I try not to be a picky eater. Even though my mother often admits to being choosy about her food and my father has rebelled against casserole donations from well meaning acquaintances, they enforced a fairly firm food code during my childhood. This included the “try at least one bite” policy and the “dinner is […]
When I picked out my ‘recipe’ from this week’s book, I didn’t expect it to be such a roadblock. I mean, I was on a roll, getting my cooking done every week, snapping a multitude of (poorly lit, unfocused) pictures with my phone as I went in an attempt to track the evolution of the […]
I love cakes, particularly grand layer cakes that can be cut open to reveal strata of frosting and fillings. I’m always a bit disappointed in anyone who doesn’t want a birthday cake, claiming a preference for ice cream cakes, or pies, or some other alternative dessert. (Apologies to all my family members who fit in […]
I skipped ahead by an assignment last week, but it wasn’t really my fault. I blame the grocery store butcher who was trying to sell a 5 pound piece of 7-bone chuck steak in our small town and eventually had to mark it down to less than $2/pound. I had already picked my recipes for […]
Have you ever followed etymological click bait and read detailed paragraphs about the invisible differences between American and British usage of what is apparently the same word? I’m referring to things like ‘boot’, ‘bonnet’, ‘jumper’, and ‘biscuit.’ Every once in a while I’ll have a moment of epiphany when I track down another difference and […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]