All posts filed under: Baking

The Cure for the Holiday Hangover

Published by

It’s January.  Most of us are trying to eat better and work out more.  However, it’s generally cold in the mornings and we’re all feeling a little sluggish from the holidays. January may be the time of resolution keeping, but it is also the time of the Holiday Hangover.  For that, I like nothing more than a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning. My husband and I have been grinding coffee and brewing it up in our Italian espresso maker.  Add a touch of Splenda and some 2% steamed milk, we have the beginning of a productive day.  It’s our slice of morning heaven. However, do you know what makes it even better?  A little treat. That’s right – a treat.  An itty-bitty, something yummy is the perfect way to start the day – even if it isn’t on our diet.  That’s where the Coffee Cookie comes in! I drink alcohol from time to time, as you may have guessed from the title of my blog.  On one boozy night, I had …

Macarons – Those Temperamental Little B!+(#es

Published by

French macarons have been a long-time favorite dessert of mine.  I love the colors, flavors, and that slightly chewy, tender cookie with a fragile crust.  I heard they could be fussy, so I never tried to make them.  Instead, I left them to the French pastry experts. That is, until I caught a video on making macarons.  It looked so easy!  What could go wrong? Well, as it turns out, a lot of things. Let’s start with this:  If you read my blog or know me in person, you know I am very bad at sticking to the recipe.  I enjoy “cooking with love.”  In other words, I like throwing things together and making something yummy. The first time I made macarons, I followed the directions of the video I had watched.  These were very tasty, but the video left out a very important step: Sift, sift, sift.  Then sift again.  If in doubt, sift. As I said, the first macarons I created were delicious.  However, they were grainy.  They were completely the wrong texture.  …

Sweet and Savory – Olive Oil Cakes

Published by

Can I tell you, I’m a sucker for those video recipes on Facebook.  They snag me every time! I mean, they look amazing!  Am I right? That said, I’ve never tried one.  So, one in particular caught my attention, and I thought I would give it a try. Spoiler alert: the result was delicious! The recipe I decided to try is for chocolate dipped olive oil cakes.  This may not sound like the most appetizing thing on a menu. Before I ever tasted olive oil cake, it was not generally in my “go to” category for a dessert.  However, now that I know how succulent, flavorful and interesting an olive oil cake is, I will order it any time I see it. The first time I ever tried an olive oil cake was at the restaurant Osteria Mozza, in Los Angeles (now nominated for a 2016 James Beard award for best pastry chef). My foodie friend, Adrienne took me there for my birthday and suggested we order the olive oil cake for dessert. She has …

Winter Carbs – Part II

Published by

As I mentioned in my last post, there is something about winter that makes me crave carbs.  I tried my hand at bread, why not try pretzels? I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be walking through an airport or a mall and I will smell Auntie M’s Pretzels.  The scent is intoxicating.  It’s that beautiful combination of honeyed dough with butter and garlic.  It instantly makes my tummy rumble, and I need to have it. There is also something about a pretzel that’s special.  I’m not sure if it’s that hard layer on the outside, followed by tender chewiness on the inside or if it’s the slightly sweet, but savory flavor, or a combination of all of these things that make pretzels so yummy, but they just are. So, I browsed through a few recipes, and it didn’t seem so hard.  Like bread, the yeast gets prepped, then flour and the good stuff is added.  It takes some time to rise and then it gets shaped.  Unlike bread, pretzels get boiled before they …

Winter Carbs

Published by

This LA Girl just experienced her first Midwest winter.  I’ve been told it was a “mild winter,” but it was cold and snowy enough for me and for my little, Southern California Mini Cooper. While my car craved a new battery, tires, brakes and fluids, I craved carbs! What is it about carbs that is so comforting?  Is it the warmth?  The feeling of fullness after eating them?  The satisfaction of eating something just so yummy?  I’m not sure, but I do love them! When it comes to carbs, I love nothing more than a warm, fresh from the oven, loaf of bread. As I mentioned, it was cold and snowy.  I had zero desire to go outside.  Thank goodness I was working from home!  However, there are certain disadvantages in that.  If I was confining myself to the house, I had to find a way to get a hot loaf of bread. That’s when the idea came:  I had to make my own. I never made bread before.  I don’t own a bread machine.  Regardless, …