I have prided myself on trying new recipes in this blog space. It’s as if it’s a better gamble or a more promising adventure if I have not made something before. We always have our eyes on the new, unnamed, undiscovered proposition. Sometimes, though, with recipes, you shouldn’t turn your […]
BOOKSHELF
Cookie of the Month: Prioritizing pumpkin for ‘brownies’
[D]espite my misgivings about all things pumpkin spice (which is mainly due to its too-earliness, if anything), I know that a little pumpkin — and its accompanying spice — can conjure up something delicious. Sometimes, on the way to one thing, another is discovered. This was the case for my […]
Cookie of the Month: Having more fun with blondies
[M]y idea of blondies (bar cookies, not actual blondes) was that they were simply chocolate chip cookie dough, spread into a pan and baked. Not necessarily so, as I discovered when I checked into recipes for them. Had I ever really made an actual blondie? I realized I had not. […]
Cookie of the Month: ‘Butting’ in for Easter cookies
[B]unny butts have weighed “heavily” on my mind for the last year or so. Having re-entered rabbit parenting after some time away from it (adopting a colorful, fluffy, lively fellow named Zydeco), I’ve become more aware of the popularity of rabbits from their humans who post about them on social […]
Bread of the Month: Staking a cornmeal claim for ‘Johnnycakes’
Armed with freshly ground cornmeal from a local historic grist mill (see previous blog entry), I pondered ways to use it. I loved a good cornbread, but I had made many pans in my day, so I was up for something different. One Sunday, I Iooked to something cozy and […]
Cookie of the Month: Milling around California history
Our lack of rain this winter had me nervous and twitchy. I wanted to inspire more precipitation and thought I might get some sort of magic from visiting a place where water was not only flowing, but a source of power and purpose. [I ]turned to the Bale Grist Mill […]
Bread of the Month: Mixing lemon, lavender, blueberries
Occasionally, I stumble across a recipe that reminds me of the versatility and homey comfort of muffins. I don’t make them a lot, and I should, particularly when I find an easy, flavorful version like the Lemony Yogurt Muffins from “Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple,” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; […]
Cookie of the Month: Going old-school oatmeal
Back in the day, the cookies — dropped from a teaspoon — were softer, rounder and, yes, smaller, and the world was good. I discovered this recently when I revisited a retro recipe for oatmeal cookies. [A] wee bit of ground cloves (along with a generous dose of cinnamon) gave […]
Cookie of the Month: Loading my cookie press
Of all the cookies I’ve wanted to make, Spritz have been on my list the longest. I studied photos and recipes for Spritz as a child…I emerged from childhood, and still I was un-spritzed (I believe we had a cookie press, but it went unused). Young adulthood came and went, […]
Bread of the Month: Putting parsnip in ‘Puddings’
Recently, thumbing through Donna Hay’s delightful book, “Christmas Feasts and Treats” (2018), a book I purchased a few years back and continue to peruse (whether it’s Christmas or not)… I really thought I wanted to make nearly everything in it. [T]he book is beautiful, so visually appealing in its offering […]