I haven't been doing many new recipes lately, but I've still been baking at least twice a month. Not in the height of my "one recipe a weekend" groove from lockdown but good to still be in the habit of making something instead of being on my computer or watching TV all day. I did make a couple new things for Christmas celebrations which was fun!
Orange Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze
Christian came up with the idea of doing a chocolate and orange cake for Christmas Eve so I found a few recipes and this is the one we ultimately went with. Plus we were able to use the new bundt cake pan I bought with a gift card! It was a big hit, I wish I could've eaten the whole thing myself. We followed the recipe above but made our candied orange peel with strips rather than chunks.
Pull Apart Christmas Tree Garlic Bread
The second I saw this on Tieghan's instagram I wanted to make it for another small Christmas gathering! I accidentally overcooked the tree because I got a phone call and forgot to check on it a couple minutes before the timer went off. Luckily it didn't ruin it but it's a little darker than I wanted. We also made a wreath-type thing with the leftover dough after making out tree/triangle.
Cinnamon Bread - A Redo!
The first time I made this it came out very flat because my loaf pan was slightly too big. This time I doubled the recipe and quadrupled the cinnamon filling. Sooooo much better looking and more cinnamony! A really fun treat to make so I'm sure I'll make this again and again.
Christian and I made this pie for our family Thanksgiving. I saw it on Tieghan's instagram and knew I HAD to make it (this seems to be a theme with everything she makes!) We even made our own crust for this one instead of using store bought like we did for the last pie we made. It came out really good, nice and molten with chocolate and browned butter and maple...YUMM!
Brown Sugar Maple Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Another recipe I remade. This time it was for a family get together since no one but Christian and I got to enjoy these bars last year (darn Covid!) So delicious and perfect for Fall/the Holidays.
I've featured stromboli in these posts a few times before but this is yet another recipe for the dough. I'm still not sure which I like best, I think I need to make each of them in the same week so Christian and I can better decide which dough we prefer.Normally it's a week or two between strombolis so we can't really judge.
As those of you who follow my Instagram know, I was at Disney World last week (and beginning of this week) for the 50th anniversary of Magic Kingdom! While that was the main purpose of the trip I was also very excited for EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival, one of my favorite times of year to go! I'm going to reshare some tips I've posted in the past for those of you that will be going to Food & Wine for the first time.
This year I went equipped with an empty stomach and my wishlist full to the brim of tasty food options! Christian decided to go with the flow and picked up one of the Festival guides when we arrived to decide what he wanted as we went.
My Food & Wine Tips
1. Download the WDW - Food&Wine app to keep track of everything you want to try and have tried! Before our trip I wish-listed everything I wanted to try so I wouldn't have to think about it while in the park. As I tried things I marked them off as "Tasted." The app also gives you a running total of what you spent which is pretty fun (and can be scary!)
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| WDW Food&Wine (this is not an official Disney app) |
2. Buy a gift card.
I find it helpful to buy the special festival gift card on a wrist
coil. You have to load them with at least $15 but you'll spend that if you eat a few dishes (and you don't just have to use it on food!) They
always have a cute design. It's a great way to
control your spending because you can load it with whatever your budget
for the day and reload if needed. This year I didn't get the festival gift card and opted for the special 50th Anniversary gift cards. There are 5 in total but we only found 4 of them, darn!
3. Pace yourself. Spread Food & Wine eats out over a few days of your trip if you can! Park hop back to EPCOT once you're done at another park for a couple snacks. If you only have one, day don't try to eat too much or you'll only remember the stomach-ache you had. We spent one full day at EPCOT and visited again for two half days (plus a quick evening trip where we rode rides instead of trying food.)
4. Share bites with others so you can sample even more! If multiple people want to try the same thing why not split it so you have room for even more snacks? And, if you happen to really like it, go back to get a second if you're still hungry at the end of the day! Christian and I shared a lot so we were able to get more from our lists. Unfortunately he had to eat the cheesy items on his own!
What We Ate
Time for the fun part - talking about everything we ate! Let's go by country and in order of the Festival Guide.
Shimmering Sips
Shimmering Strawberry Soft-serve served in a Waffle Cone
This was one of our most instagrammable treats, look how fun and sparkly! I'm not usually a fan of plain strawberry ice cream (gelato, yes, ice cream, meh) but this was too fun to pass up! I really enjoyed it. Pro tip - make sure you have a water cup or bowl to dump your ice cream into and eat it with a spoon so you don't become a drippy mess.
