I’m out of town celebrating a friend’s birthday, so I took the opportunity to try Claire Saffitz’s classic birthday cake from her book, Dessert Person. A simple, but delicious vanilla cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. Truly a classic.
Sending the happiest birthday wishes to my two favorite Libras, Carly and Priscilla! ✨💖🌈💅🏻✨🍰🎉
October Cookbook #2: That Sounds So Good: 100 Real-Life Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Carla Lalli Music
While waiting for That Sounds So Good to arrive, I made the pasta with cauliflower, sausage and big bread crumbs (pg. 140) from Where Cooking Begins. A few weeks ago, I helped a neighbor by storing his meat delivery in my freezer – and no, that isn’t a euphemism. He offered my one green chili sausage as a thank you, marking the first time I have ever been paid in meat. 🌭 I thought this recipe would be a great way for it to shine!
It has been a busy week, but the grilled romaine with herby walnut dressing (pg. 164) seemed like something I could whip up quickly. I enjoyed the tangy dressing with the walnuts, but I don’t think the grilled romaine added anything special. If I make this again, I will probably keep the lettuce raw.
“Confit” is a fancy French word for slowly cooking something in liquid, usually fat. In the case of the confit potatoes with garlic (pg. 225), I slow-cooked these fingerling potatoes in olive oil with garlic and chiles. Yum, right? As Carla suggested in the book, I put them on the grill and then ate them along with the baked polenta with broccoli (pg. 184). This was SO good, but the broccoli took way too long. Next time, I’ll just make the polenta and roast the broccoli in the oven like always!
Lastly, I tried to make the mocha hazelnut biscotti (pg. 253). Biscotti requires two bakes; the first comes out as a soft, cake-like texture that you then cut into strips and bake again until crispy. As I was pulling it out of the oven the first time, I somehow lost balance and dropped the pan, cake first, on the floor. 😩 I tried to salvage as much as I could but ultimately there was no saving it. I did nibble on some of the floor cake and can still confirm that the flavor is A+.
Thanks for reading, sweeties! 🍎