Buttermilk Biscuits

My wonderful group of girlfriends up in SF got me a gift card to Sur La Table for my birthday and specifically labeled it "cooking classes". I knew as soon as I saw a class on CHEESE, that it would be an excellent choice for said gift card spendage. We made Mozzarella, Ricotta, Queso Blanco, Crème Fraiche and... drum roll please: Homemade Butter!

I realize I am leading you off topic here, you're seeing the headline about biscuits or somesuch and thinking why is she going on about the cheese class?

For a couple of the cheeses, you need buttermilk. Have you seen the smallest size carton of buttermilk in the store? It's a quart. When you need 6 tablespoons of the stuff to make a batch of Crème Fraiche, you have to find something to do with the other 58 tablespoons.

So, I turned to my trusty copy of Baking Illustrated. This book is my BFF.



Page after page of the most useful baking advice you can ever hope to get. These guys tinker, test and experiment so we don't have to. The goal is to have a foolproof recipe that will work every time.

Impossible Cheesecake?

Not to brag, but I rarely have a mishap in the kitchen. I don't think I have ever burned anything in the oven. I've never forgotten an ingredient. And never ever have I had something come out so bad that I couldn't eat it.

Lovely Leeks

I am going to do some free advertising for a minute here...

Planet Organics = Awesomeness.

I signed up for their services for a couple of months to test the waters. I really enjoyed the front door delivery of fresh, local organic produce. It is great knowing you're supporting farmers in your area while getting your fill of pesticide free, vitamin laden fruits and veggies. You fill your online cart with what you want, or you can let them do a random selection of what's in season if you're into that sort of thing. I did that once and ended up with a cute little mini pumpkin looking thing that I had to google to even know how to prepare. Anyhow, this service is really convenient and totally worth the money. One of the only downsides to this produce was how very perishable it is! You simply must eat everything within a few days. Though I count this as a 'downside' it is really a great thing. It means these veggies are not sprayed with all kinds of chemicals to preserve their appearance or extend their shelf-life. This is real fresh food, people. Real fresh food has an expiration date.

Even my indoor cat knew something was different about the crate of veg in my living room.



Another item in my random selection cart was a bunch of leeks. How happy I was to see those guys. Leeks, unlike that Sweet Dumpling Squash, I know exactly what to do with....

I LOVE LEEKS! I just love them. Their earthy scent, their soft, never over-powering onion flavor. They remind me of my time spent in France. I guess I was eating a lot of leeks at the time because without fail, every time I cut into one I am transported back to my little kitchen in Toulouse... my balcony doors open, sounds of cars on the cobblestone street below, curtains fluttering in the warm afternoon breeze. Me, chopping and cooking and listening to the hustle and bustle. Ohhhhhhh La France.

OK. I'm back.

I didn't really have a recipe in mind for these leeks. I think Leeks sautéed in a little butter with a sprinkling of salt are just heaven. I had a pie crust left in the fridge that needed to be used up so my first thought was a tart. This is such a simple recipe with very few ingredients, I should have made the crust from scratch :( Next time.

Happy Good Friday!

Easter is a time of joy for me because it is essentially the reason behind the faith I have. As the book of Isaiah says, "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." With whatever craziness/struggle/heartbreak/stress or hurt we experience in this life, we can take heart knowing that He bears our burdens so we can have peace. We are a new creation in Christ; the old has gone and the new has come! How awesome is that?

Babies, babies, babies!

One of my girlfriends is having a baby in May and for her shower I decided to test my hand at those oh so cute "Ruffle Butt" onesies. I got the inspiration for these from a few different websites and have seen them done a bunch of different ways. I mainly based it on my friend Kym's . Kym is amazing in the way of all things creative...

These are so fun and easy to make. I will try to post a little step by step tutorial soon.

M.I.A.

Hi everyone! My husband and I have moved house (although 'moved condo' is more accurate) I have not been baking or making anything in the last couple of weeks ... unless you count tacos and chocolate chip cookies, but those serve as less interesting blog entries so I am saving you guys the details. But packing, moving and unpacking takes a lot out of a person. I hope to be back on the baking track soon.

I have a friend's baby shower this Saturday, so I plan on sewing up some cute baby items as a gift. I also found a recipe to make Girl Scout Samoa's from scratch!! Hello shortbread, caramel and chocolate dipped and covered in coconut!! This recipe is slightly intimidating to me, but I know how much everyone loves those Girl Scout cookies! I promise to post soon... Stay tuned!

Not Your Grandmother's Corned Beef

I know I am not the only one who loves those first signs of Spring. The warm rays of sunshine on your wintery white skin, birds chirping at the crack of dawn and the fact that you can leave work at 5:00 and not have to drive home in the dark. We all love those things, but one of my personal favorites about the end of winter is seeing Corned Beef in the grocery store! I LOVE Corned Beef. I would eat it everyday as a child if my mom were to make it for me everyday. The same is still true. Except my mom lives 150 miles away and now I have to make it for myself.