Australia
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp served with Pineapple, Pepper, Onion, and Snap Peas and Deconstructed Pavlova served with Pastry Cream, Citrus-macerated Berries, and Lemon Myrtle Meringue
Australia usually has some sort of "bush berry" shrimp on the menu and it's always tasty. Also a good way to get a few veggies if you're mostly eating fried foods on your trip. Mine seemed to be mostly snap peas but was still delicious. I would definitely buy this again. The deconstructed pavlova was fun but I wasn't a fan of the meringue. The berries were so fresh and sweet so that made up for it.
Refreshment Port
Traditional Poutine - French Fries, Boursin Cracked Black Pepper Crumbles, and Cheese Curds
This was a Christian-only treat because I am not a fan of poutine. He said it was pretty good, although the poutine he had when we went to Montreal was obviously better.
Belguim
Belgian Waffle served with Warm Chocolate Ganache
Christian and I shared this after he scraped away the whipped cream (I know, I'm weird.) The waffle was fluffy and the ganache tasty but this was overall just okay. But for $4.50 it's one of the cheaper items we tried.
Tangerine Café: Flavors of the Medina
Grilled Kebabs with Couscous, Tomato-Onion Salad, and Garlic-Aioli (Lemon-Garlic Chicken)
There were 3 different kabob options and we went with the chicken, it was very tasty! I'm always a fan of couscous and the salad was nice and refreshing. If we had stayed longer I might have also tried the Harissa-marinated Beef Tenderloin tips. They also had a Moroccan Spiced Lamb option.
Greece
Lamb Moussaka
Ever since our honeymoon Christian has become enamored with moussaka. Any time we see it on a menu he has to try it to see how it compares to the amazing one he had in Santorini. He said this was good but seemed to be a bit more Americanized than other dishes we tried. It reminded him of lasagna.
Japan
Teriyaki Chicken Bun - Steamed Bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables, and Teriyaki
A great choice for the picky eater this has a very subtle flavor. We thought it could have used more of a kick but overall it was still tasty. I do think it was a little expensive at $6.50. I would much prefer one of my other bites for that price if we were to go back.
Spain
Spanish-style Paella with Rice, Chorizo, and Shrimp & Charcuterie with a selection of imported Spanish Meats, Cheeses, and Olives with an Herb Vinaigrette
I always have to stop in Spain at EPCOT Food & Wine for their delicious Paella! The festival has included it every year I've gone and I'll be very upset if they ever stop! The meats used are always slightly different but it never disappoints. It's so tasty and a great portion size. Christian and I also got the Charcuterie to share (he ate all the cheese, I had the olives.)
Germany
Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll
Another simple snack for the less adventurous eater. This comes with mustard but since I'm not a fan I asked for mine plain. Obviously without the mustard it's a little dry but I still found it very tasty.
The Alps
Blueberry and Almond Frangipane Tart with Crème Fraîche
This was probably the most disappointing item we got. It came out and looked totally different from the photo example and the texture was off. There wasn't really a tart crust, it seemed to have melted from the blueberries and frangipane. I only tried a tiny bite because Christian warned me it had a weird texture (I don't like things that are too creamy.) The flavor was good but overall it was just "meh" because it was a little too mushy.
Kenya
Piri Piri Skewered Shrimp with Citrus-scented Couscous
Apparently we had a shrimp theme this trip. I was super excited to try this and it was amazing! If we didn't get this on our last day I would have gotten it twice. We had some of the EPCOT birds eyeing the plate as we were eating this on a bench, they thought they were going to get some - wrong!
India
Warm Indian Bread with Pickled Garlic, Mango Salsa, and Coriander Pesto Dips & Korma Chicken with Basmati Rice, Crispy Chickpeas, and Spiced Yogury Sauce & Madras Red Curry with Roasted Cauliflower, Baby Carrots, Chickpeas and Ben's Original Basmati Rice
We tried all the food at the India booth and everything was great! I think our favorite may have been the curry but everything was good. I loved the coriander pesto dip that came with the warm bread while Christian thought the mango salsa was best. All of these were great for sharing and we would get them all again.
China
Pan-fried Chicken Dumplings served with House-made Sweet-and-Spicy Sauce & Crispy-fried Pepper Shrimp served with Spicy Sichuan Noodles
China always comes through with delicious dumplings and some sort of noodle dish. Both of these were great, although Christian balked at the $5 price-tag for 2 dumplings. But who cares, they're so yummy!
The Donut Box
Sriracha-glazed Donut & Strawberry Smoothie
One of the most anticipated things at the Food & Wine Festival was this sriracha-glazed donut. It comes with a piece of fried chicken inside and a slaw with some aioli and who knows what else. This was a Christian-only treat but I did try a bite of just chicken and donut. He looooved it and we almost went back for a second one on our last day. The smoothie was delicious and very refreshing.
