March 2009

Coconut Butter Thins

March 31, 2009 | 23 Comments | Email | Print

I have to admit – when I saw that these Coconut Butter Thins were the next Tuesdays With Dorie selection, I was pretty apathetic. I wasn’t overly excited about them, but I wasn’t disappointed either. Well, I want to thank Jayne of The Barefoot Kitchen Witch for such a fabulous pick! These cookies completely exceeded [...]

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Lasagne Verdi al Forno

March 27, 2009 | 9 Comments | Email | Print

New month. New Daring Bakers challenge. Or was it? I have become quite accustomed to opening the new DB challenge in anticipation of chocolate, sugar, and everything else that accompanies sweet decadence. As a result, I was quite shocked to see that the challenge for March was lasagna. Hmmm. Don’t get me wrong, as an [...]

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Blueberry Crumb Cake

March 24, 2009 | 23 Comments | Email | Print

Yes, you are reading correctly – I am back in the TWD saddle! After being the second member of the group back in January of ’08 I decided last summer to take a break from the weekly baking to focus on some other baking goals I had. But, I have to admit – I have [...]

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Irish Soda Bread ~ Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 18, 2009 | 24 Comments | Email | Print

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Although I am one-quarter Irish, I am embarrassed to admit that I really am not educated on the food and traditions of the Irish culture. As a result, I thought for St. Patrick’s Day I would bake up something traditionally Irish and take a little time to learn about the background [...]

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Sour Cream Coffee Cake

March 13, 2009 | 34 Comments | Email | Print

If you’re looking for an out-of-this-world, above and beyond coffee cake, you’ve come to the right post. This is no Entenmann’s, for sure. I watched Ina Garten make this cake on an episode of Barefoot Contessa well over a year ago. I looked up the recipe online, saved it, and there it sat ever since. [...]

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Braised Beef with Mushrooms and Cabernet Sauce

March 12, 2009 | 6 Comments | Email | Print

Braising is a cooking method I’ve been wanting to try ever since I treated myself to a Le Creuset dutch oven last year. What is braising, you ask? Allow me to provide a quick tutorial: Braising is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a [...]

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Baked Oatmeal

March 8, 2009 | 29 Comments | Email | Print

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Everyone also knows that breakfast can be the most boring meal of the day. It becomes all too easy to fall into a rut of grabbing toast while you run out the door, the same old bowl of cereal, or a calorie-laden Starbucks [...]

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Cucidati – Italian Fig Cookies

March 4, 2009 | 55 Comments | Email | Print

Cucidati is a traditional Italian cookie, originating in Sicily, that is filled with a mixture of figs and other fruits, nuts, and seasonings. Some recipes vary but the “standard” typically includes figs, dates, raisins, and walnuts and is bound together with honey and orange marmalade. I am actually surprised that my grandma never made these [...]

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Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

March 2, 2009 | 23 Comments | Email | Print

I have a rather brief history with bread pudding, having tried it for the first time only this past New Year’s Eve. But oh, I was in love. Perhaps it was the chocolate, the Grand Marnier, the freshly whipped cream, the raspberry coulis, or the combination of all those flavors in bite after sweet bite, [...]

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