It is remarkable how my diet changes with the seasons. The things I am interested in eating, the amount of food and even the preparation. We had a few days of warm weather last month and I instantly adopted a summer palate. I was interested in salads and simple meals. I also wanted bright, refreshing things to drink.
At a recent dinner at Longman & Eagle I had a whiskey drink with ginger beer that was pretty outstanding and got me wondering about ginger beer. I’ve heard it used to describe a variety of beverages, some containing alcohol, some not, some carbonated, some not. A little internet research seems to confirm that the term is applied to a range of liquids and the only common component is, well, ginger. I was interested in a non-alcoholic version that I could use as a mixer with soda or something a little stronger and  decided to give making my own ginger beer a go. read more+++

Yes, the name of this recipe made me laugh too. The taste, however, is not funny. It is buttery and delicious and an excellent way to use the other half of the dough from the kuchen. After the many steps that go into making that masterpiece, this simple preparation will seem easy and breezy, but no less satisfying. read more+++

I don’t know Carole Walter, but I love Carole Walter. She is a woman after my own heart. She is an incredibly accomplished baker, teacher and cookbook author and judging from her author photo, a very sweet lady. But the books are what I want to talk to you about today. Specifically, Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More, her encyclopedia-like cookbook dedicated to these pastries. An entire cookbook about coffee cake, people! You know how I feel about coffee cake! Walter’s books are wonderful resources for anyone interested in baking and I encourage you all to seek out her recipes. read more+++

A tiny little post and a final recipe from Bryan’s party. read more+++

I usually plan menus in reverse. I start with what I want to make for dessert and then worry about the rest of the meal later. Since I was working around a Southern Barbecue theme for Bryan’s birthday, I knew I wanted a layer cake. I ended up making John Besh’s Père Roux’s Cake which was really good, but a little too sweet for me. It is a white layer cake filled with layers of a banana-rum-caramel and topped with cream cheese frosting, I have some ideas for adjustments on the cake and will likely share my version in the future. For those of you interested in giving it a try, the recipe is available here. If you have his beautiful cookbook, My New Orleans, note that there is a major error in the printed recipe. It calls for 3 tablespoons of baking powder! A version in Food & Wine calls for 1 tablespoon so I went with that. In addition to the cake, this was the perfect time for a pecan pie.

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I have been MIA, but with good reason! For starters, my friends at Floriole opened their bakery and café and I have had no reason to bake since freshly made croissants, tarts and cakes are a couple of blocks from my office. I’ll be writing more about Floriole soon, but if you are in Chicago you really need to drop what you are doing and go! It is the most exciting thing to open in Chicago in a long time and definitely my favorite bakery.

But really, my time has been spent planning Bryan’s birthday party which was this past Saturday. It was a great night with lots of good friends and good food. A few of the recipes from the Southern-style barbecue were real stand-outs and worth sharing with you. I’m starting with Bryan’s favorite, which is a recipe for skillet cornbread from the Lee brothers. read more+++

Here in the Midwest we are hovering between seasons. Winter is over but spring produce is just starting to trickle into the markets. Consequently, I end up eating some strange things that don’t necessarily belong to any season. This salad is a good example. It was inspired by something I ate at Hot Chocolate a couple of months ago that stuck in my head.

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After working on my recipe index, I was surprised to see that I didn’t have a recipe for peanut butter cookies. This is strange for a couple of reasons. As someone who never cared about chocolate, peanut butter cookies were always a safe choice when I was a kid (the other option, oatmeal, was always risky because too often they contained raisins- yuck). Also, peanut butter cookies are one of only three things my mom baked on a regular basis. Her peanut butter cookies are my favorite. They are thin and crispy and always over-baked. Yes, my mom is a pretty classic over-cooker. She just wants to make sure it is Done. As a result, I developed an appreciation for well-browned baked goods at an early age, I think it makes me very European. I still bake things longer than I should if I am baking for myself. There is something about that deeply browned edge that makes me very, very happy.

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RANUNCULUS
Ranunculus are one of my favorite flowers. They are beautiful in bunches or as single stems and they even look good as they are dying (for real!). The bunch pictured above are from one of my favorite internet friends, A Rockridge Life. Elizabeth’s site is always inspiring and her floral arrangements are incredibly beautiful. (photo courtesy of A Rockridge Life)

FRUIT SPOON

This isn’t just any spoon. I mean, look at this thing—it is so beautiful! It is made using an 18th century spoon mold and hand forged and polished. It is a real work of art and perfect for serving up some fresh berries or a generous scoop of whipped cream. Also, it is dishwasher safe which makes me immeasurably happy.

STANLEY & SONS APRON
I already wrote about these aprons over at ReadyMade, but wanted to share my own with you. The other day I realized I was choosing what to wear based on what would look good with my apron. Yikes! read more+++

The new issue of Saveur features a cover story on the food of Rome. I’ve been experiencing some pretty serious wanderlust in recent weeks and so dreaming about Rome came pretty naturally. Since I have no real hopes of a trip to Italy in the near future, I decided to try a couple of the recipes. I started with the gnocchi and the milk-braised fennel. Luckily, they were both great, relatively easy to make, and perfect for this moment where many of us are anxiously waiting the arrival of warmer days and adventure.

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