Category Archives: Very Best Baking

Waffles For All My Friends

01 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by in Connecticut, Cookies, Epicurean, Holidays, Massachusetts, New York, Travel, Very Best Baking, Washington DC, Weekend

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Gourmet’s Creme Brulee French Toast

According to Food & Wine, today is (ok, at this juncture, technically, it should be ‘yesterday was’) #NationalFrenchToastDay; who knew — I swear, there’s a day for everything.  I never enjoyed waffles growing up, they reminded me of eating soggy sponges.  And, the way they were prepared in the Stifter household, they kind of were.  It wasn’t until later in life that my mother became creative with her French Toast.  Can’t really blame her, she did have 5 kids to raise and worked full time — if I were her, I don’t think I’d have put too much creativity into my french toast. 

Fast forward some 20 odd years (gee, just 20 you wonder, how can she be so pithy at such a young age?!?) and I’ve grown to love French Toast.  It started after I met my husband who himself makes a mighty fine Toast of French. In our younger days, we would frequent a local diner called Rosee’s.  Rosee’s was located in a former gas station and had kitschy items on the menu like gas pedal meatballs and windshield wiper hot dogs.  Paola, the owner/chef, made fantastic French Toast — her secret ingredients a dash of cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg — that was absolutely divine.   

Very Best Baking’s (aka Libby’s) Pumpkin Cookies

While Food & Wine’s Instagram account specifically calls out the day, I wasn’t able to grab the link to its ‘8 creative takes on French Toast’ post.  Their Pinterest site doesn’t specifically pay homage to the day, but a simple search for French Toast served up a bevy of recipes.  My favorite, and one that is great for a brunch, can be found in the trusty Gourmet Cookbook (same one that my biscotti is from): a french toast creme brulee.  #SoGood. 

Nyack Chamber of Commerce

It’s now after midnight and I’ve missed French Toast Day 😦  (I should really post during the day time, perhaps that would help expand my roster of Western followers).  I’m making cookies and have a good cadence going on so that I’m able to whack out a graph in between baking cycles.  Tomorrow, we’re off to Nyack, NY which is a fabulous town along the Hudson, it’s actually nestled right next to the Tappan Zee Bridge.  We’ll walk the downtown area and attend its annual tree lighting ceremony. Really, what’s a Christmas without going to some sort of tree lighting — whether a big city like DC or NYC or a small town, like Mystic, CT, where Santa arrives on a boat, #fun, or Harvard, MA, a quintessential New England town.

Ah, only a few more trays of cookies to go — for tonight that is, tomorrow is biscotti day.  I’m wishing all of you a wonderful weekend, safe travels and, of course, bon appetite!

Shopping and Baking and Decorating…Oh My!

27 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Christmas, Cookies, Holidays, Recipes, Very Best Baking

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The Woods of Warren, MA

As I settle back into reality from our week in the woods, I’m beginning to plot out those pesky things that need to be done for Christmas; you know shopping and baking and decorating.   First up is baking, this weekend’s project. 

I absolutely love to bake but don’t do it as much as I would like.  It’s just my husband and myself and baking for two leads to over-indulgence (and, he’s gone Paleo on me).  So to get my fix, I make cookies — hundreds of cookies — for my husband’s students, usually about 400 (which isn’t that many when you start doling them out).

Italian Cookies…Yummy!

On the list are My Italian Grandma’s Cookies, a standard; Biscotti from The Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl, a book stuffed with some of the best recipes that are relatively manageable to make; pumpkin cookies, a recipe ripped from Very Best Baking; and, new to the roster, traditional gingersnaps.  The gingersnaps were added last year and  while I didn’t feel they met proper gingersnap standards — I tasted them right out of the oven — I realized a few days later, the secret to a great gingersnap is to let them rest for a few days.

While not necessarily pertaining to baking, but having everything to do with Christmas, I tripped across a pretty cool website: Eat This, Not That!  A journalist I worked with in a previous life, Laurie Wilson, writes for them and penned a fantastic article, 24 Vintage Christmas Dinner Recipes.  It’s a fun article filled with fantastic bits and intriguing recipes from Christmas’ past.  For the traditionalists among us, check it out. 

That’s it for this evening (I need to take stock of the cupboards and put my cookie shopping list together).  As always, I wish you all safe travels and, of course, bon appetite!

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Random Musings…and Pumpkin Roll

17 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by in Holidays, Massachusetts, New England, Pizza, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Travel, Very Best Baking

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We’re slogging our way through fall and, unfortunately, I can’t remember the last full week we had without rain.  After Thursday’s unexpected, yet beautiful, snow fall it’s apparent that we’re moving full steam ahead into winter. 

