What do penicillin, post-it notes, and champagne have in common? According to legend, they were all invented by accident.
I debated whether or not to write about my sugar cookie experience, because it certainly fell under the category of “accident.” I goofed up the recipe… and in my opinion, ruined the cookies. But as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Continue reading 'Think all flours are created equal? Think again.'»
When I was a kid, I would go to our family Christmas party with two priorities in mind:
Priority #1: Put black olives on my fingers:
Priority #2: Make hilarious mashed potato sculptures. (Hey, at least I thought it was funny):
As a result, I missed a lot of great foods, including Seven Layer Salad. My grandma made it during the holidays, and everyone loved it. Except me. As a kid, I hated to eat foods that were touching on the plate, or mixed together. Needless to say, Seven Layer Salad was a capitol offense.
Continue reading 'Better late than never'»
Regardless of our religion, we all know The Christmas Song, and its famous opening line:
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”
But have you ever actually tried to roast chestnuts? I haven’t. In the spirit of Christmas, and trying new things, I decided that this would be my year to finally make roasted chestnuts.
Continue reading 'Chestnuts roasting… in an electric oven'»
Confession: I’ve been working ridiculously long hours lately. And sadly, it has affected my ability to obsessively decorate our home for Christmas. The garland and ornaments have sat, forlorn, in the back of our closet while I spend my evenings wading through a sea of flowcharts and spreadsheets.
I don’t want to say I’ve lost sleep over it… but only people of a certain disposition wake up in the middle of the night, thinking about Advent calendars.
Continue reading 'Your guide to Advent Calendars!'»
Coming soon, to a food blog near you. Cookie decorators whose work spans three Western Art Movements.
Using Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and Gel Frosting as their only tools, these visionary artists have changed the world of cookie decorating.
Holland Cotter of the New York Times calls it, “The yummiest collection of pumpkin art I’ve ever seen. ”
An exhibit so ground breaking that no art museum would dare to show it. I give you… The Dickerson-Read Pumpkin Collection.
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Expressionist:
Continue reading 'The Dickerson-Read Pumpkin Collection'»
Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to get a bunch of old recipes that belonged to my grandmothers. I remember their cooking fondly, so I couldn’t wait to read them. Each recipe was like a little treasure, full of handwritten notes and dog-eared pages.
So, you can imagine my dismay when I saw that almost every recipe called for Crisco, instead of butter. My heart sank, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like the moment I realized Santa Claus wasn’t real.
But it wasn’t their fault. In the early 1900’s, Crisco had America under it’s spell. American housewives had no idea that hydrogenated oil was bad. But in Proctor & Gamble’s defense… they had no idea, either.
Continue reading 'Crisco vs. Butter – which is the lesser evil?'»
We always knew that our friends David and Mel would eventually leave Chicago, and move back to Australia. But we secretly (and not-so-secretly) wished it would never happen, and they’d just live happily ever after in Chicago.
But all good things must come to an end, and this weekend, David and Mel got the greatest Going Away party ever – complete with Tim-Tams, Australian Flag cookies, and my new favorite vegetarian dish – Tabouli!
Making the Australian Flag cookies was difficult, but it was a labor of love. I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else except them. Check it out:
If you’re familiar with the Australian flag, you’ll notice that I accidentally left out one of the stars in the Southern Cross constellation. Whoops!
Continue reading 'He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich'»
The challenge: Create desserts for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower, that fit the theme of “Black and White.”
The real challenge: Create desserts that don’t cost a fortune, will feed 30 people, and survive the hour long drive to Lindenhurst without breaking. Or melting.
The results:
Chocolate Bark:
Bark is one of those desserts that only looks difficult. For all of you musicians out there, making chocolate bark is like playing a power chord on an electric guitar. It’s not difficult, but it looks so cool.
Continue reading 'The Ins and Outs of Black and White'»
Sometimes, chocolate just doesn’t like to behave. But, you can’t yell at it. You can’t make your chocolate stand in the corner, or give it a time out.
If you want your chocolate to behave, the only thing you can do is temper it.
Next weekend, I’m baking for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower, and the theme is black and white. I’ve always wanted to learn how to temper chocolate, and this is the perfect opportunity.
Continue reading 'Hey chocolate, watch your temper!'»
If I leave work on time, it usually takes me about 35 minutes to get home. In an effort to alleviate road rage, I usually let my mind wander as I weave my way through traffic. And last week, it wandered to focaccia.
As I was driving home last Thursday, I heard a commercial on the radio, advertising Panera’s new focaccia bread. “No way,” I thought to myself, “can Panera make real focaccia. They’ll probably put asiago cheese on it, just like they do with everything else.”
I criticized Panera in my head for several more blocks. But then I came to an embarrassing realization, that knocked me right off my high horse.
Not only have I not eaten real focaccaia in several years, but I haven’t the foggiest idea where to buy it. So who am I to criticize Panera?
The last time I ate focaccia with any regularity, I lived at home. My mom is Italian, and from an early age, I can remember her bringing home all kinds of Italian/Sicilian baked goods – the kinds of things you could never find at a big chain grocery store.
The thought plagued me for several days – where could I buy the kind of focaccia that I remember?
Continue reading 'Focaccia – turning my memory into reality'»
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