Just a quick note to let you know that my blog has a new home: My Madison Bistro. For an index of recipes, simply click on this link: Recipes
Here is just a sampling of the recipes on the new site – click on any of the links to take you directly to the blog post and recipe.
Weekends with Julia: Brown-Braised Onions
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream, aka the best cupcake I’ve ever had in my life!
Weekends with Julia: Beef Braised in Red Wine
Categories: Breakfast · Dessert · Holiday · Low-Carb · Main Course · Side Dish · Vegetarian
Tagged: Barefoot Contessa, blackberries, blueberries, braised onions, cake, Cheese, chocolate, comfort food, cupcakes, Julia Child, kiwi, lemon, lime, mushrooms, pasta, pastry cream, peanut butter, pot roast, pudding, raspberries, rice, strawberries, tomatoes, Vegetables
My mom makes the best waffles. I can say this with complete confidence, as when I first lived on my own, I tried every waffle recipe I could find. Frankly, they all sucked.
I realized from early on the importance of separating eggs when it comes to waffles. Betty Crocker didn’t separate her eggs. Her waffles stunk. Trust me, I made them not once, but twice. I made the Better Homes and Gardens waffles, the Family Circle waffles…none of them reminded me of home. Bisquick probably made better waffles than these impostors. I know I’m spoiled because I grew up with waffles made from scratch, from a recipe that doesn’t just throw eggs into the batter, but actually has you take the time to beat the egg whites so you end up with a proper waffle…but shouldn’t we be spoiled when it comes to our special breakfast food? Or in my case, occasional dinner food? I think so.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Categories: Breakfast
Tagged: comfort food, fruit
My fascination with this bread was very sudden, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. I’m not really concerned with the origin of my fascination; I’m happy that it hit me over the head that fateful day, because it is now one of my favorite breads. It’s great on its own with a little jam and a steaming mug of coffee, or as a weekend breakfast of French toast, or even as croutons or bread pudding to use up stale bread. Of course, due to the richness of the bread, it’s not one I make often, but it is such a treat to have now and then.
When I first made brioche, I didn’t have a stand mixer. I tried making the dough with my hand-held mixer. As I started adding that third cup of flour, the motor began to smoke, and the mixer managed to inhale bread dough before it sputtered and died.
Categories: Breakfast · Side Dish · Vegetarian
Tagged: bread, comfort food
At some point during the past year, scones bypassed bagels and muffins as my favorite “treat” breakfast for a lazy weekend morning. Often on my way home from the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings I would stop to pick up a blueberry scone.
Then travesty struck. I discovered that my favorite blueberry scone had an ingredient list that included sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. In a scone?!?! Scones hardly have any sugar in the entire batch, yet this place seemed to think a scone needed three different sweeteners?
So Panera, your scones have been banished from my breakfast menu forever.
That presented a slight problem though. The biggest reason I liked stopping for a scone was so I could get just one. I don’t want a big batch of scones, they really aren’t any good the second day (or third, or fourth…). I decided to roll out my dough, cut my scones, and wrap each individually in plastic wrap. They are all now happily residing in my freezer, so I can bake them off on weekend mornings when I need my fix.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Categories: Breakfast · Vegetarian
Tagged: Barefoot Contessa, scones
I’ve spent the past couple of years searching for the perfect blueberry muffin recipe. It couldn’t be too sweet, too dense, too cake-like, not sweet enough, and it had to be interesting. By interesting I mean that there has to be some quality that has you coming back for more. How I missed this recipe before, especially when it comes up on the first page of a google search, is beyond me. But the important thing is that I’ve found it now, and I’m never letting it go.
Categories: Breakfast · Dessert · Vegetarian
Tagged: blueberries, muffins