Libby’s Pumpkin Roll

I finally did my Thanksgiving baking.  Thankfully, I only had one thing to make, my mom’s famous pumpkin roll, as we’re having a small group for Thanksgiving — my brother and his family.  While he tends to bring a dessert or two, I wanted to make sure my hubby, who has been extremely religious in eating healthy, had the sweet treat of his choosing.  I couldn’t find my mom’s recipe and opted for Libby’s recipe (yes, year’s later, I’m convinced the vast majority of my Mom’s ‘world famous’ recipes came off the back of one can or another…sigh).  Above and beyond the rolling, unrolling and filling, and rolling back up it’s an easy dessert to make and one that is a crowd-pleaser. 

While I’m getting ready for tomorrow’s sojourn up north — going over the Hudson and through the woods of south central Massachusetts, a few random thoughts for this Saturday: 

Let Them Eat Cake!

Tastes of Chicago:  Not the Northeast, but #yummy anyway.  Earlier in the year, a friend sent a 4 pack of Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizzas to my home — some girls from school were coming to visit and it was her way of being with us even though she couldn’t physically be present.  Three have been consumed, I’m saving the fourth to selfishly hoard on when no one’s looking.  These pies are sooo good (and that’s coming from a Jersey girl) and would make a fantastic gift for the holidays.  The company smartly partners with other Chicago-area food purveyors, creating unique gift options above and beyond pizza, including: the Lou’s/Lezza ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ combo, the Ultimate Tastes of Chicago Combo Kit featuring a pie, Vienna beef hot dog kit, and cheesecake among other food stuff, and the Portillo’s Italian Beef Kit.  Check it out for the epicureans on your holiday shopping list.

Kayak’s Thanksgiving Travel Tips:  Kayak recently posted its Thanksgiving Travel Tips; while most are geared toward flying, the fist tip hit close to home as it’s something I struggle with — packing light. Not my forte and rather silly as I inevitably wear the same 2 – 3 outfits when traveling while packing enough clothes for a month long trip.  Lately, however, I’ve been doing a packing reality check eliminating most of the ‘just in case’ items and reducing the amount of stuff I’m toting usually by half.

Baking/Travel Hack:  The pumpkin roll needs to get to its destination and among all my plasticware, I don’t have the perfect container for a roll — who does? A great alternative, that acts as a platter for transporting as well as a platter for serving is to use a piece of cardboard (most box tops are usually a good size).  Simply cut the cardboard to the size of the item and then cover with tinfoil, it’s that simple.   

That’s it for now, I’m running errands today, entertaining friends tonight, and hitting the road in the morning.  Next week posts will be from the Woodland Cabin in lovely Warren, MA (a town with less than 10,000 residents!?!).  Until then, I’m wishing you safe travels and, of course, bon appetite! 

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Random Musings…

10 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by in Christmas, Cookies, Epicurean, Friday Night, Holidays, Italian, Very Best Baking

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Here I sit, in the kitchen, awaiting the arrival of my sister-in-law and niece, watching My Cousin Vinnie which is the perfect elixir as I do need to laugh. Prior to putting fingers to keyboard, I spent a good 3 hours cleaning out my 20-year-old email account as I’m switching ISPs.  A blast from the past, I tripped across a few tidbits worth sharing:

Zingerman'sZingerman’s: With the holiday’s coming up, we all need that trusty, go-to-source for food stuff; one of mine is Zingerman’s. A ‘community of businesses,’ Zingerman’s is a family of small, food-related companies located in the Ann Arbor, MI area.  Zingermans.com is ‘The Online Shop for Food Lovers’ featuring hearth baked breads, handmade cheeses, varietal coffee, estate bottled olive oils and customized presents. For me, the best part of visiting Zingermans.com are the cartoon pigs strategically placed throughout the site (I’m sure it’s some sort of ‘thing’).  At the bottom of each page is a flying pig with a quippy ‘Great food just flew to…’ and the city and state of the most recent shipment listed.  Absolutely brilliant, fun marketing.

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies:  We don’t have kids, but that doesn’t mean I’ve escaped the ‘yeah, I need cookies for tomorrow’ plea.  Years ago, that very lament came my way at a time when I had limited supplies — sugar, a can of pumpkin, butter, and eggs. Muttering about the lack of ingredients, I googled pumpkin and found a recipe for Old Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies which are now a mainstay that I trot out throughout the fall and winter seasons (giving very little credit to Libby’s, of course).  Even if you’re unsure about a pumpkin cookie, you must try these; they are delicious and easy to make — what could be better?!?

