eat make read

Growing up, I remember spending a weekend afternoon spent rolling out pretzel dough into loooonnnng tubes, then trying my best to twist them into perfect pretzel shapes. I’m pretty sure there were some wacky looking pretzels that came out of the oven, but who cares what they look like when I had soft, warm pretzels to look forward to. With memories like that, it’s hard not to try to recreate it.

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Who doesn’t love onion rings? Crispy, golden outside, soft oniony inside… sure you get bad breath, but it’s  totally worth it. I don’t remember much about my grandma june’s cooking, but I do remember her Friday night fish fries, which is the one night I would forgo my picky ban on not eating fish because her’s were so delicious. These onion rings would make an appearance on the dinner table alongside the fish and quickly disappear. Every now and then, I’ll make a batch and just as they did back in the day, they don’t sit on the table for long.

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I am so addicted to this salad. I’ve tried different variations that use apples instead of pears or pecans instead of pistachios and they’re all good… all awesome actually. But my favorite combo is freshly cut pear, some creamy gorgonzola and a few pistachios sprinkled about. Deeelicoius. Plus, it takes all of five minutes, tops. Read more

I miss my weekly inspiration at the farmers market… the bright colors, happy farmers and new surprises each week. Now, I have to admit, I’m pretty lucky because our local farmers market is actually still open, but more often than not I find it hard to bundle myself up and face the walk. A few weeks ago Maude (my dog) and I got up the nerve to face the cold and made the trek. We didn’t come home with any colorful fruit or vegetables, mostly cheese and meat with a few root vegetables sprinkled in, but our one treasure of the day was the most delicious applesauce I’ve ever tasted. It’s made with one of my favorite apples, Fuji and pink in hue. I ate my fair share, but had enough leftover that I decided to make an apple quick bread with it and boy, did it cure my winter blues.

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My lovely friend Samantha of Maquette asked me to contribute a recipe for her week of Valentine’s inpsiration. I immediately thought of my favorite homemade caramels. They are perfectly decadent: buttery, sweet and chewy with a hint of sea salt to jazz things up. Make them for your favorite love or the one you’ve been trying to rope in and you’re sure to win them over with this recipe.

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One of my favorite things about having eat make read is that I’m always trying new things. Sometimes I see a recipe in a magazine or on a blog that inspires me, sometimes I have a crazy idea that requires a little experimentation and then, every once in a while, one of you, my lovely readers sends me a recipe that just needs to be made. Perhaps after noticing my tendency towards tasty weekend breakfasts, reader Susan sent me a recipe for Crisp-Crusted, Feather-Light Raised Waffles from CookWise. Yeast waffles sounded intriguing and delicious, so this weekend I whipped up a batch.

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Some days just require a little more comfort than others. Something comfy like good old-fashioned grilled cheese. I’ve had plenty of those day, but recently I got the urge to mix it up and add some apple slices into the mix. Ummm, so delicious!

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Oooh la la, this is good. Really good. When I saw this recipe over on smitten kitchen and it was titled, ridiculously easy butterscotch sauce, I thought “yes please”. The combination of easy and sweet is more than enough to get my attention, but the richness of this sauce is what makes this a true keeper.

This recipe boasts a mere five ingredients, brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, sea salt and vanilla. If you have those ingredients and ten minutes, you’ll be exponentially happier than you were before, trust me.

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I am constantly enamored by nature’s lovely ways. Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of it when it’s so cold and blistery outside, but take a peek at your local market and you’re sure to find some beauty. Particularly if you happen to find a basket full of kumquats. If you’re not familiar with kumquats, they’re super cute little citrus fruits about the size of large pecans. In addition to being mini and cute, kumquats have a sweet, edible rind with sour flesh. After bringing home a boatload, I needed to use up at least a handful of those orange gems, which is how kumquat salsa came about.

The hardest part about this recipe is slicing the kumquats into thin rounds. Once you’ve gotten past that you’re golden. Chop up a purple onion, toss in some cilantro, a pinch of salt and pepper and maybe a dash of hot pepper flakes if you’re feeling spicy. Let that hang out for awhile so the flavors can meld. Right before you’re ready to serve, slice up an avocado and stir it in with the other ingredients. Read more

Oh boy, I cooked up a storm this weekend and it felt amazing! I’m still figuring out our new kitchen, trying to deal with it’s quirks while basking in its glories (i heart dishwashers!!). These lovely little honey wheat crackers were the first in a long line of recipes I whipped up and man are they tasty… I couldn’t help myself from snacking on them throughout the day. There’s just something about honey and wheat that just makes me a happy lady.

If you’ve never made your own crackers, let me introduce you to the easiest thing ever. Toss equal portions of whole wheat flour and white flour in the bowl on a food processor (if you don’t have one, don’t fret, you’ll just have to use a little muscle). Add some butter, honey, a little cream and a pinch of salt and press go. A ball will quickly form and you’re almost ready. Even with my new love, mr. dishwasher, I’m always looking for ways to cut down on dirty dishes, so I just flour a baking sheet and plop the dough right on it. Next just roll the dough out until it’s about 1/4 inch thick, then using a pizza cutter, score a grid pattern into the dough. Pop it in the oven and shazam… you are a mere 10 minutes away from tasty, homemade crackers.

While I let my crackers cool, I pulled out one of my favorite cheeses, Bucheron, from the fridge to enjoy alongside the sweet, wheaty crackers. The crackers are light and slightly flaky, and the flavor is the perfect balance of a little sweet and a little nutty with a hint of salt which goes so perfectly with the smooth, slightly sharp nature of Bucheron. But beyond being delicious, I absolutely love this recipe because it’s so flexible. As long as you keep similar proportions, the variations are endless. I’ve substituted the butter for olive oil and tossed in a little rosemary and had myself some tasty rosemary crackers. Try adding chopped nuts, use different flour or herbs or whatever floats your boat… chances are it’s going to be tasty.

honey wheat crackers
adapter from mark bittman’s parmesan cream crackers

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half, more as needed

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
1
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly dust with flour.
2
Put flour, salt, honey and butter in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until flour and butter are combined. Add about 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half and let machine run for a bit; continue to add liquid a teaspoon at a time, until mixture holds together but is not sticky.
3
Roll out dough on the lightly floured baking sheet until 1/2-inch thick or even thinner, adding flour as needed. Score lightly with a sharp knife, pizza cutter or a pastry wheel if you want to break crackers into squares or rectangles later on.
4
Bake until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes.
5
Cool on a rack; serve warm or at room temperature or store in a tin for a few days.

Yield: About 4 servings.