Dispatch from the Kitchen

I made a loaf of bread today! Beer bread. It was delicious and really easy because there was no waiting for it to rise or anything. You should go make some. I used Bells Oberon for my beer, but I think you can use any kind you like. We used it to make amazing grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. I'll definitely be making this again!

(The recipe for the bread and the sandwiches is on this page.)

Weekend!

My roommates abandoned me this weekend... *tear* So I had to entertain myself without them. [Love you guys! You too, Kate, even though you don't read blogs.]


Dave and I had a lazy, rainy Saturday. (Remember how I said it was 80 degrees last weekend? We're back down to 30s-40s and raining! Sigh.) I made my famous pancakes, we played cribbage (I CAME BACK FROM BEHIND AND WON! I'm attempting to rub it in, but Dave doesn't read blogs either... too bad.), took naps, made some delicious white pizza, and wished for summer by eating some neighborhood ice cream.

I also played with my iPhone. I love this photobooth app!

Thankfully my roomies all returned from near and far today and we're having a movie night.

Happy Palm Sunday!

P.S. I'm writing this from my new computer! And it's starting to look like spring!!

Ashley cooks

I have been cooking and experimenting in the kitchen a fair bit recently. Last weekend there were the salted caramel brownies, which were delicious. I overcooked them and the caramel got a little over-caramelized... if you know what I mean! But still, they were delicious. [recipe here]


Last night we made sweet potato fries. Delicious. Super simple and really tasty. I modified Paula Deen's recipe slightly and it was a group effort to prepare and eat them! [recipe here] (photos from Paige-a-rage)


And my crowning culinary achievement? I have perfected the pancake. I don't mean to brag, but these guys are delicious and roommate approved. You definitely want me waking up at your house on Saturday morning! :) I've been making and modifying them for a few weeks and this is, so far, the best they've been. I'll share my recipe simply because 1) they are delicious, and 2) I've never been able to share my own recipe before!



The Best Saturday Morning Pancakes
(original recipe from here, copied with my modifications below)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 large spoonful sour cream
• peanut butter m&ms!

Mix all the dry and wet ingredients separately (save for the m&ms), then both parts together. Cook 'em up pancake style, adding the m&ms when you pour the batter into the griddle. (the peanut butter m&ms just make it so delicious!)

[I've also heard recently that Mars chocolate is grown using slave labor in Africa, so we should probably search for a better alternative to m&ms.]

So there you have it. Happy Saturday morning!

Eat, Drink, and be Merry!

Saturday night I got to celebrate Christmas AGAIN. David, Holly, and I went together on buying a cooking class for Dave for Christmas. Lucky for me, I got to go along. Yay!

We cooked a four course meal for ourselves at the Chopping Block in the Merchandise Mart downtown. (Can you say fancy?) It was really fun, especially because everything was measured out for us (my least favorite part of cooking!) and someone else washed the dishes. Amazing! Plus the whole kitchen was fancy-shmancy and we got to use the best tools. Definitely not the kind of experience I can replicate at home... at least without a shopping spree beforehand.

First, we prepared sausage and herbed cheese stuffed mushrooms. Neither Dave nor I am a fan of mushrooms, but we went in with an open mind and these little appetizers were very good. (I'm still not sold on mushrooms, though. I mean, they're fungus. Come on.)

Then we whipped up some broccoli and cauliflower gratin - complete with roux, one of the three French sauces. I love me some broccoli casserole... err, fancy gratin. And then there were the steaks. Mmm. With homemade herbed butter on top. And finally, my favorite part, cinnamon pumpkin donuts. I was on the frying shift for these guys and it was a lot easier than I expected! Maybe it was the chef-supervision and the state of the art kitchen tools?

Our spread at meal time

Shortcake

Mmmm... look what I made from scratch this week! I feel so domestic.