Tag Archives: baking

Banana, Hazelnut and Cinnamon Scones

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Danguole| 11 Comments

Spring Forward…  You have cost me one whole episode of Teen Mom 2.  Thanks?  I guess?  I mean, I’d be mad if I were doing something valuable with my time.  Like baking scones.  If you’d taken these away, we might have to have capital-w Words.  Maybe all-caps WORDS.

Ah, spring forward.  The controversy!  Morning people and night people: it takes all kinds.  We can’t all do everything at once; that’d be madness.  Like baking.  Some of us get down with night baking, some of us wake up naturally with the sun, drink some green juice/chamomile tea/virgin blood (I don’t know how you people operate, forgive me) and bake up breakfast goods at an appropriate time.

Either way, we will have scones.  Tender, slightly sweet, dotted with heavenly banana chunks and toasty hazelnuts.

Read more →

→ 11 Comments

Posted in Baking, banana, Breakfast, Vegetarian, weekend

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Orange-Ricotta Pop Tarts

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Danguole| 16 Comments

Holy crap, I am obsessed with Weeds. These things tend to happen in the winter: Netflix streaming and dark evenings somehow make me extraordinarily motivated…  To sit on my couch and catch up on pop culture.  Watch all the things!  Yes!

I’m not doing so hot; Weeds premiered in 2005, you know?  I would have an easier time forgetting just how late I am to the party if it weren’t for the cell phones.  Old-school flip phones with that familiar greenish-grey/black display.  Shows about drug dealers feature phones A LOT.

On this schedule, I’ll be ready to discuss Girls and Downton Abbey in 2021.  Let’s make it a date, okay?

I’ll bring homemade pop tarts.

This has been on my to-do list for a while.  First thanks to the ever-brilliant and inspiring Deb from Smitten Kitchen. Then I had this killer homemade sweet potato pop tart at Dottie’s True Blue in San Francisco.  I guess I tend to get around to baking projects slightly more quickly than I catch up to cool TV shows.  Slightly.

And so, here they are!  And they’re beauties.  Tender,  buttery pastry crust, and zesty, slightly sweet, citrusy, creamy-dreamy-cheesy, slightly vanilla-scented filling.  A swirl of powdered-sugar icing on top.  Pop tarts!  Made from real food!

Read more →

→ 16 Comments

Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Vegetarian, Winter

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Double Chocolate and Almond Chunk Cookies

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Danguole| 6 Comments

Things I really love lately:

1. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran.  You should read it if you’re a woman.  You should read it if you’re a man.  You REALLY should read it if you enjoy wonderful things…  And laughing out loud in public places.

2. Elvis Costello (again).  Do you think he and Diana Krall (coolest marriage ever, or what?) would adopt me?  I mean, I make snacks and love napping, so…

3. This owl vase.  It needs no explaining.

4. Colin Meloy, superhero nerd-lit singer-songwriter of the Decemberists, and Rob Delany, Funny Ridiculous Man, tweeting each other.  YES, Twitter.  Do what you do.

5. This watch from Etsy and this nail polish.  I may or may not be a mess…  But my hands (at least one at a time) look awesome.

6. These cookies I’m about to tell you about.  So much chewiness.  So much chocolate.  And then there are almonds.  And!  They’re quick to make.  I’m sold.

Read more →

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Baking, Cookies, Dessert, Entertaining, Holidays, Vegetarian

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Cheddar and Black Pepper Biscuits

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Danguole| 7 Comments

Many times within the past few years, I’ve trudged through an 80-hour workweek or two.  The suits (combined with 2nd or even 3rd day hair and bloodshot eyes, natch), the endless caffeine needs, never seeing sunlight or anyone you love (no disrespect to my awesome colleagues)…  It happens.

Needless to say, one’s kitchen becomes a perfectly untouched museum of A More Normal Time. 

“Oh…  I used to do stuff in here.  Hm.  Anyway, COFFEE.”

And it goes without saying that when some kind soul puts something in the breakroom made by human hands, your head just about explodes with gratitude.  At least mine does, but it might be delirium.

See, lately I’ve been lucky in the work-schedule department.  Boyfriend and Co., not so much.  I made them biscuits!

So I have a suggestion for this week (or any other week): remember the kind things others have done for you.  Try to do them for someone else–it feels great.  And then, like me, you can go back to being a jerk again (kidding, kind of).  Also, save a couple of these babies for yourself.  We’re not martyrs here.

Read more →

→ 7 Comments

Posted in Breakfast, Vegetarian, weekend

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Tart Cherry and Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Danguole| 2 Comments

I made a cake for a party, and then felt cheated because I couldn’t have any yet.  It felt so, so wroooong!  What am I, six?

No, no I’m not.  Six-year-olds don’t get to make themselves cookies just because…  And that’s exactly what I did.  I stared at my pretty cake.  I wrapped it in plastic.  I stowed it safely in the fridge.  And then, determined to right the wrong I had done myself, I preheated that oven again, pretty much.

Amazing things happened next.  Namely (entirely), amaaaaazing cookies.  Seriously–I’d put these on my greatest hits CD, right next to my solo-in-the-car karaoke version of “Just a Friend.” Mmmhmm.  Not embarrassing at all.

Read more →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Cookies, Entertaining, Holidays, Vegetarian

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Danguole| 2 Comments

Guys. Guys!  Let me state the obvious.  It’s almost Christmas.  My shopping has never been more proactive.  My nails are red and sparkly.  There are cookies everywhere I go.  Everywhere!  It’s madness.  I have a haphazardly strung dark green light thing across my windows in the living room.  It’s trashy and heartwarming at the same time.  Look:

In other words, I think I’m ready.  Let’s embrace everything red, pretty and sweet.  Let’s make cupcakes that have ALL the things we like: chocolate, vanilla, bright color, whipped cream, cream cheese, almond extract, sprinkles…  It’s a lot, but we can handle it, especially this time of year.

Read more →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Cake, Dessert, Entertaining

Tagged , , , , ,