TWD DC Christmas Spice Cookies

I did not expect to be addicted to these cookies. I had doubts that the simplicity would wow me. The dough was a little soft and hard to work with (except I was rolling it out too thin, so then it was fine). But man, I couldn't stay away from these. They would be a great addition to a holiday cookie tin.

TWD BCM Chocolate Truffles

Truffles are one of those things that I have always wanted to make, knew that they were easy to make, and then just never got around to making them. What a great excuse! These turned out well. I was surprised at how soft/melty the chocolate still was after refrigeration. I think I may prefer a firmer bite. But trust me, these are not going to last long.

TWD DC Pfefferneusse

These were really easy to make. I am loving my cookie scoops. Added bonus that my dog took an entire stick of butter off the counter and I caught him, freeze-frame-style, with it hanging out of his mouth. The glaze took a splash of cream to get to the right consistency. Perfect little holiday cookies.

CTBF MPK Grated Carrot Salad

At first I was like, meh ok carrot salad, whatever. But then I couldn't stop eating it. Happy to find a recipe that will use up leftover carrots!

TWD DC Chocolate Creme Sandwiches

Oh yeah, buddy. Fancy Oreos. These were easy and delicious. Basically perfect.

TWD BCM Caramel Tart

Looks a lot like a pumpkin pie, but nope! I love making caramel. It feels as much like living on the edge as I can muster. This is simple and turned out very well.

CTBF MPK Baked Eggs with Kale and Smoked Salmon

Not a great photo of a not great outcome for me. The eggs definitely needed more than 12 minutes or higher heat to bake through more. This ended up being a runny mess and I was thankful that I only made one. I'll repurpose the other ingredients.

TWD DC Peanut Butter Change-Ups

I was thinking recently that I looooove cookies and don't seem to get around to making them very often. Well that's about to change now that we have officially started going through Dorie's Cookies with TWD. I made the technically I've already made the two bite one chip cookies from the book, too. 

These were perfect peanut butter cookies. I wasn't sure if I would like the addition of the chopped peanuts, but I really do. I brought some to work and one of my cowarkers said they were the softest peanut butter cookies she's ever had. I think they're a great bridging-to-fall cookie.

Pear tart

I'm out of town so don't have much time to post. But this one was a big winner. I love baking with pears.

TWD BCM Custardy Apple Squares.

I think I did something wrong. These were lovely, but I don't think I got as much custardiness as others. Maybe too much apple? I would try again and tweak the ratios.

CTBF Butternut squash crumble

This was a good middle of the road recipe. I really like the cornmeal in the crumble topping. I left the sage out and used dried thyme. Unfortunately, the husband doesn't like squash so this one was all me to polish off.

TWD BCM Apple Tart Flambe

This one was, unfortunately, not a winner in our house. It was like pizza, but that meant that the leftovers were also like pizza, but not in the good way. This one is really meant to be eaten up on the day it's made. The crust just gets overly chewy with time. I was very happy to use my mandoline though and I still have all of my digits.

Served with homemade maple and salted praline ice cream.

CTBF MPK Gazpacho with herbed goat cheese toasts

It's still so hot here in the south and easy to find pretty good tomatoes. I am ready for fall weather and fall foods, but this was a good sendoff for summer. 

I was afraid that this one would not go over well with my husband. I have never made gazpacho before and have only had it once or twice. Just like he doesn't like eating cold salad for dinner, I was waiting for a complaint about a cold soup. But he actually loved it and so did I. I made mine Sunday and we didn't eat it until Tuesday. I left out the vodka just because I didn't have any and I don't think it was missed. The goat cheese spread was also wonderful. I really do love goat cheese. 

I'll be ready for this one next summer.

TWD BCM Edouard's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies. I now have a few favorite recipes for them, so it's getting harder to decide which ones are my gold standard. These were great. I loved the nutty taste from the almond flour. These are going on my mental recipe list.

CTBF MPK Spiced Meatballs with Sriracha Sauce

These were a big hit. I baked them so, no messy frying. I used half lamb, half chuck. These would be good in a pita. We did over rice this time.

I've learned to really cut the amount of sauce that these recipes call for. This one was easy since i just mixed together mayo and sriracha until I felt there was a good amount.

