would be much lighter than a buttercream, not to mention easier.
It was my mom's birthday a couple of weeks ago, and since I was in town for it for once (had you guessed that the past 6 weeks of radio silence had something to do with me reveling in the delights of the Great Bay Area?), I wanted to make her a little treat. Of course, my mom being the healthy lady that she is, I knew nothing rich or heavy would be up her alley, which made for a slightly tricky situation when, without thinking, I suggested that my nephew and I should make and decorate cupcakes together... My mom is so not into buttercream, or cake, really – she prefers fruit tarts and crisps and maybe the odd cookie (just one).
Still, I figured there was one way I could still have bonding time with my nephew (who's nearly 7, and a boy, and not so into grown-up baking like tarts) and serve my mom a dessert for her birthday that she'd actually enjoy: when in doubt, make it citrus. My mom, like me, loves anything lemon. And when I found a recipe, it came with an accompanying recipe for a whipped-cream-based frosting, which I figured would be much lighter than a buttercream, not to mention easier.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Easy Friendships and Easier Dessert: Pistachio and Blueberry Biscotti
Pin It
I have a great girlfriend in London who is that wonderful combination of nice (without being too nice), hilarious (without being too catty), and understanding (without letting me get away with too much moaning), and best of all, she gets along famously with the BF. Instead of glazing over the way I do when he talks about medicine too much or tells a story for a little too long, she is always rapt and encouraging – is it any wonder he loves her almost as much as I do?
Given how awesome this friend of mine is, of course she has a standing invitation to our flat for dinner, and when she moved a mere 20 minute walk down the road the invitation was reiterated with even more vehemence. Now, unfortunately, she's a very busy gal, so we don't have her over as much as we'd like, but she does come round relatively often, and when she does I always make sure we finish the meal with something sweet and satisfying, and preferably something that packs well so I can send her home with a doggie bag.
I have a great girlfriend in London who is that wonderful combination of nice (without being too nice), hilarious (without being too catty), and understanding (without letting me get away with too much moaning), and best of all, she gets along famously with the BF. Instead of glazing over the way I do when he talks about medicine too much or tells a story for a little too long, she is always rapt and encouraging – is it any wonder he loves her almost as much as I do?
Given how awesome this friend of mine is, of course she has a standing invitation to our flat for dinner, and when she moved a mere 20 minute walk down the road the invitation was reiterated with even more vehemence. Now, unfortunately, she's a very busy gal, so we don't have her over as much as we'd like, but she does come round relatively often, and when she does I always make sure we finish the meal with something sweet and satisfying, and preferably something that packs well so I can send her home with a doggie bag.
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Impressively Easy Entertaining: Raspberry Crumble Tart
Pin It
A few weeks ago, the BF had a bunch of his med school friends over for dinner. All together, we made 8, which was a larger party than we'd done before and a bit of a stretch for our dishes (we have all sets of 6), and I'd never met most of these people, so I was a bit nervous. But we planned way in advance, ordering wines online and choosing side dishes from one of our favorite dinner party cookbooks (I have photos, and will try to post a couple of our fave recipes soon), and I spent days trying to decide what to bake for dessert.
Should I make something dependable, like cookies, or something more impressive, like a pie? Something American, to show my British guests what we have to offer, or something English, to prove my loyalty, or something neutral? Pumpkin pie? Snickerdoodle blondies? Carrot cake?
A few weeks ago, the BF had a bunch of his med school friends over for dinner. All together, we made 8, which was a larger party than we'd done before and a bit of a stretch for our dishes (we have all sets of 6), and I'd never met most of these people, so I was a bit nervous. But we planned way in advance, ordering wines online and choosing side dishes from one of our favorite dinner party cookbooks (I have photos, and will try to post a couple of our fave recipes soon), and I spent days trying to decide what to bake for dessert.
Should I make something dependable, like cookies, or something more impressive, like a pie? Something American, to show my British guests what we have to offer, or something English, to prove my loyalty, or something neutral? Pumpkin pie? Snickerdoodle blondies? Carrot cake?
