i'd rather be baking

I’ve been a biscotti-maker for awhile now. I don’t think there is any simpler and yet more awe-inspiring cookie on the planet. Biscotti is deceptively simple to make, and yet somehow, its recipients always seem to be amazed that “really, you made that yourself?” Yes, yes I did. And you wouldn’t believe how easy it is.

The secret to that crispness that lends itself so well to coffee-dunking is twice-baking (it’s not just for potatoes). The basic idea is to bake the dough in a long loaf, let cool slightly, slice on the diagonal, and bake again. And you’ll be happy to know that neither baking time is very long. I know, you have a life. Not to worry.

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The Great Stomach Flu of 2010 has officially ravaged my house. It hit Ryan around the middle of last week, and just when I thought I’d miraculously escaped, it hit me this weekend. I’m feeling much better today, but thanks to last night’s fever I’m still at home. And inspired by Oprah and several of my favorite bloggers, I’ve decided to take this stuck-in-bed opportunity to share some of my favorite things!

Some of these I already happily own and some I do not (hi to the various Santas in my life!), but all are equally fabulous. Some are baking-related and hey, some are not. Enjoy and consider these ideas in your holiday shopping for friends and loved ones!

Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar

philosophy.com

I’m not just including this because Oprah did, honest! This moisturizer is like liquid gold in a jar. I used a prescription steroid moisturizer for several years before stumbling upon this goodness and I’m happy to report that it got me off the scary stuff and my skin has never been happier. Ask for a sample at your local Ulta or Sephora (that’s how I first tried it), and if you decide to get some, go for the big jar. It’s a much better value (though definitely not cheap) and lasts a long time!

The Pioneer Woman Cooks Cookbook

thepioneerwoman.com

I received this cookbook for Christmas last year and have not stopped loving it since. Just like Ree’s blog, the book is full of wonderfully accessible recipes and equally delicious photos. I gave one to my mom for her birthday this year and think it’s a wonderful gift for anyone remotely interested in food or basset hounds. Yum!

Vera Bradley Baroque

verabradley.com

My little sister got me hooked on Vera Bradley, but there’s never been a print that I’ve just absolutely loved. Her new Baroque print is my all-time favorite and it’s making me a little nutty. My favorites are the weekender, hipster, and zip-around wallet, but it’s all adorable. I’ll admit to squealing a little whenever I see one in person!

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It doesn’t seem right that considering all of the ways I’ve baked with pumpkin and all of the different muffins I’ve baked, until now I’d never baked any pumpkin muffins. But because I always buy those ginormous cans of pumpkin, I’ve had a good 3/4 of a can of pumpkin sitting in my fridge for a good week now, and it had to be used. The clock was ticking.

The original version of this recipe comes from Maria, another local blogger here in Salt Lake. It looked so delicious and fulfilled my need to make something relatively simple in an afternoon whose agenda also included cleaning house, doing three loads of laundry, writing, and packing for the weekend. I also figured Ryan could use a breakfast treat, since he’s been working around the clock. And it turned out that these are in the running for the best muffins I’ve ever had. Everybody wins!

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My favorite part of Thanksgiving has always been my grandma’s cranberry relish. The past few times she’s served it (Thanksgiving or otherwise), she’s wisely placed the serving dish next to my plate. The lip-smacking sweet-tartness is one of my favorite foods on earth and one that I now make in my own home. I love the tartness of simple, fresh cranberries – that which turns most people away and to the sweetened, dried variety.

It’s kind of rare to find a recipe that happily channels the cranberry without suffocating it with sugar, but I’m pleased to report that this is one of them. Next time I think I’ll add a bit of orange zest to truly capture cranberry relish in bread form, but this bread is pretty darned delicious just the way it is. And in a burst of serendipity, it’s ridiculously easy to make.

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It’s only the second week of November and our third snow is on the ground already. I have approximately twenty green tomatoes that will apparently be ripening in my kitchen windowsill. It’s one of those days when clearly eight hours of sleep was nowhere close to enough and my coffee cup seems to always be empty. To top things off, the holiday season is nipping at my heels and I’m in a baking rut.

Strangely enough November is nearly always my favorite time of year. I know it’s cold and often bleak, but to me November has always meant the start of the holiday excitement, which I love. Thanksgiving is a big holiday in my family and one that I dearly love. This year we find ourselves fifteen hundred miles away from our families and for me it’s put rather a big damper on November. Which naturally, leads to chocolate.

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