Bawlmerese for Enjoy Your Meal
In the world before Facebook, Anne was one of the few people from my days as an awkward adolescent that I kept in contact with. She introduced me to Jane’s Addiction and Kudos Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and I introduced her to driving a stick shift. I’d say that was a pretty even exchange. Here’s her food memory, which shows that not all our food memories are old and dusty sitting on a shelf in the back of our minds. Continue reading “Food Memories – Anne’s Birthday Butter Cake”
The following originally appeared on 5/28/08 at Exit 51
Win Some, Lose Some
Try as I might, not everything that goes on in my kitchen can be considered successful. And I can’t figure out where I go wrong. Am I missing some critical gene in my DNA to produce flawless results every time I put my apron on? Or do I just get ahead of myself and miss steps along the way?
Take this past weekend for example. On Friday we had a lovely dinner of Tenderloin with Chocolate Wine Sauce, Roasted Asparagus, and Mushroom Risotto. Not one bad dish in the group. And very few leftovers…only a few slices of beef which quickly got polished off as lunch the next day. It truly is one impressive dinner. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Win Some, Lose Some”
Don’t you just want to reach out and grab one of those cookies up there? I really wish you could because they are freaking fantabulous. Chocolaty, but not overly sweet, with a nice hit of spicy heat. In a moment of either sheer genius or outright madness, I dug into the spice cabinet and pulled out a secret weapon to really turn up the heat because I’m a sweet/spicy freak. How else would you explain that I used a Chili Spice Rub in cookie dough? Continue reading “Chocolate Double Spice Cookies”
The following originally appeared on 5/13/08 at Exit 51
David Lebovitz Trifecta
I thought I would round out my homage to DL with his take on Frozen Yogurt which just so happens to be the only project which fit into my busy weekend. Unlike ice cream, frozen yogurt doesn’t need a cooked base. No fiddling or fussing necessary. Just find some lovely berries, sugar them up a bit, go do something else for two hours, mix in plain yogurt*, process, chill, and churn. This recipe could not be simpler. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – David Lebovitz Trifecta”
The following originally appeared on 5/8/08 at Exit 51
Ice Cream Man
Spring will soon give way to summer and nothing says summer quite like ice cream. I’m continuing my David Lebovitz thread with a modified version of his recipe for Coffee Ice Cream. Feel free to use whole milk instead of half and half. Either way, be prepared for some mind blowing, brain freezing, good ice cream. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Ice Cream Man”
Cooking can be a metaphor for so many different aspects of life – success, failure, love, loss, just to name a few. Today I’d like to consider cooking as a metaphor for friendship. I’ve been “friending” longer than I’ve been cooking. And by “friending”, I don’t mean the passive Facebook friendships where you amass a posse of people, your virtual friends, who you may or may not interact with in the real world. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to have been “friended” by people I’ve known for ages and managed to lose touch with over the years. But to me, reading a status update about somebody’s Farkle score or latest additions to Farmville doesn’t feel like a true friendship. Continue reading “Thank You For Being A Friend”
The following originally appeared on 5/7/08 at Exit 51
Where I’ve Been
Silly me. I thought that after Scotland and once SFC was home I’d have all kinds of time right off the bat to sit down and share stories. That so has not happened.
I’ve only just today put the finishing touches on my Scotland pictures. As much as I think Flickr and Picnik are my new bff’s, they are needy and take a lot of time. So I think we need a break from each other for a while. But I don’t want them to feel unloved so please do mosey on over to Flickr and check out the pictures. There’s a direct link in the sidebar or you can use this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmf1852 Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Where I’ve Been”
Jamie Oliver Is Not My Boyfriend, according to Melanie, who runs the site. She says, “I have a little bit of an unhealthy obsession with Jamie Oliver. Namely his accent, his easy-peasy recipes and the fact that he is pretty darned cute to look at. But don’t let that fool you…Jamie Oliver is Not My Boyfriend. In fact, I don’t even know Jamie aside from his books and specials! But let me preface this blog by saying that if Jamie Oliver WAS my boyfriend, well, I wouldn’t have to do any of the cooking..but I’d bake for him instead and look cute in an apron.”
How can you not love this woman? Especially when she pairs up Lemon Cookies and Led Zeppelin? And when she’s not expressing her inner foodie, Melanie is talking about this, that, and the other thing over at Feminine Wiles & Urban Survival 101. Lord, she’s a busy woman. Fortunately, when I asked if she would be interested in participating in the Food Memories project, she didn’t hesitate to say yes. Because she has the most beautiful example of how we weave people, places, and food into the landscape of our memories. Here, I’ll let her tell you about it. Continue reading “Food Memories – Uncle Lorne’s Buckeyes”
My photo mojo has been disappointing me lately. Fortunately, my cooking mojo seems to be getting back into a groove. Don’t be fooled by the wonky focus and general boringness of that picture. What you see is a delightful, versatile cake, perfect any time of the year. It’s gently sweet with a light, airy crumb. Continue reading “Upside Down”
Tracy at Amuse Bouche for Two introduced The Mistah and I to these Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. I think you ought to make their acquaintance as well. The Mistah said, “I’ve had peanut butter cookies before and these are GOOD. Rich, but not too rich. That’s it. I’m a man of few words.” Yeah, especially when he’s got a cookie in his mouth. Thirty minutes, a short list of ingredients, and you’ll understand what all the fuss is about.
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two sheet pans with parchment.
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until completely combined.
Using a small ice cream scoop, place six, 1 tablespoon portions of dough, spaced approximately 2 inches apart, on a prepared pan. Use a fork to press each portion of dough down into a round.
Bake for approximately 12 minutes until the cookies puff slightly, the bottom and edges are set but the center is still soft to the touch. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Bon Appetit Hon by Wendi Mosteiko is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Bon Appetit Hon 