I think most people, buried in the to-do lists of their day-to-day lives, probably have some sort of pipe dream, an “I’ll do this someday when life slows down and the timing is right” sort of thing, that they keep coming back to when day jobs get too busy, overwhelming or stressful, and they just…
French apple tartlettes? Bon appétit!
It feels like it’s been forever since I baked from a good old-fashioned, paper-bound cookbook, and I forgot how much I missed the feel of those pages. Unless you’re unreasonably careful, cookbooks always share reminders of their use, and all those drips of batter and smears of butter across flour-speckled pages remind the book that…
Life without a microwave: Brown butter Rice Krispies treats
We have no microwave in our home, and we haven’t since we moved here a year and a half ago. As apartment dwellers, we’ve spent the past five-plus years relying on the appliances our rentals provide, and when we moved here, there was no microwave. Gallant folks that we are, we decided to trudge on…
Lessons from a do-over: Banana tea muffins
I’ve learned a lot of lessons in the kitchen over the past few years. No. 1: Wait until the immersion blender is in the soup before turning it on. No. 2: Serrated knives are great for cutting chocolate. No. 3: Never underestimate the power of parchment paper. And No. 4: Don’t freak out when it…
Project NYT: Mr. Wonka, this one’s for you
Remember that blueberry girl from Willy Wonka? The one who chewed like a fiend and blew up to the size of a small boat when she chomped a bit too heartily on the three-course-dinner gum and had to be juiced to get back to normal size? I’m not sure I’d choose magic gum as a…
Project NYT: Strawberry ice cream forever
Boy howdy. I am in love with this ice cream maker. The snazzy little gizmo (let’s just call her Creama) has been whipping up a storm this weekend and is already proving to be quite a pro. It’s easy to set up, easy to use and easy peasy to clean. No, this is not a…
An ice cream kind of summer
Deep within the pages of the NYT Cookbook, in the introduction to the frozen dessert section, Amanda Hesser writes: “As someone who eats ice cream nearly every day, I’m an enthusiastic proponent of making it yourself” (p. 715). I came across these words of wisdom a few weeks ago, and they struck me for a…
Project NYT: Sugared puffs
After too many days of packing, moving boxes and settling into our summertime abode, I’ve come to one conclusion: Moving (even the temporary, just-for-the-summer kind) is exhausting. The exhaustive nature of all this moving business has been pretty clear in our kitchen since sometime around the end of April, when we started trying to eat…
Project NYT: Lemon sablés — everyone needs some sparkle
It’s hot. It’s humid. I’m on another lemon kick. You know that feeling when you walk into the bathroom not long after someone else in the house took a super hot shower? That’s how Missouri feels in the summertime. Hot. Steamy. Ooph. If you’re a hot-and-sticky summertime fan, then you’re probably gearing up for three…
Project NYT: Lemon bars
I’ve spent a good many years making lemon bars from the basic box mix that you find at the grocery store, the ones with the light, cookie-like crust and the sort of spongy lemony middles. I know they’re nothing to write home about; they’ve never been the kind of dessert that makes my taste buds…