TWD BCM Esquimaux Pops for Grown Ups

These remind me of a popsicle form of that bricky moussey thing we made a while back (I cannot find it on my blog right now, but yes, bricky moussey. Not sure if it was my molds since it was the first time I used them or the formulation, but these did not want to release. They were just as good eaten with a spoon.

TWD BCM Philadelphia Blueberry-Corn Tart

I really love the taste of corn and berries together, so I was excited about this one. I had just made an icebox cheesecake last week, so I was a little nervous about getting cheesecaked out, but this really doesn't feel like a cheesecake. The layer with the Philadelphia takes on a really nice flavor from the honey. I added the Greek yogurt, hoping to balance out the sweetness with some tang and I think that worked out well.

TWD BCM Summer Market Galette

I used 2 figs, 2 apricots (I used the semi-frozen ones from Trader Joe's. They are amazing for everything), 2 plums, 1 peach, and blueberries. I left out the mint, mostly because I can't bring myself to buy it. This was so good the day it was made. It really is a template and would work so well for almost any filling. I'll have to remember it the next time I have a ton of produce to use up!

CTBF MPK Buckwheat crepes with ham, cheese, and egg

I had never cooked with buckwheat before and I'm not sure that this was a great first foray. I had a horrible time getting these to stay in one piece. I tasted a finished crepe and spit it out. I made one finished product and it was better, but the egg took so long to cook with the crepe barrier that the crepe itself was no longer foldable. Maybe using light buckwheat would have worked out better? I am spoiled by the Kenny Shopsin "crepes" now, so maybe I would make these crepes again with that recipe instead of buckwheat crepes.

TWD BCM Cornmeal & Berry Cakes

I really love the taste of cornmeal and berries together. This is almost like a really sweet cornbread with raspberries. I used local McEwan and Sons polenta in the mix and I can't wait to use the rest of the bag for other applications. I used super mini loaf pans, so got about 13 cakes out of the recipe. I think that the glaze is a must if you want it to be dessert status.

This flavor combo reminded me of Jeni's Sweet Corn and Raspberry Ice Cream. It's definitely worth making if you like these cakes.

BITDB lemon pie bars

Jenis kona stout

BCM Rice pudding with strawberries and spiced hibiscus syrup CTBF Raw vegetable slaw

Am I he only one who wants to eat rice pudding warm? This is really refreshing cold with the strawberry and hibiscus syrup. I am really starting to love cardamom.

For the raw vegetable slaw I used cucumber, radish, carrots, avocado, and can you tell? Beets. Oh well. It tasted good , but I halved the dressing. It would have been drenched if I used he whole recipe. Oh and I definitely used the food processor to shred.

Ovenly secretly vegan chocolate chip cookies

CTBF MPK chicken lady chicken

Don't judge a book by its cover... Don't judge a chicken by its skin? This one "crisped up" really quickly, plus I just don't have a knack for cast iron yet. BUT the chicken was still so delicious. We're not big skin eaters anyway.

TWD BCM rose frasier

This one was fun to put together. I've been in AL for over a week now and it was a good recipe for breaking in the kitchen. I chose not to do a topping, I think the filling is enough.

I'm not sure that the flavor of Rose really stands out. I couldn't bring myself to buy rose extract to use 1/4 teaspoon of it and probably let the rest go to waste. The cake definitely tastes like ginger and lime, though. Great summer dessert.

CTBF MPK Fattoush

It's been a busy June so far. We packed up and moved from Virginia to Alabama last week. Gus got a cold in the middle of the move and now I have it. After weeks of fast food and hardly any vegetables, I was happy to make this salad. It feels nourishing in a way that I need right now. 

CTBF Blue cheese and pear quiche

I really liked the corn meal crust on this. It added great flavor and texture. I left the ham out and I think I prefer it this way, but bacon would have been a great addition.

I baked mine for about an hour and fifteen minutes and it was still runny in the center when I cut into it. I think next time I will let it go another ten minutes or so.

TWD BCM Betty's Chocoholic Cake

As I was putting this together, I kept thinking to myself that this is the kind of cake that helps you make friends.

It is a cinch to put together, it's delicious, and it's chocolate x3. Nothing wrong with this cake. The ganache did take a little while to firm up for me and I ended up putting it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before I felt like it was ready.

