Nothing says I love you like homemade muffins. Warm, perfectly-sized, and a little sweet, they are a great way to surprise someone in the morning (or heck, the afternoon). Happy Valentine’s Day!
Bread
21
Jan 11
PAPPA AL POMODORO (TUSCAN BREAD-AND-TOMATO SOUP)
The first time I ate pappa al pomodoro, tomato and bread soup, I was in Tuscany. A friend who was studying abroad in Florence crumbled stale bread into a pot of crushed tomatoes in a small, Italian kitchen. Meanwhile, some of her neighbors taught me how to cook pasta the authentic Italian way. When we scooped our thick soup into mismatched bowls and I tasted it, I swear I swooned. The beauty of this soup is in its simplicity—bread, tomatoes, water or broth.
19
Jan 11
GRANOLA MUFFINS
I love muffins for breakfast, and my husband loves granola. You do the math.
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22
Oct 10
GRANDMA MARGE’S PUMPKIN BREAD
Some of my recipes have sentimental value. Some are really good and foolproof. This one is both—Grandma Marge’s pumpkin bread. I got the recipe from my mom when I moved out on my own, and I make it every fall. A recipe like this makes me feel connected with my family and the past; oh, and it tastes amazing.
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27
Sep 10
MOM’S DROP BISCUITS
The drop biscuit is straight out of my childhood: I remember so many mornings when I would walk downstairs to a batch of biscuits cooling on a baking sheet. My mom is so great, I thought. She makes me biscuits! (And she is great—I just discovered how darn easy it is to make these biscuits and look like a hero.)
So I stole her recipe.
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22
Sep 10
IRISH BROWN BREAD
Irish brown bread comes in handy when I fresh bread but am out of eggs, yeast, or time. (Guess which one of them is mostly likely.) Simply bake a loaf before dinner to add to your meal; it is also perfect for a quick item to take to a potluck dinner. Let’s face it, just about everyone is impressed by homemade bread.
01
Sep 10
HEALTHIER BANANA BREAD
I love banana bread—it is a great snack and an even better breakfast. If you allow a few bananas to get really ripe and brown on your countertop (by accident or on purpose), you are halfway there. You can add walnuts or chocolate chips to add to the recipe’s variety. Some recipes are very unhealthy—lots of butter and sugar—which is part of the reason it tastes so good. But what if I wanted to try a healthier loaf?
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04
Aug 10
FOCACCIA BREAD
Now that you’ve got your Bread for All Week started, what are you going to do with all that dough? If you need to impress some friends or whip together a quick, light meal, focaccia is a fantastic choice. Often, cooking well with what you have on hand just takes a little creativity: my CSA gave me a bunch of beautiful cherry tomatoes—yellow, orange, and red. A friend gave me a handful of rosemary. I had my Bread for All Week dough in the refrigerator. I was hungry. It was a perfect equation for a dinner of focaccia, with olive oil and tomato sauce for dipping.
02
Aug 10
BREAD FOR ALL WEEK
Home-baked bread is such a treat—it is fresh, wholesome, and cheap. But while many of us might want to eat it every day, we are less interested in mixing up dough and waiting for it to rise. Enter the refrigerator dough—a bread dough you mix up once and keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you want fresh bread, rip off a hunk of dough, let it sit, and bake. Easy!
16
Jul 10
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
I’ve been on a bread making kick lately—I find something wholesome about taking the time to make a loaf. It never fails to impress, since it seems that few people have the time anymore to wait around for yeast to kick in. Since today is a Friday, I encourage you a give yourself the time to bake a loaf of bread. The best part about baking bread is the downtime—there is very little active work time, which frees you up to kick up your heels while you are “busy” baking bread.