pre-Halloween midnight snack

Organic (Dr. Oetker) chocolate cupcakes with orange-oil spiked frosting and Halloween non-pareils. Tested the idea last night and left a midnight (or 2-3 am) snack out for my guy.

flashback :: cheesy meat pie

I made this the night after I made the savory pancetta tart, since I had some pie dough left. I filled this savory pie with sauteed ground beef, onions and garlic, mixed with chopped baked potato, sour cream and a mix of cheeses (cheddar & jack?). I might have enjoyed it better if the potatoes were pureed or in smaller bits, but overall, it was quite tasty!

flashback :: savory pancetta tart

I made this tart back in January -- I know it's not cold out, but I can reminisce -- peppery sauteed pancetta, caramelized onions, maybe a little thyme, and nutty gruyere, hugged by flaky pie crust. Yumm....

flashback: ricotta muffins

I think I made these back in January -- on one of my snowy days off. I was inspired by Smitten Kitten's ricotta-stuffed muffins, but kept mine sweet with honey and sugared almonds on the top.

Here are my muffins, all lined up -- I pop them halfway out so that the steam doesn't make the bottoms soggy as they cool.
A lone muffin waiting to be eaten...
While the layers in my muffins were much less defined than those of Smitten Kitten, they were incredibly moist!

Williams Sonoma pumpkin bread pan!

I love when things come out like they are in the picture! I used the recipe on the back of the label, and it was fantastic.

Bavarian-style Soft Pretzels

The other night, after watching Throwdown! with Bobby Flay (the episode where he challenges the Pretzel Boys of Philly), my friend and I were inspired to make our own soft pretzels. The next morning, we found a simple Bavarian-style soft pretzel recipe on the BeerSmith blog -- it's the type of pretzel that Bobby made during the Throwdown.

The pretzel dough-making was easy. Just follow the directions in the recipe to mix and knead the dough, let it rise until doubled, then shape. The pretzels take a quick bath (15-20 seconds) in boiling baking soda-water solution and are ready to be sprinkled with delicious toppings -- we did some with salt only, some with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or Parmesan cheese, and one or two with a combo of everything.

Here's what they looked like after the water bath and the addition of the toppings.


They spent about 8 minutes in a 475 degree (F) oven and were ready to be ripped apart. We ate them plain, but you could dip them in mustard or a cheesy sauce. I would definitely repeat this recipe again. They were fantastic!

No-Knead Sweet Rolls

Have you ever had a craving for sweet dinner rolls, but don't have hours to work with a labor-intensive dough? I found a recipe for Blue Ribbon Overnight Rolls, and they've become a favorite among my roommates. I've made a few changes to the recipe, so here it is!

No-Knead Sweet Rolls

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast (or one packet)
1 cup warm whole milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

1. Mix together yeast, warm milk and sugars. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Add eggs, melted butter, and salt.
3. Mix in the flour, one cup at a time, until dough is well combined.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel for at least 3 hours. (You can even let it stand overnight.)
5. Divide the dough into 16-24 even pieces. (You can either divide the dough in half and follow the steps illustrated below, or divide the dough into 16-24 pieces and roll each into a ball.)
6. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

apple dutch baby :: crep horneado de manzana

Cosmen & Keiless

If you live in Madrid, it's possible that you have already discovered the most fantastic bakery in the city. But if not, here it is.

Cosmen & Keiless is a bakery and pastry shop situated in the Plaza de las Salesas. There, it's considered taboo to even mention frozen bread (a very common occurance in the city). They carry exclusively naturally leavened (aka sourdough) and freshly baked breads and a lovely selection of other tasty bites. They have a mixture of Spanish and American foods. This reflects perfectly the family of owner Kay Hespen. She (who is American) and her Spanish husband José Suárez are the creators of the delicatessens known as Hespen y Suarez and this store is their latest venture.






They have a delicious selection of breads (including Madrid's classic baguette-style loaf named "pistola" for only 1,20€ and also the "miche" that goes for only 0,42€ per 100 grams). They also have a myriad of sweets -- sweet rolls, cakes, cupcakes, brownies and cookies (which some people call "cookie-bars"). In addition, they sell the best American-style bagels that exist in Madrid.

If you'd like to visit the store, you can arrive from any of the following metro stations -- Chueca, Tribunal, Alonso Martinez, or Colon. Click here to see a map.

If you have yet to find this jewel of Madrid, there is no other option for you... You have to go to the nearest metro station... =)

Info tidbit : When I was studying in Madrid, I did an internship with the company that opened this bakery -- World Wide Food.

Cosmen y Keiless

Si vives in Madrid, es posible que ya has dado cuenta de la panadería más fantástica de la ciudad. Pero si no, aquí lo tienes.

Cosmen y Keiless es una panadería y pastelería situada en la Plaza de las Salesas, 8. Allí es un tabú hablar de pan congelado. Tienen exclusivamente pan de levadura madre y un montón de otras delicias. Tienen una mezcla de comida española y comida americana. Esto refleja perfectamente la familia de la propietaria Kay Hespen. Ella (quien es americana, por supuesto) y su marido José Suárez (quien es español) son las creadores de los delis Hespen y Suarez y esta tienda es su nueva ventura.

Tienen allí una selección muy buena de panes (incluyendo el clásico - pistola madrileña a solamente 1,20€ y también el "miche" que venden a solamente 0,42€ por cada 100 gr). Tienen también una selección de dulces -- bollos, bizcochos, "cupcakes", "brownies" y "cookies" (que unas personas llaman "cookie-bars"). También venden los "bagels" mejores de Madrid.

Si quieres visitar a la tienda, puedes llegar del metro Chueca, Tribunal, Alonso Martinez, o Colon. Haz clic aquí para ver un mapa.

Si ya no has encontrado esta joya de la ciudad, no tienes otra opción. Tienes que ir a la estación de metro más cerca... =)

versatility of granola

When I'm in the mood to bake, I don't always like to do the same old - same old. I get bored with doing the same flavor combinations over and over, and I love throwing some surprises into the mix.

The other day, I was in the cookie mood, and was thinking of doing some almond- and coconut-loaded sugar cookies. However, I could not find my sliced almonds and did not really feel like toasting coconut. So I grabbed some of the almond and coconut granola I made and tossed it in. It occurred to me that since I like oatmeal cookies so much, I couldn't go wrong. And, man, were they tasty! I recommend throwing some of your favorite granola into the mix next time you're in the need of a cookie-change.

Biscotti Time!

Every year, my mom and I spend at
least a day baking biscotti, Italian twice-baked cookies. They're perfect for dipping in coffee, hot cocoa or tea. There are some flavors that we make every year, and we usually add a few new ones. This year's flavors are:

Cranberry Almond / Apple, Nut & Spice / Cranberry Walnut
Anise / Citrus Poppyseed / Cherry & Chocolate Chip
Mocha Almond / Double Ginger / Cranberry Pistachio
Chocolate & Peanut Chip / Tropical Trail Mix
Super Nutty (Almond, Walnut & Hazelnut)
Lemon Rosemary (savory)

Buttermilk Bread

I've been in a baking mood lately, but I've been crunched for time. I had a few hours on my hands, but I'm very type-A so I was doing multiple things at once and needed a quick bread idea. Not really a "quick bread" but more of a "shortcut" yeast bread. I found a recipe for buttermilk loaves-- a blended yeast bread. The beginning of the mixing process is done using a hand mixer. Very interesting process, actually. Before you know it, you have yummy loaves of bread, and your whole house smells like a bakery.