Kelly at Eat Make Read has a real treat in store with these beauties—which I have to assume taste like a little bite sized blueberry pie. Which sounds like heaven since blueberries are one of my absolute favorite things in summer (where I am from in NJ is very close to the Blueberry Capital of the World, just saying). Find a pint or two and bake up a batch.
Click here for the recipe.
[Image: Eat Make Read]
I’m heading out West in a few days for a backpacking trip and I went straight to our April/May issue to make a batch of bars to take on the trail. I love this recipe because it’s endlessly customizable, which means that I could add ingredients I like and tweak the ratios a bit according to my tastes. In general, these bars are made of dried fruit, nuts and seeds, cereal (oats and a puffed cereal), chocolate, brown rice syrup and nut butter. They are a bit messy to make, but in the good lick-it-off-of-your-fingers kind of a way. Click here to see the original recipe from Louisa of Lucid Food to make a batch of your own; Click here to see what I did for my batch shown above.
I was given an ice cream maker a few months ago as a house warming present and I am so thankful (to my mom) since it has brought me scoops of joy and pleasure. Over the weekend I tweaked the Strawberry Cinnamon Frozen Yogurt recipe from the current issue to make a Blackberry Chocolate Chip version. I kept everything the same but swapped in the blackberries for strawberries, left out the cinnamon, decreased the sugar to 1 cup and stirred in about a half cup of sliced up chocolate chips. It had the tang of Pinkberry from the Greek Yogurt base and the berry-chocolate combo of Cherry Garcia. Total win!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink Recipes has convinced me that I need to try cheese straws (a crunchy snack I’ve never been brave enough to try since I’ve only ever seen them come out of a package) the next time I host a party. Here’s why:
(1) One handed: check. In fact, you really only need two fingers—a thumb and an index finger, pinched together. (2) Pretty: why I should say so! Standing on end in a variety of drinking glasses—a juice glass, a tumbler, a stemless flute, and the list goes on—you’ve got a spiky bouquet that catches the eye. (3) Delicious: oh, yes. I hope I’m not doing these straws a disservice by likening them to Cheese-Its (or is it Cheez-Its?), but I can’t help myself. They’re so much more honest though: all that’s going on here is flour, butter, salt, milk, cheddar (the sharper the better) and a healthy pinch of cayenne. Simply put, they hit all the right notes: savory, salty, rich and spicy. They’ve got a delicate crunch and you can’t help but reach for another.
I can almost imagine reaching for one of these with a cold beer or glass of wine in the other hand…
[Image via The Kitchen Sink Recipes]
If you read food blogs (or the NY Times) you have very likely heard of Kim Boyce’s book, Good to the Grain. I have been seriously coveting a copy because everything I have read about the recipes (especially Tim’s post about the Rhubarb Hibiscus Tart over on Lottie + Doof and his review of the book on Feast) has been overwhelmingly positive. And yesterday, when I got to my desk in the morning, there was one of her Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies waiting for me on my desk, thoughtfully baked and gifted by a friend of mine.
Since I ate the cookie rather quickly (Hint: if you are struggling to get excited on a Monday morning, eating one of these cookies will help you kick your rear into gear), I found the above image from Megan at So Good and Tasty to share with you. Megan also helpfully has the recipe for the cookies posted and her words about it being nutty and a little more noticeably salty are spot on. What I loved best about this cookie was the both the caramelized flavor and the slightly chewy but not crumbly texture. Definitely going to make a batch of these myself soon!
[Image via So Good and Tasty]
I was on a bit of a baking kick over the weekend and I baked up this beauty on Friday evening as a sweet celebration of the long weekend to come. If you’ve never made a free form tart, I swear to you that it’s worth it—for a tiny amount of energy and effort, you can have something that taste like pie, but takes a fraction of the time. Especially if you use a high quality store bought pie crust (I use one that’s somewhat local, is made is whole ingredients and comes frozen in discs that just need to be thawed before rolling out.) The only ingredients are pie crust, a bit of butter and fruit and I plan to make as many versions as I can this summer, using up all of the delicious fruit I can—including peaches, plums and blueberries.
Click here for the full recipe.
As much as I like a good beef burger, I really love a good veggie burger and I’ve always wanted to try making them at home. This black bean version (which features cilantro, cayenne and yogurt, among other flavorful ingredients) from Kristin at The Kitchen Sink (recipe originally from Gourmet) looks like a great one to attempt! Love the thought of a spicy burger with avocado and salsa…which will also have cheddar cheese if I make it.
P.S. I realize that this is my second burger post of the week. Apparently, I am in need of some quality time with my grill.
[Image via Kristin at The Kitchen Sink]
Last weekend, after contemplating heading out to breakfast and then deciding to stay in my pjs, I made my pantry work for me in these delicious pancakes. I like to make my pancakes as whole grain as I can, and I like them to be full of stuff—fruit, nuts, what have you—so in went the last bit of a bag of pecans, 2 apples that had been languishing in the fridge (grated, with the juice squeezed out so they weren’t too wet; tasty Fuji juice savored down while I cooked) and the end of a canister of oats. I topped them with goat cheese and used up the last of my supply of maple syrup, which resulted in a delicious experiment with the leftovers topped with peanut butter and apple butter the following day. They set up really well and saved me about $24 that I would have spent on breakfast (for two) at the diner. Definitely going to be making them again—and challenging myself to make meals from what’s in the house even when it seems like it’s time to go to the grocery store.
