Panzanella

When you do a heroic thing like make your own bread, you don't want to waste any of it. Every scrap, even when it's stale and the kind of thing even your dog won't eat. Thankfully, the Italians gifted us with the knowledge of a little salad known as panzanella, bless them.

Cherry jam

I have a terrible, terrible problem. Maybe compulsion is a better word? In the summertime, when all my favorite fruits are available in abundance, I tend to go shop-happy and buy fruit in massive quantities. This is why, even after gorging myself, I still had a pound and a half of cherries left in my fridge, teetering on the brink, and in need of use before they spoiled.

Oatmeal wheat bread

Until I made risen waffles, I really never felt comfortable with yeast. Now that I've used it successfully a handful of times, I'm basically a yeast pro and felt comfortable trying my hand at real sandwich bread. Hubris? Noooo! I don't have any of that. How dare you? :-P

I was having a bit of an insomniac night on Friday, what with my neighbors shooting off fireworks until late, getting their Independence Day celebrations off to an early start.

What do I do when I can't sleep? I watch British TV shows and bake bread. Isn't that what you all do?

Rice pudding

This post is something I'd saved in my drafts and promptly forgotten about. There was nothing wrong with it, but I guess I thought I'd save it for a rainy day, when I hadn't had the chance to cook something for the blog. I'm posting it now though, because why wait for that rainy day? You deserve rice pudding!

Many moons ago, Jana gave me a book called Scottish Cookery. I loved the sentiment, but my experience of Scottish food was limited to shortbread and haggis. Shortbread is great, if a little bland, but haggis?? Haggis is the stuff of my food nightmares (if I had nightmares about food) and I'm usually pretty flexible about the creative use of animal parts in food. In any case, I was flipping through Scottish Cookery recently and, to my surprise, I found a lot that I want to try out. First up on the list: rice pudding.

Chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies

These cookies are crowdpleasers. You'll be hard pressed to find a person who recoils at the thought of  a chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside, chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie. Pair it with a glass of ice cold milk, and you've got yourself a new best friend, if you happen to be in the market.

Vietnamese coffee popsicles

I'm a weirdo. I like cold things in cold weather. I like to eat ice cream slowly and cold weather makes that possible.

So, let's make popsicles, OK?

Sweet, caffeine-providing popsicles.

My brother, the hand model. 

Spicy stuffed bell pepper soup

There are times when I find myself marveling at how I've mastered the Art of the Last-Minute Meal. You know, the ability to look in your fridge, take immediate mental stock of it, your freezer, and your pantry, and figure out what might make a decent meal. Witchcraft.

Bell peppers of all colors must be really in season somewhere in Mexico, because the grocery stores are filled to the brim with them and they're all on sale. Red, yellow, orange, and good old green--they're all delicious. Green bell peppers are good when I don't want something sweet, but I like the taste of the warm-colored bell peppers. I think they're also better for you too, richer in beta carotene and vitamin C. I went a little nuts and bought six of them a week ago, thinking I'd be healthy and eat one each day as a snack or veggie side to a meal. HAH. HA. HA. HAHAHAH. I was so optimistic though!

Pumpkin banana muffins with a cinnamon swirl

Okay, so after making the pumpkin oatmeal, I had about half a can of pumpkin puree left and I felt compelled to use it. I know, what was I thinking? Pumpkin is not a favorite thing of mine, but I don't like to see it wasted. I also had a ripe banana and it too needed to be put to use.

Enter muffins. Sweet, sweet muffins with a sweet, sweet cinnamon swirl. All brown sugary and autumnal. Yes, autumnal. What can I say? I gave into seasonal flavor madness and now have TWO pumpkin recipes on my blog. You gotta problem? Take it up with the Self-Taught Bakers Union. They'll get to it, right after they address our obsession with steel-cut oats and sea salt. Godspeed.

Granola

You won't hate me if I say I like raisins, will you? . . . .

FINE. I DIDN'T NEED YOUR FRIENDSHIP ANYWAY. TAKE YOUR RAISIN-LESS EXISTENCE AND TAKE A HIKE.

