Let's cook. And eat.

I follow this chef on Instagram and I have tried a few of her recipes. Not only are the recipes easy and delicious, her photography is stunning. So I get tempted to try them easily.  This particular one was easy, looks gorgeous and super delicious. Made it without any modifications. And it was a hit multiple times.  https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/strawberry-and-cream-rye-pretzel-tart/ Definitely worth trying out. 

 This recipe is a winner - quick and easy. The only thing I had to change was that I used smoked paprika instead of hot sauce since I had none at home.  https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/instant-pot-mac-and-cheese/ Master S was joyful. 

 I found this recipe on NYT Cooking. It is by Mellie Pear Tree.  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021870-southern-caramel-cake My changes were:  I used about 1.5 cups of sugar. I did add a half cup more of buttermilk. The base cake turned out great.  For the icing I used 2 cups of confectioner' sugar instead of 3. And I still felt it was a little on the sweeter side. Maybe next time I will reduce the dark brown sugar in the caramel too. Also, the icing thickens as it cools. I poured mine while it was still hot. It is better to let it cool just a bit so it does not all just flow to the sides. I used 3/4 teaspoon salt.  Here is the recipe if the link does not work (original, without any modifications.) :  By Millie Peartree YIELD 10 to 12 servings TIME 50 minutes, plus cooling This traditional Southern caramel cake is perfect for when you want layer cake, and you'd like it fast. It's light and fluffy under the sweet caramel glaze, which hardens at room te...

This one was easy last minute dish and when Master S saw it he remarked - I have not even tasted it and I already like it 😊 https://www.katiebirdbakes.com/heirloom-tomato-tart-burrata/ Followed the recipe as is and used the black truffle cashew from TJs. Oh so good! 

Have been wanting to try these 2 dishes for a while now - teff flour has been sitting in the pantry for a couple of months. Eventually I decided to use some easy workarounds rather than ferment the dough for multiple days.  Here are the recipes used:  https://ministryofcurry.com/doro-wat-chicken-stew/ I also used the same site’s recipe for preparing the berbere spice.  https://ministryofcurry.com/berbere-spice-blend/ The stew was a little too spicy for me. Next time I will use less of the spice, but Mr S was fine with it.  For the injera -  https://thegourmetgourmand.com/injera-from-sourdough-starter/?unapproved=17399&moderation-hash=0e470cac473f001657a0c3018351d7af#comment-17399 I did not have barley flour. So I used cake flour ( 1 cup all purpose flour - 2 tbsp all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch). 

This V day Mr. S was missing in action. But to keep things upbeat, Master S and I tried to make things special. We made these chocolate dipped strawberries and stuffed peppers.  There wasn’t much to the peppers - Ms Julie shared the recipe. Her recipe called for cream cheese, but we used some hung curd mixed with honey goat cheese. Mix, stuff and top with “everything but the bagel sesame” spice.  Crunchy and oh so good. 

This recipe is a keeper. Master S was happy I made it and repeatedly thankful- it made my day. Unfortunately we devoured it so quickly that there is no picture to share.  https://www.recipetineats.com/garlic-chicken-thighs-recipe/