Back to the emails.  A digital heavyweight is being lifted off my shoulders and it feels great.  Within the next month, my junk email will be virtually non-existent (until my new address gets sold). As I skim through the various mailboxes I created to see what I might want to keep, I’m finding all kinds of sites I may/may not want to revisit; in particular:

Very Best Baking: Apparently a Nestle website, it’s where I found the Pumpkin Cookie recipe.  Back in the day it was a ‘go to’ and extremely engaging site (of course the constant giveaways and contests didn’t hurt).  I’m not sure if Nestle owned the site then, but it was a fun, informative site you should consider checking out.  I’ll give a deeper report (more in depth than, ‘hey this used to be a cool site’) after I check it out.

TV Food Network:  Another site to revisit.  I love the station (OK, 1/2 the station, some programs drive me nuts; others, like the Baking Championship series I can’t get enough of).  I don’t visit the site frequently, I tend to default to my trusty cookbooks, however when I do need a recipe or am looking for something a bit different, that’s where I go.  If you haven’t visited, you should.

Avocados: A parting tip.  My husband loves his avocados (I could do without them), but they are a weird purchase — they either aren’t ripe or they are borderline ready to rot.  After a few shopping mishaps, I discovered what to do:  buy them by ripeness — a brown-skin soft sucker to be consumed immediately, light brown/green ‘cado to be eaten within the coming few days and the shiny, hard green avocados to be used a good week out.  Such a simple trick that brings satisfaction to those who eat them on a regular basis.

Before I part, I just have to squeal — OMG, Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp are engaged…what?!?

With that, enjoy the weekend. I’m wishing you happy trails and bon appetite — Now I need to go bake.

 

Random Musings for the Weekend…

12 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in Cookies, Cooking Schools, Holidays, Italian, Massachusetts, Pizza, Travel, Very Best Baking

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It’s that time of year when my weekend ends on Monday evenings. Actually, beginning Friday, I’ll be on holiday until the new year and am very excited as I can definitely use the time off to organize various projects I have for 2012; a big one being the plotting out of Q1 and the various classes I would like to take.  However, in the interim, few thoughts:

Tony's PIzza

Hmmm...Pizza from Restaurant Biola

Pizza, Pizza:  Pizza can be made in an electric oven!  My sister asked Tony to man lunch yesterday, specifically requesting his pizza.  Tony was honored, but then went into panic mode as he realized that she has an electric oven.  Here’s a guy who makes absolutely amazing pizza, but whose skill lies in gas stoves and wood burning ovens.  He was completely wigged out.  However, he stepped up to the plate, saying, ‘let’s do this.’ And, alas, the pizza was great even if he dotted over them as they baked away in the (gasp) electric oven.

Mohawk Trail:  What an amazing drive/trip.  Oh so picturesque (even if everyone kept saying ‘it’s so pretty in the fall’) and very relaxing (construction on 91 and all).  I’ll do a separate post, but parts of the route, Route 2 in Massachusetts, reminded me of driving Route 80 along the Delaware, Route 17 in southwestern New York, and just Massachusetts in general, in all its splendid glory.  While I tried to avoid the touristy thing, going to the Yankee Candle Shop in Deerfield, it’s apparently the only thing to do in Deerfield or, at least, the most convenient, was the highlight of the day, not taking into account the wonderful little liquor store we found with fantastically flavorful wine from the Rioja region of Spain.  We tried to go to the SugarLoaf Nature Reserve area, but couldn’t physically find it.  Happily, especially for our tummies, we avoided the restaurant at the candle store, Chandlers, and found a local, yokel hole in the wall in Deerfield, Wolfies. 

Baking:  As the clock ticks, the realization dawns on me that I have much baking to do for the holidays.  We have a relatively open weekend and will be spending a fair amount of time creating delectable treats for friends, family and, even, students alike (yes, I get suckered into making cookies for all of Tony’s students).  On the agenda, Monster (a Stifter family recipe) and Pumpkin cookies as well as cream cheese cupcakes…yummy.   Will round this out with a few desserts and some relatively easy apps for our winter solstice dinner as well as our Little Christmas party (details to follow).

Cards have  been sent, the tree trimmed and house decked out (as decked out as it’s going to get at any rate).  Am gearing up for the week ahead, planning my baking, getting ready for the winter solstice, and trying my best to enjoy the holiday season — a bit of snow would we welcome at this juncture (actually, it was nice as Route 2 was dotted with the remains of an early season snow fall).   We’ll review our weekend sojourn and let you in on some holiday baking tips; and we’ll do our best to maintain sanity and enjoy time with some amazingly wonderful friends over the next few days.