Monthly Archives: September 2011

S’mores Pie

Call me crazy, but in my mind s’mores are a fall treat, not summer. I know, I know…summer camp and overnight camping trips –> camp fires –> s’mores and ghost stories. Camp fires remind me of autumn and cold weather, though. Maybe it’s because I went to math camp instead of summer camp. Or, maybe it’s because when I see a roaring fire burning real wood, I think of cool New England nights in Massachusetts with Dan’s family. Either way, the only time I crave s’mores is when there’s a chill in the air. And folks, it’s starting to get nippy hereabouts… If you’re an avid FoodGawker, you’ll know that this S’mores Pie is actually an imitation of the S’mores Bars posted by Endless...

Yesterday, I made a batch of brioche buns with hamburgers in mind. But, they turned out to be small and biscuit-like, so I decided to eat them for breakfast instead, maybe slathered with a little jam or cherry butter. Problem is, there are a lot of buns, and I don’t actually eat breakfast much. Dan doesn’t either, unless it’s a muffin or bagel. Hmm. My main concern with using the brioche buns for burgers was that they wouldn’t be sturdy enough to stand up to a thick, juicy patty. Dan thought they would work though, so…hello, Dan in the Kitchen #4! I’m always happy to stand aside and let someone else cook dinner. These ranch burgers were inspired by one of the Ranch dressing commercials...

Guys, making bread is hard. Or maybe I’m just really bad at it. Either way, my dough just doesn’t rise the way it’s supposed to. Either my yeast is sluggish, or I’m killing them. I could swear I did everything right this time, though – I let the yeast percolate in warm sugar water…I didn’t use scalding milk or acidic buttermilk…I let the dough rest in a warm place…I even toned down my stirring/kneading just in case too much vigorous activity scared the little suckers. But nope. Dough only rose a little bit. Goddamnit. I mean, these brioche buns turned out OK, but they’re definitely not as light and fluffy/puffy as they should’ve been. And, my egg wash didn’t give them a gorgeous, shiny sheen like...

For once, I don’t have a back story to explain my motivation for making this cake. And, I can’t think of any anecdotes associated with either chocolate or loaf cake. I just really wanted something sweet and chocolate-y to go with my turkey sandwich. (BTW, I have balcony furniture now! You like?) Luckily, I had all the ingredients for a simple loaf cake, two types of chocolate chips, and a canister of dark chocolate cocoa powder. All things considered, triple chocolate loaf cake seemed like the way to go. With three kinds of chocolate in the batter, this was a very decadent cake, and I wanted something to cut the richness. Fresh fruit and whipped cream were the first things to come to mind....

Did you guys know that it’s September already? The middle of September? That means that summer is practically over, and fall is just around the corner. Man, where does the time go? I feel like I just barely got used to wearing skirts and shorts outside, yet my tan is already fading and I have to start pulling out my jeans and sweaters from the back of the closet. Bummer. Sad as I am about the end of summer, though, I can freely admit that fall isn’t all bad. Fall foliage is pretty nice…my allergies aren’t as bad this time of year…and there aren’t as many bugs around. And, lets not forget all the delicious fruits/vegetables that are in season in the fall. Pumpkins, sweet...

First Patriots game of the season was last night, and Dan was giddy with excitement. Me? Not so much. As dreamy as Tom Brady is, my favorite part of watching football is the eating. Chips and dips…wings…pizza. Mmm, junk food! I saw this recipe for pizza puffs on FoodGawker and knew right away that I was going to have to make them. The ingredients were all things I had laying around, the prep/cook time was short, and the recipe just looked/sounded really tasty. These puffs are seriously delightful, guys. They taste exactly like pizza, but fluffier. And, because they’re bite-sized, they’re extra easy to eat. You pop one in your mouth, chew, savor the deliciously cheesy flavor, and the next thing you know the whole plate...

Chinese Bakery-Style Birthday Cake with Strawberry Mousse Filling

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I made my dad a Chinese bakery-style cake for his birthday. It was just like the one I made for my mom last year, except instead of using vanilla custard and peaches/kiwis, I filled this one with strawberry mousse and fresh strawberries. I know. I’m on a strawberry kick. What can I say, I’m not ready to let go of summer yet. Now, everyone knows that I love cake. Chocolate cake, cheesecake, cakes filled with shredded vegetables, loaf cake, cake covered in sugary sweet glaze…I’ve never met a slice a cake I didn’t like. But of all the cakes I’ve consumed in the last 25 years, I love Chinese bakery-style birthday cakes the most. Trust me when I...

Dan in the Kitchen — Roasted Parsley and Garlic Baby Potatoes

So, last year I cooked my mom a delicious Chinese birthday lunch, complete with a homemade Chinese bakery-style birthday cake. For my dad’s birthday a few months before that, we went to Red Lobster and got him one of those giant fruit tarts from Safeway. Looking back, that didn’t seem fair, since my dad is pretty frickin’ awesome and definitely deserved to eat something other than rubbery fried seafood and cheesy garlic biscuits on his big day (even if those biscuits are delicious). So, this year I decided to rectify the situation and cook him a delicious and elaborate birthday lunch. On the menu: roast chicken, grilled salmon, tomato-mozzarella crostini, roasted asparagus, creamed spinach, and roasted parsley & garlic baby potatoes. And for dessert, a...

You know what blows? Unemployment. Rain. Crappy day time television. Job applications. Extreme boredom. Put those things together, let it marinate for two weeks, and you’ll have yourself a big mess of complete and utter, “get-me-out-of-this-house-before-I-kill-the-cats” stir craziness. You know what doesn’t suck, though? Light, fluffy vanilla cake stuffed with fat, juicy strawberries. A perfectly moist cake made with simple ingredients that are sure to be sitting in your pantry/fridge right now. A sweet treat that can be mixed, baked, cooled, and devoured in less than an hour. This cake is the only thing keeping me sane today. There’s something about cracking eggs and stirring batter and slicing strawberries that’s really soothing. It’s familiar, it’s easy, and I’m guaranteed to get something great at...

My friend Mark came over for lunch yesterday. He’s a fantastic cook. During law school he was constantly whipping up delicious treats in his kitchen and bringing them to class. You’d think all that cooking would be a distraction during school, but he was also acing all his classes, teaching legal research and writing to bright young minds, and moonlighting as the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review Journal. Don’t you hate people who are good at everything? Anyway, after drooling over his baked goods for the last three years, I’ve been dying to cook with Mark. So, when he came over, I roped him into helping me make a quiche. In no time at all, we were rolling out our store-bought pie crust, cooking/chopping...

Monthly Archives: September 2011

S’mores Pie

Dan in the Kitchen — Ranch Burgers

Brioche Buns

Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake

Apple Streusel Muffins

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Chinese Bakery-Style Birthday Cake with Strawberry Mousse Filling

Dan in the Kitchen — Roasted Parsley and Garlic Baby Potatoes

Strawberry Cake

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Blogs I Love

Cool Sites