a little zaftig

Date Balls and Lessons from Merriam Park

by Laura 9 April 2011

Even if you’re the kind of person who thinks there could be nothing less appetizing than a humble date ball, I hope you’ll consider making these. Brown sugar and butter caramelize in a pan while whole dates melt slowly into the mix, and you stir them together with toasted almonds, a little crunchy salt and [...]

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Taste Memories

by Freddy 8 April 2011

A Guest Post by our Sweet Boy My earliest memories are of my mom and I taking an ordinary trip to the Community Store for a little treat. As we would walk in the store the owner and employees would all shout an “irashaimase” welcome. I would shout back, and they would laugh, since irashaimase [...]

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Champagne Jelly

by Laura 6 April 2011

Yesterday a childhood friend from France came for a visit. I served caramel rolls and pecan sticky buns and cinnamon rolls and pots of coffee. And then we moved on to champagne. I had half a bottle left and decided this morning to mold it into a shimmering champagne jelly. I used a small mold, [...]

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Boozy Hot Cross Buns with Rum Brown Sugar Butter

by Laura 5 April 2011

When you’re done with the egg hunt, the Easter bonnet has been pulled off and tossed aside, when churching and snapping pictures are past, and you’re ready for a buttery breakfast roll or something sweet next to your slice of ham, make these. They are a bit on the time intensive side, but nearly all [...]

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Crustless Quiche with Bacon, Gruyere, Fat Whole Asparagus Spears, and Leeks & Roasted Sugarplum Tomatoes

by Laura 2 April 2011

I think a lot of people can’t be bothered with making a quiche at home because they don’t want to fiddle with pastry for a crust. Some years ago I discovered that a quiche will bake up beautifully without one. Here’s the latest quiche from my oven, served with a side of sweet roasted sugarplum [...]

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Maple Sugaring at Family Farms

by Laura 2 April 2011

This piece was originally published in Honest Cooking magazine. My daughter Sophia and I visited Family Farms in Delano, Minnesota on a dun-gray day in late March. The roads that wind through the countryside west of the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis are dotted with small, anonymous farms, with families tending modest fields [...]

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Banana Cream Pie

by Laura 2 April 2011

Our Honey Girl and her Mr. Right stirred up this pie while they were visiting last week. It was a reminder of just how darn good this creamy classic can be. A press-in nutmeg graham cracker crust, quick-cooking rich vanilla custard, sliced bananas, and a crown of softly whipped cream, it’s quite simple. My nutmeg [...]

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A Fool for April Fool’s

by Laura 31 March 2011

We’re kind of nutty for April Fool’s Day around here. We’re a silly family in the first place (see here). My Dear Husband is the truly funny one, but the rest of us take on April Fool’s with something of a mission, as our one day of the year to make him laugh. We start [...]

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Fresh Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Doughnuts with Warm Orange Honey & Cinnamon

by Laura 29 March 2011

This week I’m testing one of the editors’ pick candidates for Food52’s ricotta recipes contest. But, to be perfectly honest, I completely muddled the recipe. I haven’t been sleeping much for the last two years, too much work to allocate more time with my eyes at rest. So I thought I had faithfully transcribed the [...]

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Whipped Fresh Sheep’s Milk Ricotta with Frozen Blueberries

by Laura 27 March 2011

My Honey Girl and I attended a cheesemaking class with Jodi Ohlsen Read of Shepherd’s Way Farms yesterday, at a charming shop in St. Paul called Egg Plant Urban Farm Supply. I’m totally smitten. They stock baby chicks(!), chicken coop, gardening, cheesemaking, canning, and maple syrupping supplies, and more. It’s a small retail space, but [...]

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