Buckle in for a crazy series of baking posts. The random number generator has selected three books in a row that have nearly no allowance for non-baked items. If I were really trying hard to find a cop out, I could make the silly things like honey butter, whipped cream, and freezer jam that many […]
Recipes
Cookbook Roulette #7 – Birthday Comestibles
This past weekend was my first ever chance to bake my husband a birthday cake. I did my research carefully, but the information I received, while readily produced and detailed, seemed incompatible with a single cake format. So I baked two. Which ended up being just about the right amount for the quantity of family […]
Cookbook Roulette #6 – Eggs Cooked Light and Fluffy
Have you ever watched a cooking show as if it were a team sport? At lot of network shows are too steeped in over-hyped drama and filler material for me to enjoy, but I wholeheartedly endorse the BBC’s Great British Bake Off. Twelve contestants spend their weekends performing three baking challenges in an outdoor tent, […]
Cookbook Roulette #5 – When Dinner Has Tentacles
I couldn’t settle on an exact recipe from this week’s cookbook before we set off on our trip over the hill and to the market for groceries. So I penciled a few notes onto the list and decided to see what was available before making any firm choices. Oxtail was intriguing, but the recipe was […]
Cookbook Roulette #4 – The Eclairs That Weren’t
Have you even gotten all ready for an event, only to show up and realize that you’re a week early? With the number of times I’ve managed it, you would think I’d start paying closer attention to dates. Last week’s inattention wasn’t as bad as the time I actually showed up on my future sister-in-law’s […]
Cookbook Roulette #3 – Proper Fish Pie
We spent the end of March in Scotland, enjoying our honeymoon, and when we weren’t tumbling around old castles and historical sites, we did a decent bit of shopping. I think we were both hoping to find some unique souvenirs to bring home. Unfortunately, either the objects in question weren’t particularly reminiscent of Scotland, or […]
Cookbook Roulette #2 – Cracking the Coconut
Did you know that the advised method for cracking a coconut involves safety glasses, a screwdriver, and a hammer? Neither did I, until I was browsing through the hilarious Basic Skills Challenge videos that Epicurious produces. It was one of their few challenges that had me paying attention to the very end, where they reveal […]
Cookbook Roulette #1 – Is Hot Fudge Ever Random?
I experienced a bit of a time crunch conundrum last week after writing my introduction post on Cookbook Roulette. We were due to head out of the house for our bi-weekly grocery shopping trip that evening and I still had a few odds and ends of work to tidy up, as well as the menu […]