Homemade Cinnamon Bread I baked cinnamon bread last night. I thought of it. I wanted it. So I baked it. And then, this morning…I ate it! I didn’t want to be rude. Juicy rationalizations aside, there are few things yummier than homemade cinnamon bread. Like, ever. I left the raisins out, as I wanted to keep things simple. Let’s make bread, baby! Start with 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter. Heat the butter in a saucepan or pot with 1 cup of milk. I love using whole milk in baking. I draw strange links between things. Now, let the milk/butter mixture cool until it’s warmer than lukewarm but not overly warm. …And sprinkle it over the liquid. Active dry yeast is sold in either packets or jars; I usually go for the jars, because then I can measure whatever quantity I need. And who needs that added pressure? Now throw some sugar and eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. If it’s batter, I use the whisk attachment. Just a little rule of thumb. Add in half the flour and all the salt… Mmmm.
naked tomato sauce Every year at just about this time I renew my obsession with tomato sauce. It’s late August, after all, and just about anyone who has ever gardened or knows people who garden is drowning in tomatoes and I am here, with my virtual bucket, eager to help you out. Don’t be too fooled by my so-called benevolence, however, as it’s really a selfish endeavor; I find spaghetti with tomato sauce to be one of the universe’s perfect meals, so I’m hardly kicking and screaming my way to the kitchen the next time the whim for a new one strikes me. But I always think that the new one will be the one that closes the book on tomato sauce, that it will be done, that I will be able to move on and find new codes to crack in the kitchen knowing that I’ve locked in my tomato sauce nirvana. But the reason I’m back here today is because of what happened the day I shared that tomato sauce for you. Nothing. Naked Tomato Sauce Inspired by Scarpetta‘s Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil
peach shortbread Is there an unsaid rule that bar cookies have to be heavy and gooey? Two weeks ago, we picked up a cup of coffee on our way to the park so that the little monkey could continue his path of destruction outside our apartment, and I fell for something in the bakery case called peach shortbread, cut into bars. But instead of being thick and intense, it was delicate, light and barely sweet — a thin layer of shortbread, even thinner slices of peach and the faintest sprinkling of streusel on top. I knew I had to share it. And it wasn’t until I had jotted down “peach streusel bar” on my to-do list that I remembered a recipe for brown butter peach bars from that I found in a preview of The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook in The New York Times nearly three years ago, and have pined for since. (This recipe didn’t make it into the cookbook, but a rhubarb version — that looked almost as time-consuming and delicious — did.) Besides, the easiest fruit cookie bar on earth is already in these archives.
Chocolate Mug of Sadness | Some Kitchen Stories Chocolate Mug of Sadness... No story today. In this case, truth is stranger than fiction. I’m a little bit horrified by this thing. Which isn’t to say it’s not good. It is. There’s just something so… sad about chocolate cake for one. So, you know, ENJOY MAKING THIS RECIPE. Eclectic Recipes via Live Love Pasta (who did not have the same existential concerns. Chocolate Mug of Sadness Makes 1 large mug of sadness or 2 slightly less sad servings Ingredients 4 TBsp flour 4 TBsp sugar 1 egg 3 TBsp cocoa powder 3 TBsp Nutella 3 TBsp milk 3 TBsp vegetable oil Directions Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug (or 2). Whisk with fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1½– 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Download and print Chocolate Mug of Sadness recipe
Homemade Twix Bars Intro If you don’t want gaggles of children beating down your door on Halloween night then look no further. If you’d rather not be the most popular house on the block then continue on your Internet search. If you aren’t a fan of a cookie crust so tender it shatters in your mouth, or a creamy caramel – dark, intense and scattered with salt, or bittersweet chocolate blended with butter to create the perfect cap to this cookie, then you might need to get checked because I think something is very wrong. If you like the idea of all these things then you are in the right spot and you are here just in time as this is the perfect cookie for this candy-laden season. If you’ve been to Spago for lunch then perhaps you’ve had this dessert fancied up with a fleck of edible gold on the chocolate layer. I recommend serving them while they still have a slight chill from the fridge. Homemade Twix Bars adapted from Sherry Yard’s, “Desserts By The Yard” Shortbread 1/4 cup sugar 2 cups cake flour Caramel
Peanut Butter Pancakes My husband’s 23rd birthday was yesterday, but as he’s all grown up now, he still had to go into work. I figured that I’d brighten his morning a bit with two of his favorite things: peanut butter and pancakes. We woke up and while he showered and got ready for work, I whipped these up. Your ingredients. Whisk together your egg, milk, melted peanut butter, and vegetable oil. Gently whisk the wet ingredients into the combined flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar mixture. Melt some butter on your griddle over medium-low and when melted, use a paper towel to spread a thin layer of the butter around the surface (you don’t want any globs of butter). Drizzle with syrup and your favorite toppings and enjoy! Peanut Butter Pancakes 1 cup all-purpose flour1 tablespoon baking powder½ teaspoon kosher salt2 tablespoons granulated sugar1 egg1 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk, plus extra if needed to thin½ cup creamy peanut butter, melted2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 tablespoon butter
Sloppy Joes I used to be terrified of sloppy joes. It’s true. When I was a little girl, I got it in my head that sloppy joes were demons, and that if I ate them I’d become possessed and die. Okay, listen. I know that sounds crazy. I’ve since come to see the light. And Becky’s made her peace with Vogue magazine. We’ve both grown a lot in our faith. Here’s what you need. First, add the butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. When the meat is brown, drain out most of the fat. You wanna make your cardiologist happy? Next, cut a medium onion in half from root to tip. Then cut in the other direction to dice it. It’s been awhile since I showed you how to dice an onion. It was time. Now cut off the top and bottom of a green pepper or two (depending on the size.) Cut the halves into strips… Then cut up the strips to create a small dice. I’d probably quit within two days because by then I’d be really dang sick of bell peppers. But it would be the best two days of my life. And the garlic! No.
The Infamous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies Now, I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I swear by. I love it, I think it is incredible, and I haven’t changed my mind about that. However, as much as it pains me to say it, these chocolate chip cookies by Jacques Torres are absolutely, without a doubt, the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever made or tasted in my entire life. I guess that’s why they call him Mr. Either way, I made these and everyone that tried them went nuts. Edit: For more Jacques Torres deliciousness, check out my Jacques Torres Chocolate Mudslide Cookies! Your ingredients. Whisk together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat together the butter and sugars, until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture, very gradually, until just moistened. Fold in your chocolate. Milk is, in fact, an essential component to enjoying these amazing cookies. The Infamous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies