28 Oct
Buttermilk-Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
Posted by Michelle as Coffee Cakes | 25 Comments
I have had this crumb cake bookmarked for quite some time; as soon as I saw it sitting in my Google Reader it drew me in. I have developed a great preference for cakes, quick breads, and muffins/scones that use buttermilk – it definitely seems to bring out all of the other flavors and provides a richness that most other ingredients can’t accomplish.
I was trying to pinpoint the smell and flavor for the longest time and couldn’t figure out, and then I realized that it tastes like a donut! I’m not sure what contributes to that flavoring, but it definitely takes on the smell and taste of a donut. It goes without saying then that this is a fabulous cake and the crumb topping makes it absolutely delectable.
20 Oct
Chili… On a Chilly Fall Day
Posted by Michelle as Soups, Stews and Chili | 11 Comments
Fall seems to have taken a permanent hold over the last few weeks and as a result, I’ve been craving a warm and hearty comfort meal full of flavor. What cures that craving better than a big bowl of chili that has slowly simmered for hours? Not much, right? I have only ever made one other version of chili, which is the one my mom made growing up. While it’s certainly a great meal, it’s not quite authentic – it doesn’t contain much in the way of seasonings and includes rice. So I went off in search of a more traditional chili recipe.
18 Oct
French Toast
Posted by Michelle as Breakfast Foods | 14 Comments
Honest to goodness, custard-drenched, authentic French toast. I told you I was going to make good use of that Challah I made!
I eat French toast pretty often, but it’s usually nothing close to the sweet sensation that I cooked up this morning. I typically keep it pretty light and healthy – wheat bread, a couple of eggs whisked together with a splash of milk, quick dip, and then browned on the skillet. This, however, is so incredibly decadent, has such a rich flavor, and so sweet that I would argue that the syrup could be optional. Crazy, right??
16 Oct
World Bread Day: Challah
Posted by Michelle as Yeast Breads | 17 Comments
Once again the wonderful Zorra has coordinated a celebration of the World Bread Day, asking bloggers from all over the globe to bake, buy, or photograph bread and blog about it today. World Bread Day is an event created by the UIB (International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners) in an effort to provide an opportunity to talk about bread and bakers, to find out about their history, their importance, as well as their future.
In the spirit of what World Bread Day is all about, I decided to bake a bread that symbolizes a history and heritage that I am unfamiliar with, in an effort to learn more about it. Challah is a special braided bread eaten by some groups of Jews on the Sabbath and holidays. According to Jewish tradition, Sabbath and holiday meals begin with a blessing over two loaves of bread. This “double loaf” commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The manna did not fall on the Sabbath or on holidays; instead a double portion fell before the Sabbath and holidays. See, I learned something new! 
15 Oct
Apple Hand Pies
Posted by Michelle as Fruit Pies | 28 Comments
Apple Pie: rustic, flaky, tart, and spicy. The most iconic of American traditions.
These marvelous little pies package up the best parts of apple pie, eliminate a lot of the work, and deliver scrumptious, addictive fruit-wrapped-in-crust that can be stowed away in your pocket for safe keeping. Hand pies have been making their way around the blog universe since the beginning of summer, it seems, and I’ve been meaning to make them but never quite got around to it. So when Annie asked if I was interested in making the Bourbon Peach Hand Pies that were featured on smitten kitchen, I was intrigued. While I’m not much of a peach fan, I figured I could use Deb’s dough recipe and sub in my own apple filling, which is what I did.
These hand pies are a fantastic option for changing up the traditional slice of pie and ice cream and would be especially welcome as a dessert at an outdoor gathering or one that included small children. And really, for the kid in all of us – what’s much better than a slice of apple pie that you can pick up and carry around with you?
13 Oct
Housekeeping – Some New Features
Posted by Michelle as Brown Eyed Baker Site News | 3 Comments
Hey everyone, I have done a tiny bit of housekeeping here on Brown Eyed Baker and wanted to share some of the new features with you. Nothing earth shattering, but a few changes that I hope will improve your experience when you come to visit!
