Six Things I Must Bake

My intention was to write up something working out, maybe the must-haves that can make a workout exciting.   What really happened:  I worked out, came home, started watching the presidential debate and started thinking about food.  Totally natural for stress eaters, right?  I joke.  The debate didn't make me think about food, it was the blustery clouds rolling across the sky, the fresh smell after the rainstorm, the colorful leaves blowing around.  For me, and probably for most across the nation; cool weather = turn on the oven.

I want to bake.

I was in Rochester for a wedding last week, where I found myself eating a lot of biscuits and corn bread (hence my reason for hitting the gym).  While baking is completely unrelated to records, unless you listen to records when baking, this list of six inspired me to collect six recipes I've come across and have categorized as things I must bake.

These recipes come from my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen.   Deb is a charming writer, a great photographer and incredibly creative in the kitchen.  Her first book is about to hit the shelves and while you can search the web for recipes, nothing beats a solid book on your counter top.  Every time I use one of her recipes, I'm the hit at the potluck.  Seriously, you can't lose.

Spiced Applesauce Cake, Gingersnaps, Whole Wheat Apple Muffins, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Homemade Wheat Thins, Apple and Cheddar Scones

I hope to successfully bake these items over the season, especially the apple cheddar scones.   Are you too planning on baking this season?  If so, what's top of the list?

xoxo stacey
  
All photos from Smitten Kitchen.

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Cilantro Corn Salsa

There was a time in my life when I could not be persuaded to try corn salsa. Which, as I write this, makes me laugh because I really consider myself to have quite an adventurous palate. On the cob, off the cob, it's great! In a salad or a soup, meh. There is something about corn, probably only on a visual level, that makes me pause when it is used as an ingredient. So I'm sure you can imagine I was not interested in trying anything with corn as its main ingredient. Luckily, however, one fateful afternoon at work, I found myself hungry enough to give corn salsa a try. Amazing!  I would've loved to have seen the look of shock on my face as I realized how much I liked it. I immediately realized how severely I had been missing out each time I disdainfully passed it by. Now I look back on those days as a dark chapter in my culinary history.

After looking around for a good recipe, I found myself underwhelmed.  None of them seemed to give me enough flavor, so I went ahead and figured out my own recipe.  It's a favorite of mine when I need something to take to a warm weather get together. 

I make things pretty easy on myself with this one.  Here are the ingredients:  One bag of frozen corn, thawed.  Four or five jalapenos, seeds removed.  Four of five cloves of garlic.  One bunch of cilantro.  The juice of five limes.  One large red onion (well, most of it).  Salt and pepper to taste. 

I add the juice of the limes to the corn so it can soak while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Next, I throw the garlic and jalapeno into the food processor and pulse for a few seconds.  I place those on top of the corn.  Then I pulse most (maybe 3/4s) of the red onion and place that in with the corn as well.  I chop the cilantro by hand and add it to the mixture.  I then toss in some salt and pepper to taste and mix everything together.  I've found that the salsa tastes best once it has had a few hours in the fridge so the flavors can have some time to combine and set in.  When I'm ready to serve the salsa, I use a slotted spoon so I don't transfer all of the lime juice into the serving bowl.   

This is one of my favorite treats to have in the fridge.  It's great with some chips for a quick snack and perfect as a taco topping.  I've also found it tastes incredible atop a bratwurst.

Oh, and yes.  This does mean I no longer pass things up when corn is involved, well, not every time at least.

Will you try it? Let me know what you think! 

Heather

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Swiss + Rosemary Popovers

I'd never really heard of popovers until I read this post on Smitten Kitchen.  Weeks later, browsing aisles at the thrift store, the very specific popover pan caught my eye, and for $2, why not?  I'm always up for a baking challenge.

Time had passed and I forgot I had the pan, until my friend, who happens to be a pastry chef, told me she made dozens daily, of the savory and sweet variety.  They are simpler to make than their grand, overflowing appearance; the base consists of 4 ingredients: flour, salt, eggs and milk.  To jazz 'em up, all you need to do is add some spices to the batter.  I added rosemary, filled the greased tins and added Swiss cheese on top.

Popovers are visually delicious with a crunchy top, and a flaky chewy interior.  If you want to impress your friends/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/cat, try baking some popovers.  I found great information here, and even Deb at SK, states you don't really need the pan.  So, what's stopping you?

stace

*photo by Tim J. Benson

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