I will have to remember this cake when I start a new job to ensure automatic good favor.

CTBF salted butter caramel-chocolate mousse

Liked this, but probably wouldn't make it again. It's easy, but I wish it had more delineated flavors. I love salted caramel, so wanted more of it!

TWD BCM Jammer Galette

This is one of those recipes that comes together so easily and seems very impressive. It reminds me of a parred down version of the Hungarian shortbread from Baking with Julia. Plus, it can easily be switched up with whatever flavor jam you want to use. Or Nutella. Or lemon curd. Or really anything spreadable. I used Bonne Maman Four Fruits preserves. This one is a winner.

The cake bible Rose cordon banana cake with sour cream ganache

CTBF Croque Monsieur

While I was making this I had two thoughts.

I'm not going to use all of this butter.

I'm not going to use all of this cheese.

Totally did. Totally worth it. I did not press this sandwich, but I think I prefer it non-pressed.

TWD BCM Cocoa Crunch Meringue Cookies

My husband said that these seemed like they were more trouble than they were worth. In difficulty, I don't think I agree. But time-wise, a few hours is a lot for 8 cookies. They were good, and I felt like these were macaron training wheels.

Mustard butter steak and frites

CTBF My Paris Kitchen Artichoke Tapenade

This is an excellent dish. I love the raw garlic flavor in it. A major upgrade from the artichoke spinach dip that we see so often. 

CTBF Belgian beef stew with beer and spice bread

Two entries that were not winners. The bread is pretty dry, I can't imagine that it will be finished. The stew just doesn't push the right buttons. And they are not photogenic.

TWD BCM matcha financiers

Trader joes used to have a matcha baking mix. I loved it. I'm surprised it's not back now since matcha is so trendy. I loved these too. I meant to add chocolate but didn't end up doing it. I think they stand alone well.

Happy Pi Day! And Uncommon Goods

Happy Pi Day! Any excuse to eat pie, right?



I have been lucky enough to review a couple of products from Uncommon Goods. I had heard of them before, but had not gone deep into their site. Soooo, not only do they have some pretty awesome wares, but they are doing a lot for the community and social justice. Being a social worker and trying to be generally socially conscious, this is really important to me. A lot of their products are from independent artists and are made in the USA. They are a B Corps, which means that they use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

Another awesome aspect of their business? With every purchase, they donate $1 to a cause of your choice. Partnering organizations include RAINN, Women for Women International, and City Harvest.

I have to admit, I was really tempted by this cutting board because I'm in the market, but I got swayed by other items instead...

Luckily they have a ton of really cute kitchen stuff.


Since I am a crazy home baker, and a nerd, I decided to try out this i 8 sum pi pie plate (ha ha ha get it?). That coconut cream pie above is baked in it and you can see the equation a little bit here. You can see the whole thing here.



And if you need something to drink your coffee or tea in that will guarantee you a brighter morning, this unicorn mug will do the trick (it comes in a bowl variation, too!!).




This is the kind of site that I like to shop on for unique gifts for friends or family. Like, check out these cute gifts.

Anyone have any experience with them? Any other gems that you have found?

Goods were provided to me free of charge for review. This did not impact my reviews.

problems

TWD BCM Odile's fresh orange cake

I knew that I shouldn't have flipped that cake out right from the oven. Of course I had part of the cake remain in the pan and had to do some recontruction a la some abstract orange placement. To be honest, the oranges were not my favorite. The cake itself is simple and nice.

Top Pot old fashioned sour cream donuts

CTBF Dukkah-roasted cauliflower

I've decided to join another cook-along. I really love these because it forces me to cook through books that I love and want to try more of. This recipe is a perfect example. It's simple, but you know it's probably delicious. I probably wouldn't pick it out to cook, though, on my own.

Man, I should know better.

This one is a beauty. I already know the virtues of dukkah because I have made this version and used it for a food swap. It really is a magical condiment. I cheated a little and actually used the Food52 blend because I had some leftover.

Don't worry. I'll be making David's version, too. This is my new favorite way to make cauliflower. I ended up eating the whole pan because I have no self-control, and hey, it's a vegetable so it's totally fine.


I also made David's Spaghetti Pie from his blog. It's like a fancy baked mac and cheese. It was a great way to use up all the cheese I've been getting in my CSA box.