Please, come back. I didn't mean it. I say crazy things when I'm hopped up on raisins. They're powerfully sweet, aren't they? I like them because they remind me of childhood. In school, they'd give us those little red Sun Maid cartons in order to give kids a "healthy" option when snacktime came. This meant that I was always lousy with raisins, because, believe it or not, there are a lot of kids willing to give up their raisins to the crazy raisin-eating kid with stirrup pants and really wide eyes from all the sugary dried grapes she's just ingested.

This is all a minor anecdote that is meant to explain why I put raisins in the granola. You certainly are under no obligation to do so, but I recommend it. You can use any dried fruit you want--cranberries, apple slices, mango, currants, blueberries, banana chips. Heck, you can even skip the fruit, if that's not your thing. Add chocolate chips instead. That's the same, health-wise, right?

For this recipe, I use a great raisin medley from the grocery store that has great big purple raisins, golden sultanas, and a couple other varieties. I've definitely graduated from those small purple sugar pills in the tiny red cartons.

Yes, ENOUGH WITH THE RAISINS ALREADY. NO ONE CARES. I get it. Moving on . . .

Baked pumpkin oatmeal

Hey, this is me, giving into the seasonal pressure of cooking with pumpkin. As a rule, I avoid pumpkin-involved things, but that's mostly because the pre-packaged stuff is overly sweet or artificial-tasting. I can't handle it.

This recipe, however, is always a winner. Baked pumpkin oatmeal. I made a big batch and I ate it for breakfast for the next week. I mean, I kinda got sick of it by Thursday, but I'm the type that craves variety.

Chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with onions and peppers

I like spicy things, as you may well know. When I eat food with people who also like spicy food (or will, at least, tolerate it) then I usually end up going a little wild with the pepper/red pepper/gochu garu/hot sauce. I tell you this, because I want to be admired for my restraint in this recipe. I only used one chipotle pepper and only added a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper. Does that not deserve a pat on the back, friends?

Yeasted waffles (risen waffles)

Until I started searching, I had no clue that people put yeast in waffles. Yeast was one of those scary ingredients that I didn't mess with for a long time. I had a bad first experience making bread with old yeast that ended up not activating, and it took several years before I felt like I could trust it again. I decided to take the risk this past weekend. Twice!

Feast, vegetarian brunch edition

Jenn and Atyya, two of my favorite people from grad school, came over for brunch this weekend and I wanted to make some really good food, a meal to test out my tiny kitchen. It's the first time I've lived alone in five years and I like having my own little space to share with just one little dog.***

So, what did I do to celebrate living in my new space and reuniting with my DC-area friends? I made waffles. And pumpkin oatmeal. And chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with bell peppers and onions.

Yeah, it was a lot of food for just three people, especially since we weren't also planning on going into winter hibernation directly after eating. BUT. I wanted to put my kitchen through its paces and I like having leftover waffles that I can freeze and eat during the week. The leftover oatmeal got stored in little containers and will be toted to work for a few delicious breakfasts this week. There were no scrambled eggs left.

The waffles were not just any waffles. They were yeasted waffles. Waffles that fermented! Waffles whose batter smelled suspiciously like beer and had to sit out on the counter overnight! Crazy waffles. Crazy DELICIOUS waffles. The BEST WAFFLES I'VE EVER EATEN.

In addition to the waffles, I conceded to the season and made pumpkin oatmeal. This is one of the very few pumpkin dishes that I can eat and actually enjoy. I think it's because the steel-cut oats make the pumpkin texturally interesting. 

Finally, for something salty, I made chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with bell peppers and onions. It was an excellent accompaniment.

We ate and talked and ate and talked some more. It's surprising how much catching up there is to do after only a few months. We were stuffed. Filled to bursting. Ready to fall away into blissful food comas. Brunch, y'all. It's what's up.


***Speaking of the little dog:

Buster is currently living it up with my parents, while I settle into my new place and get a routine going.
I am told he is enjoying the occasional scrambled egg for breakfast and chicken or beef for dinner.
Dog food? Yeah, my mom doesn't think it's nourishing enough on its own. DON'T GET ME STARTED. 

