Chicken noodle soup.

If those words immediately paint a mental picture of Mom opening a red and white can, and settling in at the lunch table after a morning spent building a snow fort in the backyard with the neighborhood gang, then you’re a Campbell’s Kid.

When we were growing up, soup came out of cans – period. And almost always, those cans were plain red and white, script on top, gold label in the middle, block letters down below.

Never mind the fancy pictures, callouts to Facebook, or offers of recipes or coupons inside the label. Campbell’s told you all you needed to know: there’s chicken noodle soup in this can.

read the rest of this entry »

Apps.

It’s a semi-word thrown around quite easily these days, usually referring to smart phone applications (“apps”) like Instagram, Words with Friends, or Angry Birds (which apparently is at the top of the app popularity totem pole).

But when the holidays roll around, “app” means only one thing to me: appetizer, quite possibly my favorite food group.

Chips and dip, cheese and crackers, crostini and baked artichoke spread… Anything crunchy/salty/savory paired with anything rich/creamy/spreadable is a welcome break from the holiday cookies, candy, and other sweets so ubiquitous right about now.

read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever enjoyed prime rib?

If you’re not a vegetarian, and enjoy going out to eat – I’d guess the answer is yes. Most of us have given in to the tantalizing $9.99 prime rib special at some point in our lives.

But have you ever roasted a prime rib at home? And served it, in all its tender, juicy glory, alongside a baked stuffed potato, asparagus, and wonderfully tender, pillowy soft Yorkshire pudding?

I’d guess the answer is no.

Too challenging? Not when you follow these 10 easy steps to a gala feast that’s totally attainable by the home cook.

read the rest of this entry »

[Ed. note: This is the debut blog post for Amber Eisler, a veteran of our King Arthur Flour Bakery and currently an instructor in our Baking Education Center. Welcome, Amber!]

It’s no secret, we have gingerbread on our minds here at King Arthur Flour. From our demo kitchen to our baker’s hotline, construction gingerbread and royal icing are the buzz words. And, the Baking Education Center is no exception! So what exactly happens in a 2-day gingerbread class? Let’s look and see.

read the rest of this entry »

There’s something about warm chocolate melting inside a moist, dark, rich cake that never seems to go out of style.

For years it has been a regular on dessert menus standing alongside its only relentless competitor, creme brulée. Now you can see its tempting face on the front of baking mix boxes promoted by words like decadence, indulgence, and molten.

We call it lava cake. For all the chocolate-crazed dessert lovers out there, THIS is your gig!

Timeless and simple it may be as a dessert celebrity, but it does demand careful clock-watching in the kitchen. Like a soufflé, this type of dessert ages exponentially by the minute after it’s pulled from the oven – the lava firms up, and so does the magic.

read the rest of this entry »

This time of year, we’re all looking for the easy way out, aren’t we?

Fast, easy, time-saving… holiday buzzwords all.

Which is too bad. The December holidays – Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa – are all about friends and family, food and fun. Why do we find ourselves rushing through them?

Because we’ve piled too much on our plates, that’s why. And I don’t mean too many cookie-swap cookies.

The last thing you want to stress over is making sure everyone’s fed on Christmas morning, right? Which is why you put this Baked Stuffed Cinnamon French Toast together a day or so ahead, then stow it in the fridge. When Christmas morning rolls around, simply stick it in the oven, and hurry back to the tree.

Looking for a way to enjoy those special Christmas moments with your (well-fed) family?

You’ve found it.

read the rest of this entry »

What do Genghis Khan and Gandhi have in common? How about Danny Devito and Pablo Picasso?

Oooh, ooh, what about me, and the Marquis de Sade? I bet you are just dying to know, right? Well…

read the rest of this entry »

There’s Christmas fruitcake.

And then there’s Christmas fruit cake.

The difference a single space between two words can make is nowhere more evident than here.

read the rest of this entry »

You know those really dense, chewy rounds of bread you can buy at artisan bread bakeries?

Breads with a satiny, dark-brown crust, packed with fruit and nuts and, most of all, with incredible flavor from their long, slow rise?

Believe it or not, you – yes, YOU – can make a loaf like this at home. With no particular talent, and no special equipment.

Truth.

read the rest of this entry »

“WOW… This is the best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted.” – Halley, my boss.

“This is really good. In fact, I think it’s the best cheesecake I’ve ever had.” – Jeff, my co-worker.

“Hey, this cheesecake is REALLY good…” – John, my brother-in-law.

There’s nothing like unsolicited raves from taste-testers to make my day. Especially when what they’re tasting is uncharted territory – at least for me, a New Englander with only the tiniest of connections to New York, from whence this particular type of cheesecake springs.

read the rest of this entry »