Every time I travel abroad for extended periods of time, I find myself craving certain foods that are mainstays of my diet back home. When I spent a summer in Asia, I craved Chipotle, fresh salads, and Cracker Barrel (my guilty pleasure). When studying in France, I craved Asian and spicy foods and, yet again,
Loveless Cafe – Nashville, Tennessee
I’ve spent the last few days in Nashville, Tennessee attending a technology conference with my dad. When he asked me to come with him, I wasn’t too excited about sitting in meetings with tech nerds all day (Who am I kidding? I’m a tech nerd myself) but I jumped at the chance to spend time
Tips for Better Baking: Bake Pies on a Baking Sheet (#35)
It’s always a good idea to bake pies on a baking sheet. Not only does it make it easier to get the pies in and out of the oven, but a sheet pan will catch any filling that bubbles over. It’s much easier to clean a foil lined baking sheet than the bottom of your
Blueberry Peach Pie
Last Thursday evening I taught my first cooking class called “It’s All About the Pie Crust” at Cooks’Wares in Mongtomery, Ohio. I was nervous in the days leading up the the class. Having never taught a cooking class before, I was not sure what to expect. I feared losing track of time, worried about forgetting ingredients, and
May Cookbook Giveaway
I’ve been talking a lot about pies this month so I thought it was only appropriate for the May cookbook giveaway to be pie-themed. This month, I’m giving away one copy of Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour & Butter by Kate Lebo. Pie School was given to me as a birthday present from my mom. I
Strawberry Buttermilk Chess Pie
Can I go on a rant for a moment? I have some issues with current dessert trends that I need to get off my chest. Outrageous desserts have never appealed much to me but when I recently noticed recipes popping up for something called ‘slutty brownies’ it pushed me over the edge. There are several variations for slutty
Apricot Galette
My first restaurant job was making sandwiches and salads at a small cafe that served healthy, seasonal and really delicious food. A few times a week the pastry chefs from the main restaurant would deliver baked goods to fill the large pastry case at the front of the cafe. While making sandwiches and salads wasn’t
All Butter Pie Crust – Part 2: How to Roll Out Pie Dough
Last week I shared (nearly) everything I know about mixing pie dough for an all butter pie crust and now it’s time to talk about the next step – how to roll out pie dough. There is one overarching theme in every aspect of pie baking: the importance of practice. The best way to learn how to roll
All Butter Pie Crust – Part 1: Mixing the Dough
My absolute favorite thing to bake is pie crust. I’ve always had a love for pie, but making pie dough did not come easily for me. I can remember several Thanksgiving and Christmas pie baking attempts that resulted in burnt edges, crusts slumped and shrunk in the pan, a broken food processor, a major burn on my
Brown Sugar Buttermilk Pie
I helped cater a special high-end lunch earlier this week. I’m talking stone crabs from the Florida Keys, black truffles flown in from France, and 60 day dry-aged strip steaks. I spent most of my morning making the roasted beet carpaccio course with the help of Tim, my lovely assistant (or maybe I was his