This has not been a very good week in the kitchen.
First, my husband was away on business which always causes me to revert to college-style eating. You know when “box of cereal” at 9pm sounds like a good dinner that you’re in trouble.
Second, and more upsetting is that a worm crawled out of an apple as I was eating it. (Seriously.) According to my mom, I will not die — even though I think that is the exact opposite of what my Dad told me. I’m pretty sure he was teasing. Dad, you were teasing. Right?
My sister’s response disturbed me the most. She was the first person I called (after I stopped screaming) and her very helpful advice was “don’t eat any more of it!” Is that even possible? Can a person who was eating an apple with a worm in it keep eating it?! Thanks Rebecca. I really appreciate how you’re in my corner like that.
Anyway, I was thinking that what I would really like to do this evening is tie on an apron and make a gingerbread cake (recipe from Autumn from the Heart of the Home). It’s served warm with lemon sauce and whipped cream. Now wouldn’t that just set everything right?
I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of whatever comforts you the most. I’ll be here, slicing all of my apples open and checking them — in case you were wondering.
Filed under In the Kitchen.
Tagged with gingerbread cake, kitchen.
By Kelly
September 2, 2011
Over the weekend, I had to grab a light sweater because there was a little breeze in the air. I was so happy. I am ready for Fall. (I am always, always ready for Fall.) Today, I let myself look at pictures of pumpkins from seasons past. You know, just to get in the mood.
Every year around this time, I pull out Susan Branch’s Autumn book and dream about Fall recipes — cinnamon ice cream, soups, and hot beverages.
Last year, I was talking about tea and my friend Joanna asked me if I had tried Teavana yet, but for some reason, I never followed up on her recommendation. I finally went in for a taste test. Oh what a terrible, potentially expensive mistake I’ve made. Now all I can think about is their chai. It was like all of my senses had awakened, thawed out by this ($$$) hot cup of spiced Autumn happiness.
Do you have a flavor that symbolizes Fall to you? I need something to distract me from this craving. (And I’m really sorry if I’ve led anyone else down a very dark path…)
Filed under In the Kitchen.
Tagged with fall, pumpkins, tea.
With the 4th of July right around the corner, I wanted to share my favorite cherry pie recipe just in case you need an easy win. This is one of those “emergency” back pocket recipes I call upon when I am lacking the courage (or time) to try something more daring. This pie is really quick with a little bit of work at the stove and then 30 minutes to bake. I think it’s just the right blend of tart and sweet.
The cherry pie recipe is here.
An added bonus? If you use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes for the top crust, you can look like you really tried.
Do you have a favorite recipe site that you use? I’ve tried several, but keep coming back to All Recipes. It’s not as fancy as some cooking sites, but I have found most of my “work horse” recipes here — our favorite marinades, classic desserts, and so on. I love that I can look up something common like “cherry pie” or “chicken kebobs” and compare 8 or 9 versions. The comments are usually pretty helpful in pointing out errors and substitutions. (In fact, I consider them a must read!)
Filed under In the Kitchen.
Tagged with cherry pie, recipes.
Summer Pleasure #4: A bowl full of sliced strawberries waiting in the fridge. Ready for yogurt or ice cream or maybe just a spoon…
Also, I read this in Simple Abundance this morning and thought it was lovely –
“I believe that the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” – Lucy Maud Montgomery
[Summer pleasures: documenting a favorite summer moment each week. Just a few words and a photo at a time. Please feel free to join in!]
Filed under In the Kitchen, Inspiration.
Tagged with summer pleasures.
After last week’s baking debacle, I was a little hesitant to try cooking anything else fancy for awhile. However, Friday was my husband’s birthday, and I had already shown him the picture of the cherry port semifreddo in Martha Stewart Living so I knew there was no getting out of this one. We had already gone to the grocery store and rounded up the ingredients, many of which I’d never used before — ruby port, marscarpone, and dried cherries. Ok, scratch that. I had accidentally purchased dried cranberries (the drawing on the package looked identical, I swear!). At least that mistake was easily corrected.
Well, the good news is that this recipe was a winner — and surprisingly simple. Martha did say that this recipe was less work than ice cream, but I never really believe her when she says something is easy. This one was. The semifreddo is not overly sweet, so the cherry port topping really is a must. However, the balance of flavors works and was a nice alternative to our old stand-by desserts. It took our palettes some time to adjust to the semifreddo consistency and texture: creamier and heavier than ice cream, but less sweet. By the end of the bowl, we were converts.
See the full recipe here.
My one tip: don’t freeze this for too long. The recipe states that you should put the dessert in the freezer for “at least 50 minutes.” I left mine in for 4 hours, and we ended up letting it thaw on the counter for 20 minutes before eating. The left overs were stored in the refrigerator, and although they weren’t quite as cold and semi-frozen, they still tasted great.
This dessert is a bit expensive, because the ingredients are on the pricier side. According to my favorite cookbook, Mad Hungry, you can freeze left over portions of wine so I’m going to try doing that with the remaining port. I have a feeling this one will be on the frequent request list.
How is your week going? Thank you so much for the kind comments about the blog make-over! You made my day.
Filed under In the Kitchen.
Tagged with dessert, Martha Stewart Living, recipe, semifreddo.