It was a few weeks ago that I made my Apple Fritter Bread. It was requested by guests (translation: my parents came to visit) that I make it again because it looked so good, but given my propensity to always try new things, I decided to take the exact same recipe to see if it would work as muffins. And you know what? They were just as good as the bread, which is to say that they were really yummy. The only thing that I had to change was to shorten the baking time. Revised as muffins recipe for your baking pleasure.
Here’s one perfect for kids. I’ve made Oreos before. I’ve made Goldfish. So there are two Nabisco-inspired products. And now, Teddy Grahams. Kid-sized (or adult too, I guess) graham crackers, perfect for dunking in milk. My graham cracker recipe in general is really good, if I say so myself: the perfect balance or cinnamon and honey. And these also would be great as cupcake toppers. I found the little teddy bear cookie cutter on Etsy.
Coq au Vin is my favorite food on earth, hands down. This is also one of the best recipes that I make. A little background: when I started falling in love with cooking again (no, I was not always a recipe junkie, though food has always been an important part of my life), I fell in love with Julia. Yes, that Julia. I think that a lot of women admire her for the fact that she was just an ordinary woman who picked up cooking later in life and became one of the most influential cooks of an entire culture. So I made her Coq au vin recipe. Coq au Vin is a very old concept — like back from the Romans — but her recipe was straight forward. I have made variations on her it for 5 years now, each time changing it until I have come up with what I consider perfection. I have learned a lot about cooking since I started — like knowing you shouldn’t add all the wine at once otherwise all the tanins end up ruining the dish, or by adding ground dried porcini, the umami flavor is boosted (doesn’t make it taste more mushroom-y). Anyway, I love this recipe. Be forewarned: it takes a minimum of 3 hours. You can stop just before the rue-making stage though, if you need to divide the effort over 2 days.
I’ve never been much of a fan of peanut butter. Well, of like a PB+J sandwich. It’s good in baking and cooking, and I definitely like Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, but just peanut butter…. eh, take it or leave it. Almond butter. Cashew butter. Even Walnut butter (though it is hard to find). Those I prefer more. At any rate, I thought I would make buckeyes, but thought I would put a twist on them and made them with almond butter instead. And sea salt. Love sea salt!