HCB: Many-Splendored Quick Bread

in , , , , , ,

See the title up there?

The key word is “quick”.

This bread is super quick, as in get everything ready and then, boom, before you know it it’s in the oven and driving you crazy with heavenly smells.

At least that is what happen when I decided to make it this past Friday.

Yep, you read it right, this past FRIDAY.  As in, after a long day at work, I got to baking.  Can you tell I had a hard week?

Because I totally did.

Very hard week, in total need of full therapeutic intervention.

So I got home and knew that if I did not turn on the oven and got busy, I was going to have a meltdown.

Baking, my anti-drug.

And this was the perfect prescription.

Read More

FFwD: Gerard's Mustard Tart

in , , , , ,

I love savory tarts.  While I have a bad affair with fruit tarts, not so with savory ones.  In fact, I like them all, tomato tarts, zucchinis, with eggs, with cheese, with ricotta, you name it - A total affair of the belly.

And if you do overlook the actual tart, they are healthy too! (let me believe it ok)

So, when I saw what Dorie had choose for us to cook in the second week of French Friday’s with Dorie, I was giddy with excitement, one because it was a tart, and two it had carrots and leeks!  And if there is anything I love more in the vegetable world, is leeks.

By the way, did you know that leeks were the national emblem of Wales?

The recipe calls to use a tart dough which needs to be partially baked ahead of time. I set out to space this out in two days - but, if you are lucky enough to work from home, you can probably get this done earlier in the day and the finish the whole thing in time to put this in your dinner table.  

Read More

Shrimp in Red Curry – Thai Style

in , , , ,

I love Thai food.  And there is nothing that I love more in that cuisine that their Red Curry. But, then, I love anything that has coconut, or coconut cream or coconut milk - That is why my signature cake is a coconut cake – but let’s leave that one for another day in another post.

But, simply put, if it has coconut, I’m going to dig in and try it.

When I lived in Miami, I had a favorite Thai restaurant, called appropriately “The Thai House”, it was only a couple of blocks from my apartment in North Bay Village, over the bridge into North Miami Beach.  This place was a bit out of the way; right on the causeway and only the local folks knew it was there.  It did not stop them from having a pack house every night.

Read More