A Baker's Dozen Foodie Finds for Christmas 2014

                                                                               


Thanksgiving comes and goes ... and while we relish holding on to the memories and Thanksgiving Day leftovers for a few days, there's no denying that Christmas preparations kick into high gear within days of the carving of the turkey and the brief pause to reflect on our blessings! That being said, here is a fun selection of gifts that you just might find fun for giving to the favorite foodie in your life. Wrapping things up in creative fashion is always part of the fun too ... check out Charm Bracelet Diva's website for a fun Christmas post on wrapping and decorating!

I had such fun scoping the Internet for some of these ... and of course, you KNOW that most of them fit my interests. I'm only hoping that my taste reflects just a bit what others in the blogging world think is fun and worthwhile...

We Should Cocoa - Spicy Chili Chocolate Cookies

This batch of cookies will last a nanosecond, once Silent Bob gets winds of their smell. They're full of dark chocolate and cayenne pepper and they deliver a hot kick when you've swallowed a bite - that warm chili-spice heat that stays with you until you swallow some milk.

Random Recipes - Crusty White Bread

... a return to Random Recipes brings me to an artisan bread worthy of a good soup ...

Red Velvet Cake

... I will NEVER be a cake decorator, but boy, was it fun puttering over this one! ...

A New Quick Bread ... and Discovery

Pistachio and Prune Bread

I spend a lot of time cruising the food sites and blogs, poking here and there on links that others share in their articles and blog posts. You come across some incredibly interesting sites that way ... you're on someone else's tour of interests, food passions, and discoveries. Follow a few links, research a few references that someone has written of, check out a few names that someone has dropped, and soon you have wound up on a website or in a blog that is an unexpected surprise! It can be so enlightening.

Two Words ...

 

 

 

I found a new blog to drool over, folks! A Full Measure of Happiness is a pretty cool place and Lauren Zietsman has wonderful taste  ... she loves everything that I do! Wink, wink! The other day,she posted a spicy coconut curry squash soup that looked fantastic. I knew I had to make it, as I am jumping up and down for soups these days. Originally, I was going to make Lauren's soup with a cracker recipe, but when I saw just how thick and spicy and lovely it is, I knew I had to make flatbreads topped with sage and rosemary ... it really IS a good thing when one follows gut feelings and they turn out to be spot on ...

 

Another gut feeling? When I looked at that soup in the pot, I knew I had to play with all the oranges and golds that this time of the summer gives us  .... back to Two Words.  

 

Breakfast of Champions - Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

There's been a lodger in the grey cottage for the past couple weeks. Eric, the baby of the family, has moved home for a bit while he begins his new job and continues his classes in machine work. I love to see him enthusiastic about this new chapter in his life. He gets up raring to go and comes out of work each day with something to tell about the manufacturing process or what he has learned. He has purpose and a revived sense of self-esteem ... and that's a good thing. No more feeling beleaguered at a job that doesn't seem to be going anywhere ... my boy's feeling like the top banana ... the sweet one, the one worthy of making something really good of life and not waiting around for the sweetness!

Garlic Soba Noodles ...

Phew! What a day! I have been out straight planting and watering flowers, edging and hoeing in garden beds, composting and top dressing, and slapping mosquitoes! I am feeling so righteous ... so what can I do to top this day off? Well, I could just harvest two shopping bags full of prime spinach ... and use a few big handfuls to make a healthy, garlicky, cheesy platter of Soba noodles.

50 Women Game-Changers - Clotilde Dusoulier

This week's Game-Changer comes right from the blogging world ... and has had a wonderful influence on bloggers who aspire to use fresh ingredients and give them a spin on classic recipes. Along the way, Clotilde Dusoulier has given her readers a glimpse of her private world with family and neighbors, her neighborhood in Paris, and the city, in general. For foodies, travel enthusiasts, and beginning cooks, she is a breath of fresh air - never haughty or presumptuous - just a fresh-faced sweet woman with a sense of fun, a passion for good food, and a willingness to teach readers a bit of her French language and culture.

As she becomes more successful as a food writer, it's only natural that she has become somewhat of a 'brand'. Food blogging has come a long way, is wildly popular, and is grist for every food producer and cooking product company out there. Because her blog has been around for so long and has gained such a following, she has been able to be a direct influence on many a foodie, as they begin to structure their blogs, delve into the business side of blogging, and make the move from casual food diarist to published food writer and author. Therein, lies the reason, I think, for inclusion on this Gourmet Live list.

In researching Clotilde, I spent a good deal of time on her blog Chocolate & Zucchini. It was there that I found this recipe for Gratin de Chou-Fleur. Cauliflower is just beautiful right now and can be had for a song at the market. I love Gruyère cheese and bechamel sauce. What could be more yummy than a warm gooey vegetable dish that includes all three ingredients?

Hot Day, Cool Pie!

Okay, folks! The heat is on, so I'm all about a cool dessert. I was cruising the food blogs over morning coffee yesterday and found Tammy's recipe for Peanut Butter Pie on her blog Food On Food. You MUST visit her site. Not only is she hysterically funny and fun, but she posts some damn good recipes.