I am off to Washington, DC today to pick up my son, Ryan. Can't wait to see him. His exams were over last night at 9pm and he sounded exhausted. I think a little spoiling is in order. Before the week gets out of hand, I want to reflect on my year a little and to take a minute to acknowledge what was the best gift to me in 2012. Of course the health and well-being of my family and friends is always the uppermost in my mind, and when a year … [Read more...]
Ryan’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies – asked for by Aunt Cindy
Recipes for Chocolate Chip cookies often create controversy. Everyone has an opinion on which are the best. Some insist on flat cookies, some love soft centers, some love more loft and bulk - some love nuts - some don't. In my house, I love toasted pecans - always - but my kids don't want any nuts in these! My son Ryan, a man with a very particular palate, has had the opportunity to sample many varieties over the years. I had a request for … [Read more...]
Seven + Batches of Cookies; Measuring Flour – A Cup is a Cup is 4 oz is 8 oz?
My Kitchen Hearth on baking day Yesterday was a baking day at my house with my friend, Maria. We went to town- starting before 10am and continuing up to almost 9pm - and we didn't even finish. We made: Spritz Jumbles Orange Shortbread Russian Teacakes Cappuccino Kisses Francine's Hungarian Nut Cookies White/Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Squares Linzer Cookies - dough in fridge will post … [Read more...]
Irony and the Art of Recipe and Cookbook Collecting; My Limoncello Snowdrops
Limoncello Snowdrops - oops one's missing I have a problem with cookbooks. I think I inherited this from my Mom. She used to give me cookbooks beginning when I was in my teens and twenties. She usually signed and dated them and wrote a short little note inside the front cover. These books are some of my most treasured possessions now. Since I have gone to pastry school, I have become even more interested in the exploding sources of … [Read more...]
An Unexpected Gift from the Soil and Hurricane Sandy in December; Two Great Books for Holiday Baking
As I am sure you have realized by now, I obsess about some seemingly pretty inane things from time to time. Earlier in the Fall I was out snapping photos in the yard as the blooms were kind enough to hang around for a long time this year. I took some pictures of some of my amazing roses and was somewhat distressed about the fact that I could not remember or determine the name of the glorious variety thriving into late Autumn by the side door. … [Read more...]
Who Gets Better Treatment? – A Variation on Thomas Keller’s Plain Scones for Christin
Ok, so truth be told, I love having someone home to spoil with "something from the oven", and, I have all this pent up baking energy, so I tried out Thomas Keller's Plain Scone recipe from his absolutely gorgeous Bouchon Bakery cookbook. I didn't have any heavy cream or creme fraiche, so I improvised with the dairy and added some flavors and fruit. I am still working in the kitchen sans sink, dishwasher and countertops - but, what the … [Read more...]
Shout-out to Patty – Recipes for a Special Person, and Anyone Who Loves Perfectly Healthy Foods
Ok, transitioning from the prospect of making Christmas Sugarplum Syllabubby Mess (referenced in my earlier post today) to this can be highly suspect, but here goes: I came upon these two recipes the other day and immediately thought of my sister-in-law Patty and her husband John, who are on a macro-biotic diet. I am not sure if these technically qualify as macrobiotic, but I am sure she can tweak them to get there. Hope you like these, … [Read more...]
Making Sense out of Chaos and Three Yummy Recipes from Across the Pond
Due to a major lapse in judgement I have had no kitchen since Sunday when I packed up my cabinets into boxes. I can not for the life of me explain why I did this now and not in January, although the plan was for them to begin the Monday after Thanksgiving and therefore all of this would have been done by Wednesday. Be that as it may, I now find myself with major anxiety about the chaos and not being able to do my seasonal … [Read more...]
Waiting for Husband for Dinner – Getting into Trouble
It is nothing new that husbands don't arrive home when they say they are going to be there. I've been dealing with this for over 33 years. Tonight traffic coming from Long Island was the culprit. Sometimes I'm busy outside (not in these months), sometimes I read, sometimes I watch my favorite political talk shows and....sometimes I get into trouble in the kitchen - Like tonight. I made my Pollo Alla Potentina and expected dinner to be around … [Read more...]
Baking with Spice – Anise and A Word about Grandmothers
Genus Pimpinella anisum Ok, well, United Airlines delivered me back to the land of Winter weather and, well, no sense in fighting it. I nearly made a bargain to trade places with the lady at the National Car Rental office on Monday who said she was from NJ and wanted to come back (really?). After dusk, as we drove home from the airport, we saw so many houses decorated for Christmas and a pretty good number with their Christmas trees up … [Read more...]
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