Round three of delicious homemade bread was the most delicious yet, and round four (sourdough) is bubbling up now. I really get a kick out of making bread, especially when the instructions are all: "Don't forget to feed your starter! Remember, it's a living creature!" 
To be honest though, I started with dessert. Magnolia's recipe for chocolate cupcakes and a simple buttercream icing. I improvised a little and added peppermint extract to the icing. In case you can't tell, the raspberries on three of the cupcakes spell out: "TOD", ie, transit-oriented development. 
And today, after picking up our CSA box, I was feeling inspired and threw together a roasted vegetable medley of Kabocha Squash (apparently chefs will sometimes use this as a substitute for pumpkin. I don't blame them--it's delicious.), red daikon, a couple of radishes, potatoes, and onions. Roasted vegetables are the best.
Check to see if there are CSA pickup points in your neighborhood: NYC, Chicago, and Hartford, to name a few.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A Full Meal, Over Three Days
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Cooking = Procrastination
So remember the Ciabatta recipe? I finally attempted it, and conclusion=delicious. Here we see a hunk with some chili I threw together (black beans, a variety of sweet peppers, some cilantro and parsely, butternut squash, and lots o' spices.)
Of course, as this picture illustrates, bread and chili should really be started early in the day, to avoid eating your delicious meal at midnight. (The clock is a little fast...)
Also, just for fun, pretty pretty California tomatoes! The time to really enjoy these lovelies is leaving, sadly, but I have enjoyed the season.
Monday, October 6, 2008
It's possible that I am becoming a slave to King Arthur's Flour emails....
I made their ciabatta bread and am totally in love with the world. Pictures for that to come. 
Today, they sent an email claiming "best gingerbread ever, guaranteed." Gingerbread that's all bready, and sweet, and dense and delicious? Ummm, yes please? I love that the recipe calls for whole wheat flour and cyrstallized ginger. YUM.
Photo from: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=7
Friday, October 3, 2008
Three Birthdays in One!
I made some carrot cake cupcakes for my MUP friend's birthday!
It was also V's birthday and today is my brother's, so they'll get some pictures, as I don't think cupcakes would mail well. 
This recipe was fun and pretty easy--all you need is a food processor and you're good to go. The recipe giver, while mourning the loss of her own carrot cake recipe, also really likes the cream cheese frosting, and I agree: super tasty.