TWD: Fresh Ginger & Chocolate Gingerbread

Come check it out on my new blog

TWD: Savory Corn & Pepper Muffins

Head on over to: my new blog to check out how these muffins turned out!

I'm moving!

you can continue to follow my culinary adventures over in wordpress: http://jaysfavoritefoods.wordpress.com

TWD: French Pear Tart

Absolument délicieux!!

(absolutely delicious according the google translator!)

This week's selection was chosen by none other than the one and only Dorie Greenspan! (that was so exciting to just type!!!). I'll start by saying that if Dorie hadn't selected this recipe, I would have been tempted to opt-out. Tarts to me just sound like awfully difficult recipes to make and I didn't even have a tart pan. I am so glad that I went for it. This is easily one of the best recipes that I have ever made- after eating it, all I could think of was having a tea party with my girlfriends (or it would also be perfect for indulging while complaining about work!) :-) This recipe also gave me a chance to put some of my Christmas presents to good use!

Ok, so I ended up using my Sur La Table gift card (thanks honey!) and purchased an 8" tart pan and that cool silicone mat and also got to use the baking stone that I received. The tricky part of the recipe for me to figure out where the directions on how to prepare the pears. Luckily I was able to find a picture of a tart on line (even though I naturally reversed the pears when I put them down!). I also made the mistake of filling the almond too high and it overflowed a little while baking. This tart was so delicious though- the crust was ferocious the almond cream was so so so good! Dorie was correct though that it was best served the same day. We tried it then next day just to check, and the consistency was so different, we sadly had to toss it. Can't wait to make this one again!

Thanks so much Dorie!!!!!!

Buttermilk Biscuits (Martha Stewart)

Happy New Year!

To ring in 2009 I decided to venture into uncharted waters and make something brand spanking new and made buttermilk biscuits. This recipe was from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook but you can also use this recipe which is nearly identical- just brush the biscuits generously with buttermilk before baking. I don't have a pastry blender so I used forks to mix the dough and eventually grew impatient and used my fingers! And as you can see, I made my biscuits in snowflake shapes. 

These biscuits were very flaky and tasty, I would definitely bake them again! Thanks to everyone's help in 2008, my baking has really come a long way!!!!!!!

New Year's Day brunch!

TWD: Grandma's All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

Another late posting! Still catching up.....

Ulrike of Kuchenlatein chose this recipe and it turned out beautifully! 

My favorite part was having a choice between cut outs and rolling the dough into a log and making sliced cookies. Dough (of any kind!) and I have a rocky relationship so I was grateful to take the short cut and roll it, chill it and then slice! Given more time, I would have loved to really decorate these cookies and have a lot of fun with them!