On my first pass through the magazine, I was pretty certain I’d be giving you an adaptation of Bon Appetit’s Blackberry Buttermilk Cake this month. In fact, looking back at the photos of it now has me borderline pining. But here’s the deal: I just made over their olive oil cake, and worked on that angel food cake, and—spoiler alert—next week I’ll be giving you yet another cake. Now, I love me some cake. It’s is probably my favorite type of dessert. After three cakes in a matter of a few weeks, though? I was beginning to feel a little caked out.
(That said, this still might have to happen soon.)
After another look at the July issue, I spied these Lemon-Lime Basil Shortbread Cookies. And you know what I don’t have a single recipe for on this site? Cookies. I’m not totally sure how that’s possible. I make cookies. I have recipes for cookies. I guess I just make a lot more cake….
So I could use a cookie recipe here and these guys sounded intriguing. Not to mention, my basil is as prolific as ever. A few leaves on top of pizza here and a chiffonade into a light tomato sauce there hasn't really been keeping it at bay. I know I'll need to start considering pesto soon, but these funky little treats have helped out nicely.
I’m not sure what exactly possessed me to set to work on a recipe for Angel Food Cake. Maybe its light, airiness seemed right for summer? Maybe…. Okay, I’d come up with other “maybe”s, but truly I have no idea. Once I got it in my head, however, it stuck. And I’m glad it did.
It's a good kitchen. It's open to the living area, has a gas range and a garbage disposal, granite counters, and one of those faucets that pulls out and turns into a sprayer. But it's also been a frustrating kitchen for me--because of its size. Now, I know all too well that we have what is considered a good-sized kitchen by New York City standards, and I am grateful for that. It's just that I do a lot of cooking and there are very few items in my kitchen that aren't used on a regular basis, which means that I have to unload an entire cabinet to access something almost daily. It's exhausting and the juggle often results in things getting broken. I've completely lost track of how many times in just the past six months I've stood in our kitchen in frustrated tears looking at shards of glass mixed with garlic powder/chickpeas/whathaveyou on the floor around me.
Yikes! Someone grab that cinnamon before it falls out!
If you know me even a little or have been reading this blog for more than half a second, you probably know that I love to make things from scratch. Part of it is the sense of adventure in the undertaking, part of it the feeling of accomplishment when it’s done. Ultimately, it’s about the eating: fresh and homemade always tastes so much better.
Since making ricotta a couple years ago, I can’t help but feel mildly offended by the flavorless, chalky storebought tubs, canned beans taste as much of the can to me as they do of beans, and the mere thought of bottled salad dressing turns my stomach. Not that there is inherently anything wrong with purchasing prepared versions of these and other things—and I do for the sake of convenience from time to time—it’s just that, once you know what something can (and is arguably supposed to) taste like, it’s hard to go back.
So it would stand to reason that I would be up for, eager, maybe even experienced in making homemade ice cream. Right? Well….
What do strawberry shortcake and cobbler have in common? Yes they’re both delicious, but think harder….
That’s right! Biscuits. You guys are smart! (Or my creativity just runs out quickly when fabricating one-sided conversations.)
I did something kinda cheeky today. I made a strawberry cobbler using my sweet cream shortcake biscuits. Then I topped it off with whipped cream (okay, mascarpone). Then I ate it and nearly died. And now I’m sharing it with you.
