Panettone - Not Your Momma’s Fruitcake
December 24, 2009 – 1:08 pm | 9 Comments

Merry Christmas to all Mamaliga fans! Here’s another try at baking Panettone from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice book for the BBA Challenge. I didn’t blog about it initially since there were some things I wanted to tweak and adapt from his original formula. Quite a few changes.

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Haiti, And A Question
January 22, 2010 – 12:42 pm | One Comment
Courtesy of Divid Gilkey/NPR

Courtesy of Divid Gilkey/NPR

By now I expect that most of you know of the devastating Haitian earthquake, seen the pictures and reports of the survivors that now need to battle hunger and thirst. No need to update you on that.
You are probably left with the daunting question of “Why it happened to them and not us?” and feel the urge of somehow helping out in some way or another. Without going into deep thinking, can it be that those of us with resources are spared so that in situations like these we can share and help those in need? Just a thought…

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Panettone - Not Your Momma’s Fruitcake
December 24, 2009 – 1:08 pm | 9 Comments
Panettone - Not Your Momma’s Fruitcake

Merry Christmas to all Mamaliga fans! Here’s another try at baking Panettone from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice book for the BBA Challenge. I didn’t blog about it initially since there were some things I wanted to tweak and adapt from his original formula. Quite a few changes.

The Humble Chocolate Tart
December 21, 2009 – 10:56 am | 2 Comments
The Humble Chocolate Tart

Don’t be fooled. This humble chocolate tart is packed with enough potential to turn even the most chocolate-disciplined person into a dessert-ivore. So much more that is so easy and fast - if you read my previous post on baking short crust sweet pastry tart shells and you have two or three of them in the freezer.

Short Crust Sweet Pastry
November 23, 2009 – 12:45 pm | 4 Comments
Short Crust Sweet Pastry

In days when you crave something sweet and classy (and that’s daily, confess it!) this flexible short crust saves you of going through intense labor to create a delicious tart.

I got Interviewed By The Hungarian Girl!
November 9, 2009 – 11:17 am | 5 Comments
I got Interviewed By The Hungarian Girl!

Suzanne Urpecz (aka The Hungarian Girl) one of the reference voices and food bloggers in Hungarian, Central and Eastern European cuisine, took an interview with me that is featured on her blog.

Hexagonal Cedar Picnic Table
September 23, 2009 – 10:29 am | 9 Comments
Hexagonal Cedar Picnic Table

Only so you know on what am I spending usually the hot summer weekends, this post is about a picnic cedar table I built (commissioned by my wife) out of these six sided hexagonal picnic patio table plans!

The ‘Light’ Bacon Explosion
September 8, 2009 – 9:33 am | 9 Comments
The ‘Light’ Bacon Explosion

Had to do it. I knew it was going to come. The notorious creation of the BBQ Addicts, The Bacon Explosion a scandalous arteries clogging log of sausage, with crispy bacon bits, wrapped in … you guessed a layer of thick bacon! No trace of a vegetable in sight! None.

The Turkey Burger in Top 9 on FoodBuzz!
September 2, 2009 – 10:23 am | 6 Comments
The Turkey Burger in Top 9 on FoodBuzz!

I didn’t eve dream at the time of creating it that my humble Turkey Burger would make it to Top 9 on FoodBuzz! How cool is that! I might need to pay more attention to it later in a dedicated post with a recipe. Any takers? Anyway - check it out! It is mouth drooling and it can easily compete with the cover picture of the Saveur magazine (September 2009 issue)!

Wordless Friday - Spinach Ravioli with 4 Cheese Filling
August 31, 2009 – 11:32 am | 7 Comments
Wordless Friday - Spinach Ravioli with 4 Cheese Filling

Freshly made spinach ravioli with a 4 cheese filling (Blue, Feta, Parmesan and Cream cheese) sprinkled with sauteed sage, and in a fennel-butter-anchovies sauce.

Wordless Friday - Porcini Risotto with Aragula and Tomato Salad
August 22, 2009 – 2:07 pm | 7 Comments
Wordless Friday - Porcini Risotto with Aragula and Tomato Salad

There’s nothing like an arugula and tomato salad that was grown in your backyard - our plot in my case. The nutty arugula flavor combines sublimely with the acidity of the tomato. No comparison with store bought produce. The porcini risotto was my first try to stick with the original recipe. But for some reason I had to go 8 minutes over the religious 14 minutes of cooking the risotto after the first stock scoop. Nevertheless it turned out wicked!

BBA Challenge - Ciabatta Bread
August 19, 2009 – 9:37 am | 8 Comments
BBA Challenge - Ciabatta Bread

Ciabatta bread, first quest in baking myself through Peter Reinhart’s book, as part of the Nicole’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge(BBA).