Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream, sounds fancy doesn’t it? You don’t need to speak Swiss (fun fact: people from Switzerland don’t speak Swiss) to make it. And even though it sounds fancy, doesn’t mean that it’s that hard. It’s my favorite kind of frosting, and just about the only kind I use on cakes that I make for friends and family. So what exactly is Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB)? And what makes it so special? SMB starts by making a cooked meringue. You heat egg whites and sugar to 165 degrees, and then whip it into meringue, with stiff peaks. To that meringue, you add room temperature butter and flavoring to…
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How to Roast Strawberries
Roasted Strawberries may have been the most trendy food item of summer 2020, but they are sure to carry on long into the future. But how do you roast them? What makes them so special? And what exactly do you do with them once they’re roasted? Read on to find out. Roasting strawberries is just like roasting potatoes or other vegetables, you cut them into uniform pieces (so they cook evenly), season them, and put them in the oven to cook. Normally, when you roast vegetables, you roast them at a high temperture, usually 400+F, to caramelize them. Part of the reason you need the high heat is because the…
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Our Favorite Weekend French Toast
Ever since I was a kid, French Toast has been way up there on my list of favorite breakfast foods. My mom used to take me to Burger King for french toast sticks on Sundays. It was the fancy middle-class Sunday Brunch of the 90’s. When I had French Toast made at home, it never really did it for me. That was until I created this recipe for Weekend French Toast. It is inspired by the infamous Joanna Gaines, and her recipe in The Magnolia Table Cookbook. I know it will quickly become a family favorite of yours, like it’s become mine. This recipe calls for Challah bread. You can…
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The Best Gluten Free Ricotta Pancakes
The first time I ever had a ricotta pancake, I was dining at Parks & Rec diner in Downtown Detroit while it was under the culinary genius of Chef Allie Lyttle. Chef Allie made pancakes that were hands down the best I had ever had in my life. The pancakes came dressed in lemon curd and raspberry jam, and they quickly became my favorite thing in the world. Unfortunately, Allie is no longer at P&R, and I can no longer eat gluten. So I improvised with these Gluten Free Ricotta Pancakes, and I think you’ll agree, they are THE BEST! You might be thinking, Ricotta CHEESE and PANCAKES? What is…
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Tangy and Delicious: Lemon Curd
Lemon curd might just be my favorite condiment of all time. The combination of tangy lemon, smooth egg yolks, and sweet sugar is a nectar of the Gods. I put that sh*t on everything. Lemon curd has really picked up in use in the United States, but curds of all flavors are most often used during tea service. So where will you most often find it? You guessed it. Around the UK and proximal parts of Europe. (Find out about the difference between afternoon tea and high tea here.) But lemon curd doesn’t have to be reserved just for tea time. There are a ton of different ways to use…
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My Favorite Challah Bread
Let me start off by saying I am not Jewish, and as far as I know, this recipe is not kosher. Maybe it is, but I’m not Jewish, so I really don’t know. What I do know is that I love Jewish food. Latkes, matzoh ball soup, sufganiyot, bagels, lox, and schmear. It is all, so, so delicious. I also love challah. It’s beautiful and braided with a softy eggy interior. It’s amazing. And I have to say, my children agree. In fact, I have now made challah so much in my house, I can officially say I have a favorite recipe. What you’ll find below is My Favorite Challah.…
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Keto Peanut Butter Cups
Keto. I thought it would have run it’s course by now. Three years ago, I did Keto and have since put all my weight back on. I guess that’s what happens when you love to bake! But Keto can be a lifesaver to a lot of people. For those who are morbidly obese and need to lose weight quickly, or for people with PCOs, like myself, that feel like every diet has failed them. I’ve been trying to lose weight again, and the easiest way for me to do that is to cut my sugar intake. But, I still have a giant sweet tooth, so I came up with these…
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Homemade Natural Peanut Butter
Peanut butter. It’s kind of a hot topic. Some people are allergic to it. Some have a legume intolerance or are eating paleo and can’t have it. However, LOVE peanut butter. I can eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon. There may or may not be a jar on my desk just for this purpose. The trouble is lots of store bought peanut butters have additives: Sugar, extra salt, weird oils, and even molasses. Not exactly the cleanest ingredients. Which is why I like to make my own homemade natural peanut butter. Making it your way! The cool thing about making your own peanut butter is that…
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Best-Ever Gluten Free Banana Bread
I have three kids. And they can demolish a bunch of bananas in a day if they have their heart set on it. Trouble is, the next week, I buy two bunches of bananas anticipating the same banana demolition, and the kids don’t touch them. At. All. It’s frustrating. But in my determination not to let those overripe bananas go to waste, I’ll bake them into something. In this case, the Best-Ever Gluten Free Banana Bread you will ever eat. And guess what? The kids, they eat it up. Mom win. This banana bread is “spicier” than most other recipes. And by spicy, I don’t mean it will burn your…
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Blood Orange and Thyme Ice Cream
Ice cream. Most people consider it a summer treat. I could eat ice cream year round. Negative ten degrees outside, I’ll still eat it. Maybe that’s eccentric…but honestly, I don’t care. Ice cream is good food. Sweet, creamy, cold, it satisfies so many cravings at once. But ice cream can be boring. Chocolate, vanilla, are the classics. But if you’ve never had an ice cream that might sound a little weird, you know, like blood orange and thyme, you are seriously missing out. Flavor bombs disguised as ice cream are where it’s at! When I was little, both of my parents worked, and I spent a lot of time with…
