Just Putzing Around the Kitchen

Pepperoni Pizza

Mmm, pizza. Pizza pizza pizza. Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t love pizza? Show me a person who says they don’t like pizza, and I’ll show you a liar. I mean, what’s not to love about it? Tender (or crispy, or chewy) crust…tangy or creamy sauce…gooey melted cheese…and any yummy topping you could…read more »

Homemade Pasta with Mushroom Cream Sauce

I’ve been on kind of a cook/bake/serve-ware binge lately. In the last 3 weeks I’ve purchased a set of 12 stemless wine glasses, a matching 90oz pitcher, a crust cutter, a cupcake corer (you know, for all those cupcakes that need stuffing), and a pasta machine. The wine glasses/pitcher haven’t arrived yet, the pasta machine…read more »

Focaccia

OK, can we all take a moment to reflect on the fact that I successfully handled yeast today with 100% success? For the first time in almost a year full of botched bread-making attempts, everything that was supposed to happen, happened. The yeast foamed; the dough came together and then rose beautifully; and the bread…read more »

Shooter’s Sandwich

So, miracle of miracles, this recipe was actually sent to me by Dan. Yeah. The man who thinks eating is a hassle and only sometimes gets excited for dinner if it involves dumplings and/or blueberry pie sent me a link to a sandwich. Must be one hell of a sandwich! Naturally, I had to check…read more »

Brioche

OK, so the other day I was reading a super dorky food-themed manga about a kid that’s really good at making bread. Like, really good. Better than every other baker in the world, in fact, despite zero professional training. And this is all because he has these “solar hands” that are naturally super warm so…read more »

Chicken Pot Pie

I noticed the other day that I’ve been making a lot of desserts lately. My last five or six posts have been sweet things — girl scout cookies, molten lava cake, mini pies, etc. Come to think of it, I haven’t made a proper meal since the day we had Chicken Fried Steak for lunch….read more »

S’mores Cupcakes

I have a real soft spot in my heart for s’mores. Yes, they’re delicious and evoke happy childhood memories, but they’re also what I used to win my way into Dan’s heart. Early into our awkward and nerdy courtship (we pretty much fell in love after discovering a mutual obsession with Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series),…read more »

Colcannon

Happy St. Patty’s Day, everyone! Are you wearing green? I’m not. I don’t really own anything green; it’s not a great color for me. Thank god no one at work is fanatical about the whole wear-green-on-St. Patty’s Day-or-get-pinched thing. That would have sucked! Elementary school bus rides really traumatized me on that front. Anyway, I’ve…read more »

Mini Blueberry Pies

Happy Pi(e) Day, everyone! What is Pi Day, you ask? It’s a holiday commemorating the mathematical constant pi. Invented in 1989 by Larry Shaw, a physicist at the San Francisco Exploratorium, it was officially recognized by the US House of Reps as “National Pi Day” in 2009. Basically, it’s a kind of nerdy day that…read more »

Molten Lava Cake

So Dan and I bought an elliptical machine today. My mom told me a few weeks ago that I was looking fatter than ever, so exercise has been on my mind a lot lately. I went running a few times…embarked on an 18 mile bike ride one day…hiked in the Great Falls….and then hit a…read more »