Just Putzing Around the Kitchen

Spinach and Sausage Ravioli

At our house, the rule is that if I cook, Dan has to do the dishes. This is great, because I hate doing the dishes. Even with a dishwasher, I really have to motivate myself to clear the sink, since the dishes still have to be put away once they’re clean. What a hassle. The…read more »

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…read more »

Dan in the Kitchen — Ranch Burgers

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…read more »

Brioche Buns

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…read more »

Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake

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…read more »

Apple Streusel Muffins

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…read more »

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

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…read more »

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….read more »

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…read more »

Strawberry Cake

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…read more »