By Jeanne, on May 17th, 2010
Logos fascinate me. It’s incredible how much influence one small image can have. Logos work their way into our subconscious mind, persuading us to buy (or refrain from buying) a product. Logos transcend languages. When you see a soda can with text in a foreign language, chances are you’ll recognize the brand of soda by color and font alone. I’ll leave you all to your own opinion on whether this type of globalization is a good thing, a bad thing, or just an unavoidable fact of life in these modern times.
Continue reading “Pepsi Can Cake” »
By Jeanne, on May 10th, 2010
We were lucky enough to get some Meyer lemons in our CSA share this week. Since I’ve never used them before, I was incredibly excited! I’ve seen this variety of lemons featured on many of my favorite blogs, and people are always raving about them. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and an orange, so they have a slightly sweet taste and an orangish hue.
I’ve been wanting to make lemon bars for a while now, and this was my opportunity! I brought these to work today and they disappeared before lunchtime. Usually, some of the goodies stick around until late afternoon when people need a sugar rush. These lemon bars were so good that they had to be eaten right away. Although I may have seen a few people squirreling them away for afternoon snack.
Continue reading “Meyer Lemon Madness!” »
By Jeanne, on May 4th, 2010
Sometimes good breads come in small packages. This bread was not a high-riser, but it certainly packed a lot of flavor! I may have used pans that were too large for the amount of dough. But looks aren’t everything, and I’ll eat a good slice of bread no matter what shape or size it comes in.
Continue reading “Molasses Oatmeal Bread” »
By Jeanne, on April 27th, 2010
The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.
This challenge put me out of my comfort zone not only with a new technique, but with a new ingredient as well: suet. I rarely eat meat, so my first thought was to forge ahead with the vegetarian suet version or to just make a sweet sponge pudding.
But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to attempt the traditional version of the challenge. I put aside my objections so that I could try an authentic dish from another culture. And then I decided to try the sweet sponge pudding as well!
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Traditional British Puddings” »
By Jeanne, on April 21st, 2010
After all of the baking I did last week for the bake sale, I was ready to make some quick and easy muffins! I was all out of fresh fruit (oh, the horror!), and when I opened the cupboard it was the cornmeal that spoke to me. It was begging to be made into rich, buttery corn muffins with just the right amount of crumble.
Continue reading “Maple Sweetened Corn Muffins” »
By Jeanne, on April 16th, 2010
Let’s talk about cookies and bread. I’m hoping that these two simple favorites can help to fight hunger in our country. Bread is the most basic of food, recognized all over the world as a staple. And cookies, well, everyone loves cookies! I’ve chosen to donate cookies and bread for the first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale.
The bake sale is taking place tomorrow, in many different locations! Gaby from What’s Gaby Cooking has organized (what I’m assuming is) the largest bake sale ever. Food bloggers from all over the country are baking their favorite treats. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this!
Continue reading “National Food Bloggers Bake Sale” »
By Jeanne, on April 5th, 2010
I’ve only had polenta once before, when my boyfriend cooked it for me. He loves a good cooking experiment just as much as I do. We had been intrigued by it in the store, not quite knowing what to make of the large yellow tube that appeared ready to burst at any moment. We decided that it was pretty tasty, and I vowed to use it again.
When I came across a recipe for polenta made from scratch, I knew I had to try it. Plus, the addition of mushrooms in this recipe forced me to push my comfort zone. I don’t like mushrooms very much. It’s definitely a texture thing, so I figured that if I chopped them finely enough (and tried not to think about it) I could enjoy this dish.
Continue reading “Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta Cutlets” »
By Jeanne, on April 1st, 2010
I’m giggling with delight as I imagine the responses I will get from my coworkers when they catch a glimpse of this cake on the table! I’m well known at the office for bringing in sweet treats, so I just couldn’t resist creating a sweet joke for April Fool’s Day.
Continue reading “Kitty Litter Cake” »
By Jeanne, on March 27th, 2010
The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.
Orange what? That was my first thought as well. Every Daring Bakers challenge introduces me to a new treat. Whether it’s a treat that I know well but have never made from scratch, or a treat like this month’s orange tian that I’ve never even heard of before.
Here in southern California, it’s not difficult to find fresh oranges. I can smell the fragrant orange blossoms when I walk by the small grove of orange trees downtown. The small citrus tree in my backyard is blooming and it smells heavenly. I suspect that it’s a lemon tree, but since this is my first year in my new house I have yet to find out. The farmer’s markets are stocked with crates and crates of fresh citrus. I was thrilled to be able to use some of the local bounty for this month’s challenge!
Continue reading “Daring Bakers Challenge: Orange Tian” »
By Jeanne, on March 19th, 2010
I’m learning to bake vegan. I really enjoy eating vegan goodies, so naturally the next step is to learn to make them myself. I baked a vegan cake last year (before I started blogging), and it was amazing! This time, I tried my hand at vegan muffins.
I don’t drink cow’s milk, but I do use buttermilk when it’s called for in a recipe. It helps keep muffins tender and lends a somewhat tangy flavor as well. So when I discovered that I could make vegan buttermilk with soy milk and a little apple cider vinegar, I decided to bake some muffins!
Continue reading “Vegan Raspberry Applesauce Muffins” »
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