52 weeks of baking

Last Friday our very own peach-pie eating contest winner 7bits brought in a flat of super ripe peaches. At the end of the day there were eight peaches left and no one here to eat them. Instead of letting them go to waste, I decided to take them home and turn them into something tasty. I thought about making jam or ice cream, but really wanted something I could bring in to share with everyone. So after a quick search online I found a recipe that inspired me. Doesn't the name Ginger Peach Upside Down Cake inspire you too? To check out the recipe I used, read more

Although lemons are more of a winter fruit, I was really craving a tangy lemon tart. I found a recipe by Delia Smith and was intrigued by the fact that - unlike most lemon tarts - it was a deep dish tart. It's thicker than usual and is more filling than pastry (translation: more lemon goodness!). The crust was a little cumbersome, if you've got a great crust recipe I'd stick with it (this one did NOT want to cooperate - I ended up rolling it between two pieces of parchment paper), but definitely try this filling. For a unique twist on the standard lemon tart, read more

This week I decided to bake something French for travel week. I originally thought I'd make a classic creme brulee, but after flipping through Julia Child's wonderful Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I landed on a clafouti instead. The anniversary of Julia Child's birth is approaching and in order to celebrate, I thought it was time to try mastering something new.

So what is a clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-tee)? It's a custard-style baked French dessert, traditionally made with cherries (but you can substitute most any fruit). The batter is similar to pancake batter, but the result is more like a flan. It's wonderfully delicious served warm with powdered sugar on top, and is ridiculously easy to put together. To make this tonight, read more.

The other day I walked past PartySugar's desk and caught her looking at some puffy goldfish crackers. I asked her what she was looking at and she said that she would send it my way. It turned out that she had found a recipe for homemade goldfish crackers. I knew immediately that I wanted to give it a try, however, there was one problem, I didn't have a fish cookie cutter. I thought I would cut them out with a knife (which is what I did for the few you see), but in the end I decided to use a bear cookie cutter instead. The final result was pretty tasty, and was very similar to store bought goldfish crackers. To make your own golden, cheesy crackers, read more

As I was leaving work yesterday, it dawned on me that I had not baked anything this week. Panicking, I said to PartySugar, "Gah, I don't have a lot of time, what should I make?" Surprisingly, she handed me a printout for a Sour Cream Pound Cake and said, "Bake this, I printed out two copies on accident." I checked out the recipe, decided that it sounded simple and tasty and thought, sure why not?! The only ingredient that wasn't in my pantry was sour cream, so I popped by the cornerstore and a little while later I was noshing on pound cake cupcakes (the easy to whip up - no mixer necessary - recipe has enough batter for a full loaf and a few cupcakes extra). To make this lovely cake tonight (honest, it's simple, just give yourself a little time - it needs to stay in the oven for over an hour), read more

I first saw this recipe for a fresh lime chiffon cake last June, but was reminded of it a few months ago when kmcconne79 posted it to the Kitchen Goddess group. Knowing that my sister is a big fan of light, tart cakes, I decided to file it away for her birthday. Fast forward to last weekend and we've got the next installment of 52 Weeks of Baking. The cake is a little complicated and time consuming, however if you're intimidated or pressed for time, you could take the flavor concept, fillings and frosting and substitute the homemade cake with box cake. Also, I added in strawberries, but feel free to use your favorite flavor pairings. To check out the recipe, read more

The magazine Cook's Country recently hosted a recipe contest where their readers sent in their old-school family recipes. The winner, a crafty "Peach Puzzle" looked delicious, but didn't really catch my fancy until I read the recipe. The whole thing is prepared like an upside-down cake - with an empty ramekin placed in the middle - and when flipped over the ramekin is surprisingly full of a sweet liquid treat! It's wonderfully old-fashioned, absolutely tasty, and I actually couldn't wait to tell everyone how it was made. If you're curious yourself, then check out the recipe now, read more

With the weather heating up, my thoughts keep turning to ice cream and other frozen treats. So when it came time to bake something, I didn't know where to begin. Luckily in his new book, The Perfect Scoop, the amazing David Lebovitz included a recipe for homemade ice cream cones. He recommends purchasing specialty cone molds, but said it was completely do-able without them. If I can make something without having to buy special equipment, then I'm all for it. They turned out a little rough around the edges, however they were relatively simple and had a nice delicate vanilla flavor - and bonus you can tell your friends you made them yourself! If you fancy giving your own ice cream cones a try (and I suggest you do), then get the recipe now, read more

Since today is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day, I figured I'd go ahead and whip up a batch for myself. I thought about making a traditional peanut butter cookie, but I don't really know how to leave a good thing alone and decided that it needed some tweaking. After all, everything tastes better when Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are involved, right? Right! So I headed to the kitchen and made a cookie concoction. To see the ups and downs in creating my own peanut butter cookie recipe, read more

A few years ago, while cleaning out my cheese drawer, I decided to shred up all the leftovers and bake up a batch of cheese chips. Cheese chips are essentially mounds of cheese heated at a temperature low enough to melt them, but high enough to change the cheese from chewy to crispy. The end result is a delicious snack that pairs well with a crisp salad. Oh and did I mention that it's ridiculously simple and only takes about 5 minutes to whip up? To figure out how to make your own cheese chips, read more