black plum mini-strudels.

by shannon on July 22, 2013 in breakfast, brunch, desserts with 30 Comments

black plum mini-strudels.

Somehow, with all the food and food learning this blog has produced, my favorite thing has been learning how to copycat things that one could normally buy at the store. It’s like a specialized hobby within the more general hobby of baking and cooking. Maybe it’s lazy, because I’m taking someone else’s idea and just trying to figure out the details, but the end result is the same: I get to make my favorite things at home, which means I get to eat them at the peak of freshness. Continue reading →

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summer things + a wee book review.

by shannon on July 18, 2013 in book reviews, general information and events with 20 Comments

summer things.

This is not where we’re staying, by the way: I’m pretty sure some totally unsavory things go on at these beach shacks, but I’ve always liked the look of them. It’s random post time, people; a virtual postcard, if you will, to show you some of the things we’ve been doing. Continue reading →

mediterranean egg sandwich + slow-roasted tomatoes: a panera bread copycat.

by shannon on July 15, 2013 in breakfast with 26 Comments

copycat panera bread mediterranean egg sandwich.

Two recipes! I thought about throwing the slow roasted tomatoes into a separate post, but I didn’t want to drag things out too much; you already have a separate post for the ciabatta part of this anyway, if you’re interested in making it yourself.

I will not make you do that; this is more about the sandwich and the filling than it is the bread, so I’m not going to beat you over the head and tell you that you need to spend what basically amounts to a week (if you don’t have a sourdough starter already going) to make the bread part of this recipe. I spent too long during my Fear of Yeast years shying away from recipes involving bread-making. Do you have a favorite ciabatta? Great. go get some and I’m betting it will be perfectly lovely for this. Continue reading →

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sourdough ciabatta.

by shannon on July 13, 2013 in appetizers, breakfast, brunch, sides with 20 Comments

sourdough ciabatta.

There is something to be said for people who rush to your aid even though they have never met you in person. A few weeks back, I had been attempting (and failing, in various and really disgusting ways) to make a successful sourdough starter. By the second or third attempt, I was convinced the entire thing wasn’t for me. What was I doing wrong here? Bread starters are supposed to smell all luscious and warm hearthy; mine smelled like I poured beer over some yellow cake and abandoned it in the sink for a few weeks. I’m not going to lie; I may have cried a little bit. Because here I thought I had gotten over the yeast part of things (where nothing ever rose correctly), but now it seemed as though the universe was telling me that the gates were locked on anything sourdough-related.

But I love sourdough breads the best.

Continue reading →

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fourth of july weekend 2013.

by shannon on July 9, 2013 in general information and events with 27 Comments

fourth of july burgers, 2013.

Hiiii! *waves furiously* Did the Fourth of July weekend whisk right past us or what? I would have written sooner, but I’ve been busy.

fourth of july 2013.

fourth of july 2013.

fourth of july 2013.

Sooooooo busy. Continue reading →

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candy bar tart.

by shannon on July 3, 2013 in desserts with 43 Comments

candy bar tart.

Party tart alert! I know many of us are celebrating tomorrow, and I’m sure there will be some fired-up barbecue grills and tasty sides, but have you thought about dessert? There are so many options at this time of the year; summer fruit seems like it’s all peaking right this moment, and I think I can hear your ice cream makers churning as I write this. I’m on vacation, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be making you food; we make food all the time down here, because we can eat every single meal poolside, and nothing pairs better with eggs and turkey bacon than your own toes in the water watching the sun rise, let me tell you. Continue reading →

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sweet cherry + rosemary focaccia.

by shannon on June 28, 2013 in appetizers, brunch, sides, snacks with 28 Comments

sweet cherry + rosemary focaccia.

One more for the road, people; I’m writing this post and then launching myself face-first into my suitcase so I can get packed and ready for our flight this Monday. Well that, and a few dozen other odds and ends I need to tie up, but that’s okay: once we’re all in Florida, it’ll be vacation, and vacation food to go with.

Bread and I have been having a little bit of a moment recently, and I’ve been trying to figure out why. It’s just never happened to me before in a summer setting: typically, I get all bread-crazy in the winter. Perhaps this year it’s because I’ve learned how to actually make it versus trying to do so and dissolving in a pile of tears when it inevitably fails. I suppose that makes the entire process more fun for everyone. Continue reading →

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cucumber guacamole.

by shannon on June 24, 2013 in appetizers, sides, snacks with 34 Comments

cucumber guacamole.

I’ve been eating this nonstop for a few weeks now, and it occurred to me that many of you may like it as much as I do. ‘Tis the season to dive headlong into as many avocados as you can find, because they are buttery and scrumptious, and oh so good for you. Even their fat is good for you. Avocados are fabulous, but let’s be honest; the have quite a few calories, and sometimes you just don’t want to care about that. Continue reading →

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an open letter to nigella lawson.

by shannon on June 21, 2013 in Uncategorized with 23 Comments

thoughts for nigella.

Dear Ms. Nigella Lawson:

I’m making one of your always-stunning cakes today – the old-fashioned chocolate one from Feast, which is my all-time favorite – and I can’t help but think about you while I do it.

No one, I imagine, likes their personal life to become fodder for public consumption. Well, I suppose some people revel in it, but those aren’t the kind of people I enjoy. You don’t seem to be one of those people at all, and thank goodness for that. It must make your current situation that much more intolerable, egregious, and overwhelming than it already is, if that is even possible. You remain silent about it; I can only assume you’re doing that out of respect for your own privacy and that if your children, and I commend you for that. The only opinions which matters right now, and the only hearts you should be concerned with protecting are those. Continue reading →

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(any) fruit curd tartlets + meringue twists.

by shannon on June 20, 2013 in desserts with 17 Comments

fruit curd tartlets + meringue hats.

How’s that for a title? Because that’s really what they are; little vanilla tuille cookies shaped like ruffly free-form tartlets, filled with your choice of creamy fruit curd, and topped with a twist of meringue cookie. I made these around the same time as that angel food cake and grapefruit curd; so many of you mentioned that you hate wasting either the egg whites or yolks when you make a dessert which uses either one or the other, and I thought this was another great way to use both parts at the same time. The tuilles use 4 egg whites, and the meringues take 6, so find a fruit curd you love that uses around 10 egg yolks, and you’re all set. Continue reading →

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