Sunday, 17 June 2012
On Compromise: Budgeting and Backup Banana Bread
Pin It
Life has been a wee bit stressful lately. I picked up more work and was finally able to break away (hey, better late than never!) from the financial help my parents were giving me when I was in school, but it wasn't until I got my first amended paycheck, post-tax-gouge, that I realized just how much of a cut my monthly budget had taken. I have to admit, it knocked the wind out of me, and it's taken me a good month or so to begin to think I'm capable of managing.
But I am capable, and I will manage, and it feels so good being completely responsible for my own finances, and completely independent, that I don't think I could go back, even if my parents had a windfall and suddenly wanted to throw money at me like there was no tomorrow. I love the sense of pride I get from earning my own keep, and if the trade-off for that is a much tighter budget and a restricted social life, so be it. Everybody makes sacrifices and compromises in this world, and as long as I can afford to stay in my lovely flat and spend time with my lovely boyfriend and bake delicious comfort foods, then I'm doing pretty well I think.
Life has been a wee bit stressful lately. I picked up more work and was finally able to break away (hey, better late than never!) from the financial help my parents were giving me when I was in school, but it wasn't until I got my first amended paycheck, post-tax-gouge, that I realized just how much of a cut my monthly budget had taken. I have to admit, it knocked the wind out of me, and it's taken me a good month or so to begin to think I'm capable of managing.
But I am capable, and I will manage, and it feels so good being completely responsible for my own finances, and completely independent, that I don't think I could go back, even if my parents had a windfall and suddenly wanted to throw money at me like there was no tomorrow. I love the sense of pride I get from earning my own keep, and if the trade-off for that is a much tighter budget and a restricted social life, so be it. Everybody makes sacrifices and compromises in this world, and as long as I can afford to stay in my lovely flat and spend time with my lovely boyfriend and bake delicious comfort foods, then I'm doing pretty well I think.
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Going Native: Lemon Drizzle Cake
Pin It
There are some very American things I will never give up, no matter how long I live in England – peanut butter, Trader Joe's chocolate, and Peet's coffee, among others – but recently I've been forced to admit that, despite my best efforts, some English traditions have gotten under my skin. For example, the BF and I spent the Jubilee weekend in Devon with his family, and after a long, cold, rainy wander through one of the nearby towns (gotta love that British summer), I crouched through the door of the little thatched cottage where we were staying and headed straight for the kettle, mumbling incoherently about how badly I needed a cup of tea. Then, this morning, the BF made coffee in our stovetop espresso pot and I had one cup, relishing the flavor of Bay Area-roasted beans, and then made another cup of tea. Yup, I'm totally addicted to a good old English brew.
I also use words like 'bin', 'lift', and 'post', and never ask where the bathroom is in a restaurant anymore, preferring the colloquial 'loo' (less graphic somehow than asking for the toilet!). But if there's one area of life in which I staunchly support America's superiority, it's the kitchen. Not that I can't appreciate a good Sunday roast or a nice slice of banoffi pie, but given the choice I'd always rather stick with a US favorite, like lasagne or pumpkin pie or brownies or banana bread... the list goes on.
There are some very American things I will never give up, no matter how long I live in England – peanut butter, Trader Joe's chocolate, and Peet's coffee, among others – but recently I've been forced to admit that, despite my best efforts, some English traditions have gotten under my skin. For example, the BF and I spent the Jubilee weekend in Devon with his family, and after a long, cold, rainy wander through one of the nearby towns (gotta love that British summer), I crouched through the door of the little thatched cottage where we were staying and headed straight for the kettle, mumbling incoherently about how badly I needed a cup of tea. Then, this morning, the BF made coffee in our stovetop espresso pot and I had one cup, relishing the flavor of Bay Area-roasted beans, and then made another cup of tea. Yup, I'm totally addicted to a good old English brew.
I also use words like 'bin', 'lift', and 'post', and never ask where the bathroom is in a restaurant anymore, preferring the colloquial 'loo' (less graphic somehow than asking for the toilet!). But if there's one area of life in which I staunchly support America's superiority, it's the kitchen. Not that I can't appreciate a good Sunday roast or a nice slice of banoffi pie, but given the choice I'd always rather stick with a US favorite, like lasagne or pumpkin pie or brownies or banana bread... the list goes on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)