Apple Oat Pancakes
adapted from this recipe from Mark Bittman
Time: 20 minutes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
2 cups milk
2 apples, grated and squeezed lightly (so the batter doesn’t get too wet)
1/2 c pecans (or walnuts)
Unmelted butter for cooking, or use neutral oil.
1. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into milk, then add the vanilla. Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; don’t worry about a few lumps. Add the apples and the nuts. If batter seems thick, add a little more milk.
2. Place a teaspoon or 2 of butter or oil on griddle or skillet. When butter foam subsides or oil shimmers, ladle batter onto griddle or skillet, making pancakes of any size you like. Adjust heat as necessary; usually, first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, after 2 to 4 minutes.
3. Cook until second side is lightly browned. Serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degree oven for up to 15 minutes.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
The Des Moines farmers market starts tomorrow for the season and I am itching to get my hands on some rhubarb so that I can make these Rhubarb Hand Pies with Orange and Cardamom from over on So Good and Tasty. And I think I’m going to have to serve them on pretty china just so I can recreate this image for myself.
Image via So Good and Tasty; Click here for the recipe.
What happens when a baker from King Arthur Flour combines a recipe for semolina no-knead bread with one for three cheese semolina bread? This delectable, cheesy loaf that would be a perfect stand alone meal—because I have a feeling it’s that good—though maybe add a side salad and some wine for good measure… It features parmesan, asiago and provolone, along with semolina flour, and is baked in the form of a long loaf. Yum!
You should because it’s spring and they—along with their lemon cream cheese icing—will give your mouth a heaping dose of sunshine. At least that is what I imagine after reading Kelly’s post over at Eat Make Read (which she made after reading this one on the Kitchn). I’m hosting my parents for Easter next weekend and while we’ll surely have Ricotta Pie, as we’ve done forever and always and which I’ll explain after I make it, this seems like it might be a lovely addition to breakfast or brunch. Happy baking!
Sure, the stuff that come out of a squeeze bottle is crazy convenient, but the thought of having chocolate sauce laced with caramel is a pretty convincing reason to whip this up at home. (Imagine the banana split you could have!) This delicious looking image is from Under the High Chair, where you will also find the recipe.
I’ve never made my own fudge, but I’ve seen a few posts lately proclaiming how easy it is. Here are the ones that have looked the most appealing, which involve some of my favorite flavors—nice extra motivation!
Coconut Milk Fudge (pictured above) from Smitten Kitchen. I love coconut milk in nearly anything, so I’m betting I’d love this.
Really Easy Chocolate Fudge with Toasted Walnuts from Everybody Likes Sandwiches. Straightforward and simple, this looks like a great basic to try.
Cookies and Cream Fudge from Nestle Tollhouse. I admit to having a soft spot for cookies and cream ice cream, so while I suspect this one might be too sweet for me, I am curious.
Peanut Butter Fudge from Chow. Peanut butter and chocolate, need I say more?
I think these photos are reason enough to consider giving it a shot. Above are Lemon Pistachio Donuts from the January 2009 issue of RM.
Glazed donuts from Flour on her Nose.
Oh My Chocolate Donuts from Priscilla Bakes
Apple Cider Donuts from the Smitten Kitchen.
Jelly Donuts from Baking and Books.
I’ve made cashew cheese before (man that sounds gross, but it’s pretty tasty, I promise) but I’ve never tried making my own almond milk. I’ve recently replaced soy with almond in the milk department and I’m curious as to how different a homemade batch might taste. Has anyone tried and had success with this?
Find the recipe over at So Good and Tasty
Alexa Fornoff is the assistant editor of ReadyMade, and she blogs here about art and happenings. She enjoys reading—a lot—and is currently making her way through the Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions. When her nose isn't buried between pages, she likes to eat good food and drink good drinks.
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Amy Palanjian is originally from a mile-wide town in south Jersey. When she's not creating color-coded spreadsheets, watching out for excessive garnish on food shoots and keeping the ship afloat as ReadyMade's deputy editor in Des Moines, she quilts, bakes granola and blogs about people who make things at her appropriately titled blog, Things We Make. She blogs daily about food.
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Katherine Sharpe is the online editor of ReadyMade. She lives in Brooklyn, where she mostly makes food and to-do lists, but she's interested in bigger, headier creations: think Buckminster Fuller-esque architectural utopianism. She blogs daily or almost-daily about furniture, design, buildings, awesome jobs, and books.
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Andrew Wagner, ReadyMade's editor-in-chief, has long been driven by his curiosity about how people and places mutually affect one another. After founding Dodge City Journal, and helping to found Limn and Dwell, he saw American Craft through a major redesign. His interests include architecture, design, art, music, baseball, and the ineffable yogurt/granola combination. He tries his best to post on Tuesdays about architecture, design, and cities.
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