Chocolate Almond Biscotti from David Lebovitz

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

I am in a very blissful place.  I am experiencing a magic time between leaving a job and having another one lined up.    Even when I take vacations when I am working, the work is always in the back of my mind.  This is different.  It is euphoric.  It is void of stress.  Highly recommended.  

So, I bring you homemade biscotti.  This is in lieu of the coffee shop variety that I occasionally pick up with my coffee on my way to work.  Since I have a week off, I thought the sensible thing to do was to make biscotti rather than partake in the coffee shop, plastic wrapped, disappointingly dry version.  The key taste that you get with homemade that they cannot replicate in mass quantities is the soft middle.  That and it tastes better.  A bit of crunch on the outside, soft inside and a deep chocolate punch.

I found this recipe here.  Enjoy! 

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Orange Liqueur Cream

How can it be so bad for you when it tastes so good?  That just might be my life motto.

I remember seeing and tasting whoopie pies for the first time in a convenience store in Ohio when I was in college.  Yes, college was when I first saw and tasted a whoopie pie.  Sheltered life?  Perhaps.  The whoopie pie I tasted though, was anything but good.  A whoopie pie out of a cellophane package from a convenience store does not a gourmet snack make.  Fast-forward some, ahem, years and homemade and gourmet whoopie pies are somewhat of a rage or were the rage last year.

I found this recipe in The Boozy Baker by Lucy Baker and this, along with every other alcohol laced concoction in the book, was fantastic.  This was also much better than the cellophane wrapped piece of cardboard I tasted in college.

Enjoy!  xo, AJ

Stuck in Mexico

Well, ordinarily, being stuck in Mexico would be something to celebrate.  However, with a pile of work back home, this forced holiday is more stress than fun.  I am sure everyone has heard of the massive blizzard that hit the Midwest to welcome in the first few days of February.  Getting back to Chicago has become mission impossible.  So, to calm my nerves and my control issues that I clearly need help with, I am going to have a few more Margaritas and sizzle a bit under the Mexican sun.  Here are some pictures of this beautiful country with perfect weather, at least at this time of the year.

 Horses on the beach. A typical sight on the Mexican Riviera.

A typical street in San Pancho.  Cobbled, steep and quaint. 

 Beautiful flowers that dot the Mexican landscape.

 Not afraid of color in Sayulita.

 Steps to an art gallery in Sayulita.  The galleries line the streets of this cool little town.  Feeling right at home with the tattooed 20/30/40 somethings walking around with their bare footed kids, covered in sand and dreads in their hair.    

 Margaritas before dinner with friends.

A gorgeous pink table setting for our dinner! So cool!

Praise Mark Bittman

Some women have a crush on Brad Pitt or George Clooney.  Call me odd or completely out of touch with the psyche of a normal woman but for me, Bittman is just dreamy.


Ahh, sigh.

I dream of a day when Mark will swoop in and cook in my tiny little kitchen while I gaze admiringly at the fabulous dish he prepares.  I love his simplicity and ease, moving from one task to the next looking like he is relaxing on the beach.  He makes cooking great fun and muses when he makes a mistake like a shell of an egg going into a cake with, "Oh well, just a little crunch, not the end of the world."  I love that attitude rather than, "Nothing is worse than a shell in your food." I won't name who said that but anyone who watches a lot of Food Network might recognize the "Nothing is worse than (insert earth-shattering mistake)."  

So, what inspires the accolades on this Sunday morning?  Pancakes, that's what.  I found this commentary and several recipes for pancakes, sweet and savory, in his Minimalist column in the New York Times and I was reminded of why he holds a special place in my heart.  For taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary in a simple no frills way.  Cardamom scented oatmeal pancakes, embedded pine nuts in cornmeal with vanilla, bulgur ricotta; pinch me.

No, I have not had a chance to try these recipes because I am reading his column at 3:15 am on Sunday morning and I do not want to get out of bed to start cooking.  I thought it would be more productive to gush on my blog.  I will be trying at least two of these recipes though.  Stay tuned.

xo - AJ

Bûche de Noël

I came, I made my best attempt and I somewhat conquered.  Take it easy on me, this was my first go-around and it was a little scary.  This cake was my Everest and it did not disappoint in time consumption.  After being afraid of this cake ever since my Mom brought it home from the bakery when I was in middle school, I have put off attempting this for far too long.  Then, a few weeks ago I took a cooking seminar/class solely on making the Bûche de Noël.  I wasn't thrilled with the buttercream look that the cake in our class turned out to look like so I went back to the Martha Stewart magazine that I had been carrying around for the past year with the recipe and a picture to match that looked just like the cake my Mom brought in for Christmas every year.  I am not going to even attempt to write down all of the directions that went with this so click here for the recipe.  If you attempt this, good luck and may your attempt take less time than mine! 

Whole-Wheat Quinoa Bread

Whole-Wheat Quinoa Bread

During the holidays, working in an office can be an amazing test of will power.  Working in my office can be an extra challenge because of all of the vendors that send in tin after tin of popcorn and baskets full of every cellulite inducing treat you can possibly think of.  Add in number crunching fun, people upset because this economy has been brutal to my industry and the stress can lead to some serious cravings throughout the day.  So, I made this bread and have been taking it to work to nibble on when I get ravenous instead of diving into the chocolate maddness.  It has worked, somewhat.  I have a sweet tooth that won't stop so I have to give in every once in a while.

This is truly a hearty bread that is almost a meal in itself.  Toast, throw a pat of butter on it and that is really all you need.  I found this recipe in the New York Times and it is a bit of an undertaking.  That said, if you are a sucker for fresh baked bread, it is well worth it.  Enjoy!  xo - AJ

Maple Bourbon Bacon Donuts

If there was ever a bakery that speaks to the rebel in me that wishes to spend days covered in tattoos, wearing leather pants and baking tasty treats, Bleeding Heart Bakery, would fit the bill. I secretly dream of working in a place where sugar and butter rule and is an escape for people in the middle of the endless workday.

I may not be able to work in sugar but my baking can be influenced by that life. This recipe is a variation of the sour cream donuts I made back in July and was inspired by the bacon obsession sweeping through Chicago. Bleeding Heart covers bacon in chocolate, sprinkles it on baked goods and injects it into cookies. I also had a maple bacon donut at Nightwood Café, which is located in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago and it was truly amazing. The maple frosting dripped seductively off the warm donut and the bacon was still glistening as if it had just been fried up on the spot. I had to taste it slowly and let it melt in my mouth so I could truly savor the mind-altering sensation that ensued after my first bite.

I changed the recipe a bit by eliminating the streusel topping and replacing it with crispy bacon bits on top of a bourbon maple glaze. Add as much or as little of the Bourbon as you like depending on the week you have been having. I put in about a tablespoon.

Final note, donuts, as anyone who has ever made them knows, is a bit of an undertaking but completely worth it.

Enjoy! AJ - xo