Happy Halloween Food

I like to make these little mummies at Halloween. It's amazing what putting eyes on food can do to your plate. They are just Lil'Smokies wrapped with strips of Pillsbury crescent rolls. And mustard eyes!

Sunday Muffins

Banana walnut muffins cooked in a toaster oven this morning were moist inside and had a crunchy crust. The occasionally bite of walnut was a nice surprise. I'm freezing the few that were not consumed for a quick weekday breakfast. What is your favorite muffin?

French Toast Stars At Brunch

Sometimes just changing the shape of something ordinary makes it interesting and fun. Here is my Sunday morning brunch. I'm experimenting with the star shape and found a use to scarf down some day old bread. Little stars were more likely to loose their pointy things, and larger stars cooked more evenly. Larger stars win, however every star was eaten.

mmmm maple syrup

An easy and quick trick to warming up just the right amount of syrup is to use a delightful shot glass from San Diego. Fill as desired. Heat up water in small Pyrex custard dish in the microwave, and set shot glass filled with syrup in warmed water for a few minutes. Perfect temperature and perfect amount.

Super Slider Super Bowl Sunday

I made my own slider rolls on Super Bowl Sunday. I figured it would be easier than going to the market. And yes it was. Tastier too!

Here's my one of my little burgers!

Can you tell I like mustard with my pickles and cheese?

The Pouring Of Sake

A collection of nibbles and the pouring of sake for this latest edition of Sake Sunday, I present to you.

I bought a new toaster. One that automatically lowers. No manual pushing down of lever. So making toast is my new hobby. And putting things on toast is the corollary.

So roasted garlic (slightly burnt, I know they look like shiitakes), hummus, pickles (a palette freshener), double cream gouda (sigh), brie (double sigh), and some sliced pears (because I love the brie-pear combo).

Fourth of July Burger

Avocado, bacon, and double cream Gouda burger with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. So very yummy on those Brown Sugar Buns I made a day or two ago.

One Taste and I'm Transported to Italy

I entered The Food Addicts monthly giveaway in February and won! I can't believe it. Maybe my luck is turning after all.

As we all know there are a lot of giveaways out there. I used to enter many having read once "in order to win, you have to play." But now I only enter when "the prize" is something I really desire, and I really desire the finest food, the best of the best, the elixir of the gods.

And I won Saporoso one of the best balsamic vinegars I've ever tasted! Straight from Italy. The bottle is a joy to hold with a heavy glass bottom. The contents are sweet and sour balanced perfectly lingering on the palette. It was aged this for 6 years in oak barrels! 

Il condimento balsamico Malpighi

A luscious pairing with this Dolcetto D'alba.

Acetaia Malpighi makes Saporina, a jellied balsamic vinegar, and Prelabato, a white balsamic vinegar among other fascinating condiments and chocolates. This inspires me to develop recipes!  

Thank you Krissy at thefoodaddicts.com!  

Rewards Day

Sat in the sun with Si, 45 minutes. Good I did this first, we now have only clouds.

Organized office papers, 1 hour. Serious bit of procrastination was overcame here.

So reward time! Phone call to friend, 1 1/2 hours. Oh, the day is still young.

Make bread. Leave to rise. Laundry, laundry, laundry. Clean out fridge - total bleck!

Reward time! A find in the bottom in the back - Boddingtons Pub Ale!

Rainy Day Lunch

We had scores of thunder yesterday with some rain, and on-and-off rain today. Cloudy and cool and decidedly October. At last!

I made tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, a classic combination, for lunch. And yes, I like my grilled cheese cut into quarters.

Mini sourdough loaves

Last week on the heels of two spectacular bread-making failures, I decided to wing it and make some mini loaves. I am emotional about this size of bread and I explain why in some detail in my notebook.

In the past, I have had great success using Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day style of bread making. I like to use the "dirty" bowl to start a fresh round. This gives the bread a slightly sour flavor. You just add water and yeast, and then some flour. I like to add a little sugar too. It excites the yeast giving one an airier loaf.

So using the bowl that I used to make (the failed) peasant bread (it had rye and whole wheat flour), I threw in some warm water and yeast and watched it foam. Added a teaspoon of vanilla sugar and a couple scoops of white bread flour. Stirred it up and set in a warm spot for a couple hours.

Deflated the whole she-bang and pulled out a grapefruit-size chunk and divided that in half and let it rest.

Resting is very important in bread making. One must realize you are manipulating a live beast - that is the yeast collective.

I kneaded each round a bit and shaped it for the pan. Set aside to rise again while the oven heated.

I have a cold oven, so everything takes longer to cook. This is why I am hesitant to give temperature and times. You know when the bread is done when you take it out of the pan and thump the bottom of the loaf. If the thump is a hollow sound, the bread is done.

Another way to tell if the loaf is done is with an instant read thermometer. It should read 190 to 200 degrees.