Touch Of Grace Southern Biscuits

When I first started Project Pastry Love back in April of 2014 I used the wonderful baking and pastry text book On Baking as my guide. I read each chapter thoroughly, then scoured my cookbooks and baking magazines for recipes relating to that chapter. After baking what I had just learned, I posted it for all of you. It was an amazing project that took me about a year and a half to complete. I learned so much this way.  But there is still so much more to learn! For instance, I don’t know how to make a souffle. So, I’ve decided to take my worn-out copy of On Baking off of the bookshelf, and devour it once again. And guess what? I’m not going to make a souffle today either. I’m making biscuits because I’ve been dieting since January 2nd, and I’m desperate for something crisp on the outside, airy on the inside, very buttery and now damn it!  A Touch Of Grace Southern Biscuits should do the trick. Continue reading →

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Dark And Stormy Cake

I’m going to come right out and say it… 2019 was a great year. It all began when I made the Norwegian Success Tart for Project Pastry Love and proclaimed that this new year would be a success. Well, it was! I wrote an article for Shore Monthly, I performed in two hilarious, and touching plays, I officially started my baking business, and I rode my bicycle around the neighborhood a dozen or so times. Don’t get me wrong, 2019 had it’s share of hardships, but through it all I remained grateful. You see, I normally count my negatives (i’m excellent at that), but this past year I decided to count my blessings. It wasn’t easy, but it made a difference.

One of the highlights of 2019 was winning a cocktail competition at a neighborhood Halloween party. I made a version of the classic Dark & Stormy cocktail (It will be going up on my cocktail blog in a couple weeks). So, in honor of that victory, a thank you to 2019, and a toast 2020 I made you a Dark & Stormy buttercream cake. 

Happy New Year.

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Damn Good Banana Bread

 

This story is not about the damn good banana bread you see in the photo above. This banana bread is damn good, though! It’s so good in fact that I hid it from my kids after I taste-tested the first slice. (I’ll bake them something else. They’ll be alright.) No, this is not about this damn good banana bread, which is studded with chocolate chips, speckled with walnuts, and extremely tender and moist (yup, I said moist). This is the story about one of my most favorite baking tools… the instant read thermometer. You see, I’ve become a very serious, very important, super charming stay-at-home mom who bakes a lot. Because of that I require accuracy when I bake, therefore, I weigh out all of my ingredients, and I always take the temperature of my desserts to determine when they are perfectly done. I also take the temperature of my softened butter before I cream it with the sugar (65º to 67º). Heck, I even take my own temperature right before I I get started. (Not really). The point is this… if you’re serious about baking then get serious about accuracy. It will make you a better baker. 

Let’s make this damn good banana bread, shall we?

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Muddled Fig Moscow Mule

I have been on a mission. You see, I finally have in my possession gorgeous copper mugs, and I needed to fill them. My goal was to find the perfect Moscow Mule recipe to enjoy by the fire this Autumn. (Pumpkin Spice Moscow Mule was not considered for this project. I’ve got nothing against “PS”, but I do think other flavors should have a chance at the lead in the Fall school play, wouldn’t you agree?) Continue reading →

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