Category Archives: food

Olive oil ice cream: knowing who is boss (of the kitchen)

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

First off, I am an ice cream making fool, at least since last summer, when my obsession began. I’ve made an astonishing array of ice cream, including asparagus, most recently. Dorie’s olive oil ice cream, while satisfying and creamy, didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in family, food, ice cream, summer | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Double chocolate and banana tart: putting the pieces back together

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

For once, I thought I’d easily conquered not only the tart dough on round one, but also the entire multi-step process without incident, aggravation, mistake, or calamity. Surprisingly, despite the fact that I had to make an appetizer and the … Continue reading →

Posted in children, family, food, mistakes, motherhood | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Sticky business: pecan sticky buns

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I made these pecan sticky buns from Baking with Julia so long ago that I barely remember what I need to say about them, except that despite my enduring love of butter, these buns had maybe more butter than I … Continue reading →

Posted in family, food | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Provencal olive [sun dried tomato] fougasse

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I love baking bread, and Dorie Greenspan‘s provencal olive fougasse recipe came at just the right time.  It was a challenge to mold the bread into a leaf shape — and my first attempt was satisfactory, but next time,  I’ll be … Continue reading →

Posted in bread, food | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Back to basics: almond flounder meuniere

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

One way to define basic cooking is as simple, unsophisticated, or plain. When I investigated the title of this dish, almond flounder meuniere (from Around My French Table) I learned that “meuniere” means “Miller’s wife” and thus refers to the rustic … Continue reading →

Posted in children, family, family meals, food | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Hungarian shortbread: getting a workout

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

This recipe was not quite as simple as it seemed. First, I didn’t know much about rhubarb, having never cooked with it before.  The rhubarb I’ve seen in photographs looked much redder and thinner than the giant stalks I found … Continue reading →

Posted in food | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Feeding the fever

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Saturday was dreary, cold, and blustery. More like a gloomy day in early March than a nearly May Saturday. Monkey Man, Gorilla Girl, and I  were feverish for sunshine, warmth, and spring. Since the sun remained hidden for most of … Continue reading →

Posted in bread, family, food, ice cream, spring | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Riffing on a classic: navarin [boeuf] printanier

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I’m usually inclined to follow Dorie’s recipes exactly, especially until I feel comfortable with the result.  This week, though, I had several reasons for making some signficant changes. Dorie Greenspan‘s navarin printanier sounded worth a try, but I have never … Continue reading →

Posted in art, family, family meals, food | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

Coconut friands: the mystery of the Vietnam tea cake solved

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Thanks to Dorie, this week’s  coconut friands — otherwise known as  tea cakes –solved a mystery. The recipe was so simple that I whipped up not one, but two batches (one for a baby shower at my husband’s school). This … Continue reading →

Posted in family, food | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Spring in a cake: lemon loaf style

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Baking with Julia’s Lemon Loaf Cake, as everyone noted, was simplicity itself.  However, no one mentioned how hard it would be to find cake flour, nor did the simple list of ingredients include a reminder NOT to forget to add … Continue reading →

Posted in family, food, spring | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments