Tuesday, April 30, 2013

TWD/BWJ: Madeleines



Well, who'd have thunk it? Little cakes the size of a cookie! I always thought a Madeleine was more of a shortbread-y thing. Considered skipping this recipe since I knew it required a special pan that I didn't own, but stopped in at the Home Goods store and they had TWO different sized pans. So I bought one and will definitely be using it again. Easy-peasey and quick. I added lemon zest to the batter and drizzled with a lemon glaze after baking. And they were good for days! The recipe can be found here and the blog roll of other bakers is here.

Crushed up the egg shells
for my worms. What? I
haven't mentioned my
worm box before? Those
little guys are the best!














I was late baking these because on Tuesday, April 16th, my husband and I were enjoying our last day in Hawaii.  We spent a week making memories on the island of Oahu. Saw plenty of sites and spent a good bit of time resting, soaking up sunlight, and gazing at the Pacific. It was restorative. And I discovered papaya!









Was barely home long enough to make Madeleines and figure out what time zone I was in, then spent the better part of the past week at the big AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, Kentucky. Which just happens to be my hometown. It was amazing and wonderful, as usual. If you're not familiar with the current state of quilting, let me assure you that it's truly an artform. There was even a quilt about baking! This 3-dimensional quilt by Dominique Ehrmann of Quebec, Ontario entitled "Sweet Memories" commemorates her 25 years as a baker and chocolate maker.


And now a shoe. Michael spotted this one as we were crossing the road on the North Shore of Oahu to watch surfers.


Aloha!







Thursday, April 4, 2013

TWD/BWJ: Rustic Potato Loaves


An easy yeast bread that didn't take 2 days! Yay! That alone puts it near the top of my favorites list. Following the advice of other bakers, I left the peels on the potatoes and liked the character they added. At first the dough seemed waaaaay too dry, but then something magical happened and it turned into a lovely soft mixture. I love it when the impossible happens.



smells good, Mom!

If you'd like the recipe, you can find it here. The TWD blogroll for this recipe is here.

Things are looking up in our world. It's finally beginning to get warm, we had a wonderful doctor's appointment (he used the word "awesome"!), and we're on our way to paradise. More about that next time...

On the way home from the doctor's office yesterday, I saw this shoe. Felt like a chartreuse celebration!