Whether or not you’re a big football fan, Superbowl Sunday is a chance to gather with friends and make all the snack foods and appetizers you’ve been craving all winter, not to mention a few liquid libations.

Both my husband, David, and I grew up in New England and have been Pats fans for years, but our tastes in snacks run more to the South. We’re quite partial at our house to nachos; pulled pork with David’s famous BBQ sauce (coleslaw ON the sandwich, not on the side, thank-you-very-much!), and Cowboy Caviar (kind of like salsa). read the rest of this entry »

Bagels for babies? Think toddlers sitting in the shopping cart, happily gnawing their way through a chewy bagel half as mom shops. Or those of us eating “baby-sized” portions in order to take off those 5 pounds that magically appeared during the holidays; this recipe makes cute little 3 1/2”, 2 1/2-ounce bagels, over a third smaller than normal bagels.

Or maybe these bagels are for you bagel-baker wannabes who’ve never made this signature treat before. Because this particular recipe, while exacting in both ingredients and timing, produces a pretty darned good bagel if you simply follow the directions. read the rest of this entry »

WHEW!

Now that the long, LONG Presidential election process has finally drawn to a star-spangled conclusion, let’s all take a big breath, let it out slowly, and RELAX. Winter’s here, and it’s a great time to settle in with some simple comfort food: soup and muffins.

I admit, I’ve never been a great soup-maker. Bread, yes. Cookies and cake and pizza, fine. Stir-fries and curries, stew and anything on the grill, I’m in my element. But somehow, the fine art of soup preparation has thus far escaped me. read the rest of this entry »

My Web team buddy, Janet, and I have been working together here at King Arthur for almost 20 years. Comfortable old friends, we often like to relax at the end of the day. So late yesterday, she’s reading me the menu for today’s inaugural luncheon.

“It’s supposed to reflect Abraham Lincoln,” she said. “Seafood stew—scallops, shrimp, lobster with a puff pastry topping.” read the rest of this entry »

Chocolate. A perfectly fine ingredient on its own. Some folks like to pair it with raspberry. Some, no doubt devoted fans of the Sacher Torte, marry it with apricot. Many add coffee and say “Make mine mocha.” And some benighted bakers actually pair chocolate with (gulp) orange. To which I say, “Hot chocolate is hot chocolate and OJ is OJ, and never the twain should meet.” read the rest of this entry »

It must happen at least 2 or 3 times a month. One of us here in the King Arthur test kitchen will hold up an orphan equipment sample from a vendor and say, “I hate this thing. Is anyone else actually USING it, before I get rid of it?” Never fails but someone else will say, “I LOVE that thing! Put it on MY station!” read the rest of this entry »

Ahhhhh, cinnamon toast. read the rest of this entry »

I confess to a certain ignorance about Jewish baking. I didn’t grow up in that culture (aside from a brief exposure to Chanukah songs in kindergarten). As a kid, my Jewish friends gravitated, like me, more towards McDonald’s fries and Ring-Dings than latkes and honey cake.

But I have to admit, my education has been growing by leaps and bounds since I started blogging here. You readers out there have seen to that. read the rest of this entry »

I love cheese crackers. LOVE LOVE LOVE cheese crackers. Cheez-Its, Cheese Nips, even Cheetos fall into that same delightful category of cheesy CRUNCH.

I love how the powdery cheese residue sticks to your fingers, so that of course you have to lick it off. I love that sharp/tangy/nutty taste that simply shouts CHEESE.

So, with all the yummy crunchy cheese snacks already on the market, why would I ever want to make my own? read the rest of this entry »