Look at this spoiled little mug. He sneaks onto the bed and uses my mom's pillows!
And he has the nerve to look annoyed that the camera woke him up.

He will be back with me soon enough though. A time of little doggy reckoning.

Cake batter fudge

I am the first person in line to throw serious shade at white chocolate. It's too sweet! It's not real chocolate! It crushes dreams and dims souls! . . . Okay, so maybe not the last thing, but you know what I mean. If only they didn't call it white chocolate, maybe I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand as the lesser chocolate, the pale (ha!) shadow of a more glorious form. Comparing white chocolate and dark chocolate is like comparing tomatoes and oranges. You're gonna be disappointed if you expect them to satisfy the same needs.

Why would I even attempt to use white chocolate as a base for fudge? I have a hell of a nerve, right? Yes, it's true, but I also have a wonderful friend who recently got herself knocked up, and I needed white chocolate in order to replicate cake batter in a way that wouldn't pose a hazard to her new uterine passenger. Raw egg consumption is generally frowned upon during pregnancy, so I thought I'd try to figure out a way to replicate a cake batter that I could mail halfway across the country. I chose cake batter, because my friend is that person who would (pre-pregnancy) much prefer to eat cake batter and cookie dough, instead of an actual baked good.

Twice-baked potato (forage)

Since moving into both a new apartment and new job, I haven't exactly had the time or energy to cook something involved. Now that I'm mostly unpacked and my job--while still overwhelming in its newness--is moving to a manageable level of chaos, I think I'll have some time to cook and bake. They may be less intense things for awhile, as I continue adjusting to being on my own again. This twice-baked potato is the result of a lack of energy to cook something labor-intensive.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder . . .

Also, I've been crazy busy, interviewing for a job, getting the job, finding a place to live, moving all of my stuff, unpacking all of my stuff, starting my job, and getting used to being a working stiff again.

Sorry! I know I have, like, 10 people who really read my blog and I know I've let you down by not posting. I'm going to try to make up for it soon. First, I will post a recipe for a twice-baked potato. It was delicious and I highly recommend it. Later in the week, I will post about the cake batter fudge and candy corn cookies I'm sending to a friend (who, hopefully, will not guess they are for her when she reads this).

While I get my shit together, why don't you check out the recipes I've added to my list of things I must eat and drink in the very near future?

French Onion Mac and Cheese from Smells Like Brownies

Chocolate Pavlova from Okra's Book Club

Praline Pumpkin Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting from Pinch My Salt

Ginger Bourbon Cider from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Sunday Morning Eggs Benedict from Sally's Baking Addiction

Parsley Salad with Almonds and Apricots from Budget Bytes

Sriracha Honey Popcorn Clusters from Heather Christo

Honey peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies

That's a mouthful, right? These cookies satisfy a lot of my wants, cookie-wise. They're slightly chewy, texturally interesting, not composed primarily of chocolate, and mildly honey-flavored.

Cinnamon brown sugar latte (vegan or no, choose your own adventure!)

How much do you love lattes? A lot, right? Me too. How much do you love paying $4-5 a pop? Yeah, not so much.

I saw a recipe for the dreaded (at least, for me) pumpkin spice latte and figured making myself a cinnamon brown sugar latte at home couldn't be too hard. It would also save me from dropping serious money at Starbucks every time I get a craving. 

Okara carrot muffies

As my many donut and dessert posts can attest, I'm not what you'd call a "clean eater." I don't ascribe to any particular diet, but I can appreciate vegetarian and vegan things. I'm still a little iffy on what exactly the Paleo diet is, but, (insert some sarcasm here) thank goodness, there are a bajillion websites that I can visit in order to get a better grip on it, if I feel so inclined.

Chocolate ganache

Ganache is one of the easiest things you can do to class up a plain cake, pretzels, or some less-than-stellar strawberries. It's just chopped chocolate with scalded hot cream poured over it. Use whatever kind of chocolate you like, though let's be real: white chocolate is NOT OKAY (if you're trying to feed me anyway). In this recipe, I used a mix of Ghiradelli Twilight (72% cacao), Trader Joe's 72% dark chocolate, and one cup of Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips.