swoon-provoking Finesse may just be one of the most very important skills of a chef, home cook or baker…... I'm no stranger to sweet and salty. Let me just admit that perhaps nothing sends me off into a heady swoon more than a scant teaspoonful of this Welsh Heather Honey that I discovered at Fortnum and Mason a few Januarys ago. (if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I have written about it here before). To this day, just … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2016
Common Thread – The Indelible Pyschic Mark of Bakers and Bakeries
in the ICE kitchen; bread mod As we travel through our days and years we find there are common threads among us and, we attach ourselves to characters who share various loves and winsome urges to make things, be they simple or grand, the origins of which are written perhaps in the very DNA sent to us from some powerful, knowing energy and meant to urge us to express them onto the unsuspecting but appreciative landscape….... at … [Read more...]
Fruit, Nut, Veggie: Extra-Care Packages – Gluten-Free “Oh Happy Day” Muffins
I'm happy with this crumb! People often leave my house with goodie bags courtesy of my baking binges. I always feel badly when the treats aren't GF and there's someone in their house who's gluten-intolerant. They get short changed. Can you imagine someone walking in the door with a box of goodies only to find out you can't have any? So, today I made an extra-care package - these are for a friend whose son has celiac disease. I'm … [Read more...]
Like Snowflakes, No Two are Exactly Alike – The Incomparable Jewels that are Blood Oranges – Blood Orange Marmalade with Ginger and Thyme
This project is a feast for the eyes, nose and soul. While the weather outside does its crazy thing, I'm in the kitchen, stirring my cauldron of bubbling magic! I fully realize that sounds like I'm a bit of a witch of sorts. So, yes, while the brewing weather is doing its weird thing - I'm taking advantage. Well, you all know I've been occupying myself by playing around with my stash of Blood Oranges. There was a sale at Whole Foods … [Read more...]
Wicked! – (Wickedly-Intentional) Gluten-Free Hazelnut Waffles with Blood Orange Syrup
jpw - just plain wicked………. There are a few weeks each year when Mother Nature gets herself all in a tizzy. Judging by the weather forecasts I heard this morning and the number of inside-out umbrellas I saw in Manhattan yesterday in the early afternoon, I'm guessing she's begun this phase, albeit a bit earlier than normal. Tornadoes in the south, blizzards in the west and all sorts of havoc all 'round. Nothing sets my teeth on edge like … [Read more...]
Make Mine Temperate-mental – “Post” Cards from California
These "post" cards have arrived in the "mail" over the last few days. Remember Post Cards? When was the last time you wrote or received a bonafide, tactile postcard? Nowadays, you just have to expand your view on the genre. What is especially notable for me is that they are known to be from what is formally tagged as "the California blossom trail". Wouldn't it be great to live where they celebrate the blossom trail? 2/17/16 photo … [Read more...]
Sunny in the Kitchen with a Bowl of Blood Oranges – “Candied” Blood Orange and Ginger Scones
Sunday in the Park and Sunny in the Kitchen - these two thoughts and similar phraseology happily coalesce here on this bright sunny morning I'm betting there is hardly anyone out there who remembers Sunday in the Park with George. I can hardly believe it is a full 30+ years since this play opened on Broadway and subsequently won a Pulitzer and two Tony awards. I often think of this title as I could happily stroll in a number of parks … [Read more...]
Outsmarting Winter! My Roasted Beet and Blood Orange, Two-Cheese Caprese Salad Stacks with Toasted Hazelnuts
Beautiful Beet Greens and Sunshine are Inspiring You (I) may think we are in the bleak season, but I am inspired by the voice of my dear Mom today, telling me "Marianne, where there is a will, there's a way"………. If you are anything like me, you are about to expire from color-deprivation, such is my yearning for signs of plant life outside my door. Yes, I do walk along for one hour every day with my beloved Kit, camera in hand, and spy upon … [Read more...]
Bitter Cold Brings…….Ancient Grain-Chocolate Chip Cookies
found on my walk this morning-some poor little child lost it on their way to school brrrrr……….. Long gone are my hopes and dreams inaugurated back in December that ole El Nîno would indeed bless us with a lovely warm Winter, aka no snow and no heavy coats, no biting winds, no ear aches and sinus distress, and last but not least, no bad moods. I think I actually had my best December ever in 2015 - running around photographing flowers in NJ … [Read more...]
How to Sear a Chicken Breast – and Easiest Chicken Piccata
This post is written for my Facebook Page: Mom the Kitchen Coach; Basics in Cooking and Baking for My Millennials this browning effect is what's called a "sear". It is the first step in cooking many meat dishes, some seafood and some plant-based proteins as well. My kids most often want something that can be prepared fast and with a minimum of "intervention". They turn to boneless chicken breasts. You can too. It is easy and you can … [Read more...]