Mac & Eats
Cowboy Macaroni and Cheese with Smoked Pork Belly, Brisket Burnt Endss, Pickled Peppers, and Onion Straws
This might have been in Christian's top 5 favorite items. The portion was great for $6.25 and he said it was very tasty!
There were a lot more things we would have tried (and eaten again) if we had more days at the park but sadly we had to come home. I'd consider living at Disney during the Food & Wine festival just so I could pop into EPCOT every day for a random treat.
I hope you enjoyed coming along with us on this culinary tour of the world!
Hi, bakers! Welcome to bread week! (Great British Bake-Off anyone?)
I haven't been baking much the last couple months since we've actually been getting out a bit on the weekends. I'm sure once we get back into Fall/Winter I'll be baking every weekend again. I have still been making homemade bread every other week as well as homemade pizza at least once a month, which I'm sure you can tell from this post!
First up is we made some strawberry jam with fresh berries from the garden! They've all been a little too small/mushy for regular consumption so making a quick jam was the perfect solution to enjoy them. Used on our dutch oven bread for breakfasts!
I was searching for a recipe that used instant masked potato flakes because my husband bought 2 boxes before the pandemic and we've hardly gone through the first box. (I don't like mashed potatoes and he forgets to remind me to make them for him at dinner, haha!) My loaf pan was a little too big so it doesn’t have the classic bread shape but who cares as long as it tastes good!
I will add more cinnamon sugar filling next time because I like a LOT of cinnamon flavor. But this is definitely a recipe I will make again. I may also double the recipe so it fills the loaf pan more.
I looooove focaccia and have made it a couple times before. This time I decided to use the mini currant tomatoes from our garden to make a colorful rosemary garlic focaccia! The first time I used a recipe that didn't have the dough do a long second rise. This recipe called for leaving the focaccia in the fridge after forming in the pan for at least an hour and up to 24. I left it for almost 24 hours. Soooo delicious! I like that now I have a quick recipe for last minute focaccia or one that develops a little more flavor.
Pizza with garden fresh basil & pepperoni and caramelized onions
More garden fresh ingredients for homemade baked goods! I used my trusty King Arthur recipe and topped with pepperoni and fresh basil and currant tomatoes from the garden. This recipe never fails. It's not traditional dough that you can toss in the air to form but I love how easy it is to make. I made another recently which is more our usual toppings - pepperoni, caramelized onions, pepperoncini (his half) and sweet piquante peppers my half.)
Normally when I make stromboli I use store bought pizza dough. I decided to try and make my own this time. I was always nervous to make my own dough for this because it has to be the right texture to stretch out and roll. It came out pretty tasty even though I stretched it a little too thin in some spots. But look at that nice puff! YUM!
P.S. Can you tell we love caramelized onions, haha!
More baking adventures to enjoy! This round involves some sort-of fails because nothing ever comes out perfect all the time. Gotta keep it real, right?
Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
These were delicious but they came out super flat. I'll have to try it again and see if I can improve on them. I assume I didn't let the butter cool enough after browning. Next time I may chill the dough overnight to see if that helps!
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
I made these on a whim during our trip to visit Christian's family in Missouri. We had a small cookout and wanted a dessert so I whipped them up before everyone arrived! They were REALLY good and look how nice and fat they baked! Will definitely be making these again.
Gooey Chocolate Pizza Cookie from Handle The Heat's The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
This recipe was only a fail because we tried to grill it rather than cooking it in the oven. It's supposed to be kind of like a lava cake. The grill didn’t get to 400° so we left it on a little longer which was a mistake. The bottom and edges burned and it wasn't “gooey” like it was supposed to be. BUT the 3/4 that was edible was still good! (The foil we put on it to protect it from charcoal smell somehow stuck to the top resulting in a beautiful “design,” haha!) Next time we'll make it in the oven.
5 Minute Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Toast
Not sure if this counts as baking, but it's a dessert/breakfast and was delicious so I have to share! I was afraid to add too much chocolate when we made them,might add some more next time!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Used one of my recipe books so I don't have a link. I don't usually do lemon so this was a Christian only dessert. He loved it so I'd say it was a hit. Pretty sure it was similar to most other lemon meringue pie recipes so anything you choose will be delicious!
Not exactly baked, but another dessert. I needed to use leftover sweetened condensed milk so I halved the recipe. (After making it I bought a couple more cans so we can make it again!) It was so delicious and we both loved the texture! I can't wait to make it again. I feel like we should try something other than chocolate chip, so maybe I'll throw in some Oreos or something else to make it more fun!
