Daring Bakers: The Perfect Party Cake

March 30, 2008 By 20 Comments

I am excited to share with you my first Daring Bakers entry. This group of bakers has grown to over 600 members and each month take on a new baking challenge. These different blog events have really challenged me to try things I normally will not consider and I can see my baking abilities improving. This month was Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Cake from her Baking cookbook. Morven hosted this months challenge. I almost never make traditional cakes and dreaded it a bit. In the end I really enjoyed the process and liked this cake. It is a versatile recipe allowing [...]

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Breakfast Bars

March 27, 2008 By 1 Comment

I love granola bars, not the soft ones but ones that are crunchy and a mix of salty and sweet. Recently I purchased my first Nigella cookbook, Nigella Express. I saw these breakfast bars and immediately tried the recipe. I used a mixture of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, along with the peanuts. They came out super crunchy just like I hoped. I think you can play with this recipe and and add the different dried fruits or nuts. They keep in a plastic container for about a week.

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Breakfast Parfaits

March 22, 2008 By 1 Comment

This morning, on a beautiful sunny California day, I wanted something light for breakfast. I ended up making a breakfast parfait from things left in my kitchen. I had strawberries and blackberries and used this yummy granola I buy at Zinc Cafe. Zinc Cafe is a local cafe and market in both Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. I happened to meet the owner this last year, waiting in line for an IPhone one Saturday morning. Yes, I was one of those crazy people. He was inspired by Alice Waters, Cafe Fanny. They serve delicious food. Breakfast feature frittatas, homemade [...]

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Ruby Red Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies

March 20, 2008 By 3 Comments

      Browsing through cookbooks last weekend I discovered this recipe for Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies. I love grapefruit. Eating one for breakfast is always so refreshing. Recently I started exploring recipes that incorporate it.   These cookies are light with a subtle hint of grapefruit. I added a twist by dipping some in white chocolate but in the end I like the light flavor of the original.    

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Brioche Raisin Snails

March 18, 2008 By 23 Comments

I confess I have had a fear of yeast breads. Reading the ingredients of this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie baking event my breath quickened, I was overwhelmed at the three pages of instructions. I was longing for someone to choose one of the shorter, quicker recipe. But then would it be a challenge? Peabody of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody hosted this weeks event. I woke up early one morning last week and decided to dive in. The recipe starts with making one recipe of Brioche dough. As I started through the steps of mixing the dough and then adding in [...]

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Irish Soda Bread

March 17, 2008 By 3 Comments

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I am part Irish and just started a food blog. Irish Soda Bread was a must. I saw a recipe by Julia Child and whipped it up while talking on the phone. Not a good idea. It had only 4 ingredients and seemed so easy. Then I opened the oven to this ugly loaf of bread. I trimmed a piece off and thought it’s missing the raisins. Julia’s did not call for them. This was quite possibly the worst thing I had ever made….sorry Julia. Now truth be told I know good Irish Soda Bread. [...]

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Oven Roasted French Fries

March 16, 2008 By 1 Comment

It is our one month anniversary here at Adventures in the Kitchen. It has been fun meeting so many nice people here in the world of food bloggers. Most people would serve cake at their anniversary party but when looking through some old magazines this week I came across a recipe in Bon Appetit that declared fries as one of the top foods for the year. I love potatoes – baked, mashed, fried they all tasted good to me. It has not been a good and healthy love affair at times. Eating too many of those deep fried morsels or [...]

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Mango Coconut Jasmine Rice

March 14, 2008 By 1 Comment

Something about turning our clocks forward, longer daylight and warm spring days made me go looking for summer recipes. Simple dishes that can be put together. Mango Coconut RIce is a dish I discovered a few years back and make often in the summer. This is a great side dish for any type of grilled fish or chicken even a stir fry.   The coconut milk adds a rich depth to the rice and the lime brings a subtle tang to the dish. This rice is moist, light and flavorful. The mango is a great addition to rice.

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New York Crumb Cake

March 12, 2008 By 2 Comments

When I was a little girl my mom would bake this coffee cake from the Bisquick box. Do you remember those? I loved the chunks of cinnamon sugar topping. I would count the minutes until it came out of the oven. On a cold, rainy Saturday morning nothing tasted better. I wish you could smell the buttery, cinnamon smells escaping from the oven as I write this. It smells just like those coffee cakes from back then. I am sure the Bisquick recipe would not stand up today to those memories but here is one that will. Try not to [...]

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Butterscotch Budino with Caramel Sauce

March 10, 2008 By Leave a Comment

  Earlier, I raved about Pizzeria Mozza, a great little restaurant in Los Angeles and what great food they have. Their signature dessert that everyone raves about is called Butterscotch Budino with Caramel Sauce. The first time I visited Mozza the waiter recommended it.   I have made this two times at home. The recipe was featured in the New York Times. It is not super easy but is worth the effort. The combination of the creamy butterscotch pudding, tart creme fraiche topping and a hint of fleur de sel salt is perfect. My friends were skeptical when I told [...]

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