A Little Summer Send-Off

Good riddance summer! I won't cinnamon-sugar coat it folks, this has been the worst summer of my entire adult life. And that even includes the many summers I worked at Argo Tea in college. Yeah. It's been that bad. Even though there were memorable moments like seeing St. Vincent at Pitchfork and riding carnival rides with my family, getting laid off because your boss' husband is going to jail was probably the most mortifying thing that's ever happened to me professionally. Luckily, the end of summer brought several new opportunities to my life, like BAKING for a living! So I say fuck it, let's eat some fatty snacks and drink 'til we pass out while watching Sex and the City 2.  Which may or may not have been the fate of these delicious confections. These were also a celebratory indulgence because after nine months of working on it, I finished a submittable draft of my first play. I say draft, because it's not over yet. Gimme five years and maybe I'll say it's done. 

Cinnamon Rolls 

I know what you're thinking - why go to all the trouble of making something from scratch that can easily be squeezed from a tube? Because it's a million times better and makes you seem like a more impressive human being. That being said, for years I've been looking for a cinnamon roll recipe that does not require yeast because even though I love to cook, I refuse to work with yeast. It always ends with me screaming the F-word and making a huge floury mess. This is a delicate process that requires some time, so make sure to lock your cat or baby in the other room to give this your undivided attention. You will feel very accomplished after you're done with these. 

Thanksgiving Side by Sides - Part 2

I'm convinced that there's no real point to stuffing. It's just that, stuffing. Pointless bready filler. That being said, it's one of my favorite things about this bread cleanse I'm on. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Stove Top stuffing but that has its time and place, and it's usually a food drive for poor people. If you're making Thanksgiving dinner, take that extra initiative and make stuffing from scratch, it's really not that hard or expensive. I usually don't actually stuff the turkey, because of salmonella and why waste perfectly good bready filler?

Baguette Stuffing

Maybe not the most original stuffing, but when preparing a dinner for people, it's best to stay traditional, lest anyone have prudent palettes. I don't think there's a person alive who doesn't enjoy French bread, this is a safe recipe for everyone. 

you will need the following: 

1 long baguette in pieces 

1.5 sticks of melted butter

1 red onion diced

4 stalks celery diced

2 tsp finely chopped poultry herbs

1 c stock (use veggie if planning for vegetarians)

splash of milk 

Step 1: Rip baguette into small pieces while diced veggies and herbs sautee in butter. 

Step 2: Once veggies are tender, toss in bread. Let bread soak up remaining butter, then dowse in stock and stir until absorbed. Splash with milk and cover. Stuffing can sit for awhile and reheats nicely. 

A Little Hangover Brunch

There are some Sunday mornings you wake up so unmercifully hung over you temporarily consider rehab. It's on these days you wish you had brought your sunglasses out with you so that your walk of shame could be a little less obvious the next morning. Have no fear, the Starbucks barista has probably seen worse stumble in on a weekend morning. You'll really thank yourself for this make-ahead French toast as it's almost the perfect cure for your throbbing head and gurgling belly, especially when served with salty breakfast meats. 

Summer Cherry French Toast

I think we can all agree that making pancakes and French toast in a skillet is pretty annoying, especially when you have company. You have to eat in shifts which is inconvenient. I pieced this baked French toast recipe together from a few different blogs I read. It's a keeper. It's way better than the yucky French toast my mom used to make, sorry mom. I really hate cheapy sandwich bread so I used French bread instead. 

You will need the following: 

2 demi baguettes 

1 c whole milk

3 eggs

1/3 c maple syrup

pinch of salt

cinnamon & sugar

butter pats

2 c pitted cherries

1/4 c orange juice

3 tbsp sugar

dash of pie spice

1 vanilla yogurt

confectioner's sugar

Step 1: Slice bread in 1/4" slices. In a bowl, whisk milk, eggs, syrup and salt. Lightly butter each slice of bread and dip in egg mixture. Place in a single layer in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cover and allow to sit overnight. 

Step 2: Steep pitted cherries in sugar, spice and orange juice overnight. 

Step 3: The next morning (in your still-kinda-drunk haze), put toast slices in a single layer on a buttered baking sheet and bake 15-17 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn toasts over half-way into bake time. While toasts are baking boil cherry compote in a sauce pan until thickened. 

Step 4: Arrange toasts and top with cherry compote, vanilla yogurt and confectioner's sugar. Serve immediately. 

A Little Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Simple Pumpkin Bread

I'm pretty sure my mom has at least one loaf of pumpkin bread in her freezer at any given time. This is her recipe and it has always been an autumnal staple around our house, to the point that I actually became sick of it for awhile.  It's as simple as it is cheap, my mom is the least pretentious cook I've ever met, if it's more than five ingredients and takes longer than 30 minutes to make, I can guarantee she isn't interested. This recipe will make two loaves, and you're probably going to eat one of them by yourself (I bet) though for the sake of your figure, give one away. 

You will need the following:

1 c pureed pumpkin

4 eggs

3 c flour

3 c sugar

1 c vegetable oil

2/3 c water

2 tsp pie spice

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350. Flour two loaf pans, or line muffin tin with baking cups. 

Step 2: Mix everything together in a stock pot. 

Step 3: Stir pot over low heat just until bubbly. 

Step 4: Fill loaf pans half-way with batter and bake for 45 minutes. Test by sticking a toothpick into bread. If it comes back clean, bread is done. 

Serve with salty butter or pumpkin butter