If you check out my category listings to the right you’ll see some changes, which are most notably around all of the bread here on the blog. I now have separate categories for Quick Breads, which includes muffins and scones, and Yeast Breads, which also includes other baked goods that use yeast such as bagels, cinnamon rolls, and the like. While yeast rolls will still be cross referenced in Yeast Breads, I also have a separate category broken out for rolls and biscuits. I hope that this new break out of categories makes browsing easier and you all have an easier time finding what you’re looking for!
At the end of each post is now a button that will enable you to share and bookmark the content found in the blog. The button looks like this:
When you click it a menu will come up that will give you a whole host of choices - you can bookmark that post, email it to a friend, or share it on a variety of social networking sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Facebook, MySpace, and others.
If you are a member of Facebook, you can now join the Brown Eyed Baker page and receive updates, view photos, and take part in discussions about what you like and don’t like about the blog, how I can make improvements, and connect with other readers. Click Here to go to the Brown Eyed Baker page and click “Become a Fan”.
Finally, I have created a photostream on Flickr, which you can view here. If you just looooove my pictures (hey, they’re improving!) you can subscribe to the photostream so you are alterted whenever a new photo is uploaded.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you all find the changes useful and exciting.
Happy Monday!
11 Oct
Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Posted by Michelle as Cheesecakes | 43 Comments
Behold, a gorgeous four-part cheesecake in all of its glory:
Oreo crumb crust.
Creamy cheesecake.
Fudgy brownies.
Chocolate ganache glaze.
WOW. Now, many of you know I am a self-professed Queen of Cheesecake. No, I’m not tooting my own horn about how fabulous my own cheesecakes always turn out, but cheesecake is by far my very favorite dessert. I’ll eat it before anything else laid in front of me. And so when I saw this cheesecake featured on Smitten Kitchen, there was no turning back. I had to make it. Immediately. And with no good reason whatsoever other than I wanted it. No company, no dinner party, no celebration. Just because it looked THAT good.
08 Oct
Roasted Flank Steak with Olive Oil-Herb Rub
Posted by Michelle as Meat | 6 Comments
I had cut this recipe out of a Cooking Light issue more than a year ago and stowed it away in my stash of “to make” recipes, never to be seen again. I have an entire folder of recipes ripped out of magazines that I want to try (not to mention the hundreds that are starred in my Google Reader), and until last week I had all but neglected them. Last Wednesday morning after getting out of the shower our power went out. I work from home, so no power = no work. I decided that my “recipe shelves” (i.e. all of my cookbooks, magazines, and tear outs) were in desperate need of a purge and reorganization, so with the freedom of not being tethered to any electronics, off I went and I unearthed this recipe. I honestly wish the power would go out more often – it’s such a liberating feeling to know you can’t turn on the TV, surf the Internet, or do anything else than just “be”. Maybe I should make that more of a priority even when the power IS on! I digress…
05 Oct
Lavash Crackers
Posted by Michelle as Pizza, Flatbreads and Crackers | 14 Comments
First, an apology for being so tardy on this challenge. I have no good reason other than September simply ran away from me. Busy weekends, busy work, and this just got pushed to the back burner. But I am so happy that I stayed the course and still gave this a try because this is a phenomenal recipe that can be adapted to suit any taste. This was also an historical month for the Daring Bakers – this month we went vegan (insert shrill shrieking from this bacon cheeseburger fiend)! Thanks to Natalie of Gluten a Go Go and Shel of Musings from the Fishbowl for co-hosting this monumental event. And if that weren’t exciting enough, September was also my 1-year anniversary as a Daring Baker. What fun I’ve had expanding my baking repertoire and pushing my boundaries. Thank you to Lis and Ivonne for creating and maintaining such a wonderful group! And now onto these crackers!
03 Oct
Homemade Pierogi
Posted by Michelle as Vegetarian Entrees | 24 Comments
So just about everyone that reads my blog is pretty aware of my much-talked-about Italian heritage. Well, I also have a *smidgen* of Polish in me, and this meal pays homage to that blood. Homemade pierogi made it onto my Top 100 list, so when Annie asked if I would be interested in making them together, I jumped at the opportunity. Truth be told, I’ve never eaten a homemade pierogi in my life. Mrs. T’s all the way for me! Traditionally, the only time we really ever ate pierogi growing up was during Lent – mostly because they were an easy no-meat alternative on Fridays. And if we’re being honest, the suckers are really good! Who can resist a half-moon of dough filled with potato and cheese, fried in butter and onions?
