"erin cooks" news and stories

I have always had something of a weakness for white chocolate. I know that the chocolate purists out there argue that white chocolate isn't chocolate at all, but nonetheless, I enjoy the stuff (particularly when combined with macadamia nuts and cookie batter). Recently, Erin of Erin Cooks made a batch of White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups that set my heart aflutter and my sweet tooth tingling. Delicious!

Thanks Erin!

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I spotted these Heart-Shaped Peppermint Patties yesterday over at Erin Cooks and so was delighted to see them show up in our Flickr pool. What a delicious and fun thing to make as a special treat for you Valentine this year, especially if you have someone in your life who's a big mint chocolate fan (these wouldn't fly with my fiance, as he's an avowed mint hater).

Check out Erin's recipe (adapted from More Top Secret Recipes)and technique here.

Thanks Erin!

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I tend to stay simple when I make pancakes. This in part because I tend to whip up pancakes on the spur of the moment and also in part because I live with a guy who doesn't cotton to fruit in his baked goods. However, I often dream of doing something wonderful with banana, strawberries or yes, blueberries.

Erin's Blueberry Lemon Pancakes make me think that I need to do a little planning, put Scott's pancake dislikes aside and make some fabulous cakes.

Thanks Erin!

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Since the colder weather finally settled in, I've been making at least one pot of soup or stew a week. However, I often feel like a bowl of steaming, brothy goodness isn't complete without a bit of bread or a couple of crackers to go along with it. Some weeks I buy a multi-grain baguette at the farmers market but sometimes I like to make my own rolls or biscuits.

I've had my eyes open for new quick bread options lately and there are two that struck my fancy today. I haven't actually made either yet, but I've printed out both recipes and they are destined for the "Must Make" stack in my kitchen. The first is the recipe for Jalapeno Whole Wheat Scones from from A Smart Mouth. I don't have all those exotic flours on hand, but I've been looking for an excuse to buy buckwheat flour and this may be reason enough. The other is the recipe for Cornmeal and Bacon Muffins that Erin (of Erin Cooks!) made over the weekend. She says she wasn't quite happy with the texture of these, but I find that the drier, crumbly breads go quite nicely with soup, so these might still be salvageable yet.

Each Friday afternoon, I gather up an assortment of links from around the food webs for your pre-weekend enjoyment. Here's some of what's caught my eye recently.

1. Move over canning, root cellars are the newest (oldest), hottest method of food preserving on the block. The New York Times featured them last week and Culinate offers more on subject from expert Harriet Fasenfest.
2. Looking for a way to make your winter a little brighter? Plan meals with friends and family.
3. Like the taste and convenience of slow cooked foods but don't have an electric slow cooker? CityMama helps you use just a cast iron casserole dish and your oven to achieve the same effect.
4. The Wednesday Chef featured a chocolate chip cookie recipe that includes buckwheat groats for added fiber and texture. These are going on my 'must make' list for this weekend.
5. I bought a big bunch of kale last weekend at the farmers market. I haven't gotten around to cooking it yet, but I've got my eye on this recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes.
6. For those of you out there who keep kosher, it's going to be a whole lot harder to get kosher beef for you dining table. NPR reports that one of the largest Kosher meat plants in the country has shut down their beef facility.
7. I like pumpkin bread and I LOVE cranberry bread. Putting the two of them together? Genius!
8. Looking for a weekend baking project that will knock the socks straight off your loved ones? What about the Feather Boa Doughnuts that Erin made recently! Based on a recipe from 101 Cookbooks, they are a little lighter than fried doughnuts but I imagine no less delicious.