Cinnamon Toast the Right Way Oooooh. You’re getting ready to get a taste of Me, Opinionated. Be sure to take a photo! You won’t see it very often. Lucky for you, I won’t be revealing my expert views on the environment, the stimulus, the new health care legislation, or whether Standard Poodles ever should have been cross-bred with Golden Retrievers. Did you know there’s a right way and a wrong way to make cinnamon toast? It’s sure a good thing I came into the picture. Before I show you THE right way to make cinnamon toast, I’m going to review a few different approaches so that we can do a compare/contrast at the end of this post. Butter a slice of bread. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl… Stir it to combine. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of the butter, then pop it in the oven: 10 minutes at 350, then finish it off under the broiler (I’ll give you my reasons for this method later.) Butter a slice of bread, then pop it in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Then as soon as you remove it from the oven… Now.
naked tomato sauce Every year at just about this time I renew my obsession with tomato sauce. It’s late August, after all, and just about anyone who has ever gardened or knows people who garden is drowning in tomatoes and I am here, with my virtual bucket, eager to help you out. Don’t be too fooled by my so-called benevolence, however, as it’s really a selfish endeavor; I find spaghetti with tomato sauce to be one of the universe’s perfect meals, so I’m hardly kicking and screaming my way to the kitchen the next time the whim for a new one strikes me. But I always think that the new one will be the one that closes the book on tomato sauce, that it will be done, that I will be able to move on and find new codes to crack in the kitchen knowing that I’ve locked in my tomato sauce nirvana. But the reason I’m back here today is because of what happened the day I shared that tomato sauce for you. Nothing. Naked Tomato Sauce Inspired by Scarpetta‘s Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil
whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones This is the very first recipe I developed for my cookbook. It came as an accident — you would think that someone who spends as much time shopping for groceries as I do wouldn’t constantly run out of flour and cream mid-recipe but I’d surprise you — but I immediately fell in love with it and knew it needed a home in print. Over the last year, I made them whenever I’ve had an excuse and a few times that I didn’t. They fit so squarely within the vision I had for the book that when everything else felt impossible I’d think, “It’s okay. I’ve still got those whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones.” I just read that back to myself and realize how weird it sounds. And then, just as quickly as I fell in love with them, I cast them aside for something else. Raspberries showed up at the market last week and I realized how much I’ve missed these scones. Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones The trickiest thing about these is the dampness of the dough. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Chocolate Mug of Sadness | Some Kitchen Stories Chocolate Mug of Sadness... No story today. In this case, truth is stranger than fiction. I’m a little bit horrified by this thing. Which isn’t to say it’s not good. It is. There’s just something so… sad about chocolate cake for one. So, you know, ENJOY MAKING THIS RECIPE. Eclectic Recipes via Live Love Pasta (who did not have the same existential concerns. Chocolate Mug of Sadness Makes 1 large mug of sadness or 2 slightly less sad servings Ingredients 4 TBsp flour 4 TBsp sugar 1 egg 3 TBsp cocoa powder 3 TBsp Nutella 3 TBsp milk 3 TBsp vegetable oil Directions Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug (or 2). Whisk with fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1½– 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Download and print Chocolate Mug of Sadness recipe
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Updated 9/22/11 to Add: If you’re coming here to sample these delicious Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, you just might like the latest recipe that I’ve posted for Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes too. And Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes too. Enjoy! Here’s a short video sharing how to make these delicious pancakes: If you’ve ever thought you needed a reason to eat pancakes, today is the day: National Pancake Day! Eat a short stack for breakfast, enjoy them for lunch, or make a dinner out a manhole-sized pancake… guilt free… because you’re merely celebrating their existence. How do you like your pancakes? But recently I started dreaming about mixing cinnamon rolls and pancakes together… and this is what I came up with- my new favorite pancake: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. I have a wonderfully fluffy pancake batter that I like to use (recipe below) so I swirled a bit of cinnamon roll filling into the pancake. It’s like eating a cinnamon roll, and no one needs more than one cinnamon roll for breakfast.
Peanut Butter Pancakes My husband’s 23rd birthday was yesterday, but as he’s all grown up now, he still had to go into work. I figured that I’d brighten his morning a bit with two of his favorite things: peanut butter and pancakes. We woke up and while he showered and got ready for work, I whipped these up. Your ingredients. Whisk together your egg, milk, melted peanut butter, and vegetable oil. Gently whisk the wet ingredients into the combined flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar mixture. Melt some butter on your griddle over medium-low and when melted, use a paper towel to spread a thin layer of the butter around the surface (you don’t want any globs of butter). Drizzle with syrup and your favorite toppings and enjoy! Peanut Butter Pancakes 1 cup all-purpose flour1 tablespoon baking powder½ teaspoon kosher salt2 tablespoons granulated sugar1 egg1 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk, plus extra if needed to thin½ cup creamy peanut butter, melted2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 tablespoon butter
blueberry crumb bars I uploaded pictures of this recipe yesterday onto Flickr, but didn’t get to telling you all about it because I was feeling a little lackadaisical after that whole seven days in a row of posting thing. Three hours later, I received this comment: “Omg, post the recipe already!” Hmmph! I thought. But who could blame them? It could get ugly. But if there ever were a dessert worth getting ugly for, it would have to be this. “Omg, post the recipe already!” As you wish. Blueberry Crumb Bars Adapted from AllRecipes.com Recipes like this make me wonder why I don’t use AllRecipes.com more. I could imagine easily swapping another fruit or berry for the blueberries–I’m especially thinking something tart like sour cherries or cranberries in the fall (I’d use orange instead of lemon with cranberries). These are easiest to cut once chilled, and store even better in the fridge than they do at room temperature–something unusual for cookies! Yield: I cut these into 36 smallish rectangles 1. 2. 3. 4.
The Infamous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies Now, I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I swear by. I love it, I think it is incredible, and I haven’t changed my mind about that. However, as much as it pains me to say it, these chocolate chip cookies by Jacques Torres are absolutely, without a doubt, the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever made or tasted in my entire life. I guess that’s why they call him Mr. Either way, I made these and everyone that tried them went nuts. Edit: For more Jacques Torres deliciousness, check out my Jacques Torres Chocolate Mudslide Cookies! Your ingredients. Whisk together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat together the butter and sugars, until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add in the flour mixture, very gradually, until just moistened. Fold in your chocolate. Milk is, in fact, an essential component to enjoying these amazing cookies. The Infamous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies