Versatile: choose your beans, choose your greens, choose your miso. Creamy, without much dairy. Protein, without much cost or meat. What a winner.
Anna’s California Miso Avocado Salad, from 101 Cookbooks (Heidi Swanson)
recipes
On sneaky routes to moist cakes
I prefer my food moist. I certainly love all moist cakes. My granny and my dad set a great precedent for yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and I’ve recently been impressed with coconut or Tres Leches white cakes. However, a truly rich and moist chocolate cake might always win in my book; my love for Cafe Latte’s chocolate cake, a Minnesota tourist experience of its own, began before I was born.
Speaking of hometowns, my love for and sense of pride in the Splendid Table is at least 49% heartland patriotism. Lynne Rosetto Kaspar’s oeuvre makes my short list of favorite recipe sources on the internet (next to Smitten Kitchen, Food52, and the Kitchn). I often turn to the Splendid Table in moments when I need something tried and true, for a swanky, adult-pleasing meal. Hence: Thanksgiving.
Did you already know what a wealth of resources they’ve got over at Turkey Confidential? Holy mashed potatoes! I could rave about nearly everything, but today’s endorsement goes to the most wonderful, surprising, tastes-like-chocolate-but-isn’t, dark (dark!) horse dessert winner: Dark Molasses Gingerbread Cake.
I’ve now made this three times, each time made sweeter by my accumulative pride and sense of victory. I’m impressed by the accompanying recipe for Extra Creamy Cooked Cream Cheese Frosting, though, frankly, it’s kind of fussy. I also enjoyed the easier Maple Icing over at Ottolenghi (and, friends, the method is essentially: mix them). Overall, I had no complaints with a thick slab of this cake, pure and undressed. It’s excellent at morning, noon, and night. It gathers its flavor intensity and continues to strengthen over several days. All that molasses mellows into a nearly-chocolate experience and guarantees moistness for at least a week — if you can keep it around that long. In short: wowza. Enjoy.
On Easter Brunch
I love celebrating all of Easter – the spring, rebirth, triumphing love over death, Jesus, flowers, quiche, new beginnings, and on and on. Many good reasons to remember the good parts.
I liked this champagne cocktail punch from the Kitchn very much.
Martha Stewart did me right again with some real inspiration.
I added strawberries to this salad and it was fine, but didn’t blow me away. But I should have posted earlier about this life-altering miso ginger carrot dressing. On avocados – whoa.
Delighted by this new spin on hummus made with beets.
In all, satisfied by my extroverted tendencies and my genetically-enhanced desire to throw a good party that brings good people and good food to the same table, particularly in the name of so many good reasons to rejoice. Alleluia!
on gentle and sparkly things
Last night, filled with champagne toasts and the warmth that comes from soup simmering and the longevity of friendship. This morning, I finish grading amicus curiae briefs written by college-bound seventeen year olds. It’s finally cloudy in the east bay, and even though I’d like to go on a hike, I will welcome the rain over here.
Can’t get enough of this TMOE cover (spot-on suggestion credit to my little sis — good one). Also, couldn’t get enough of these French 75s last night. Thank you, Paul Simon and Saveur.
and all the things 