Food Diary

I unlocked the wonderful mysteries of Babka for myself last year with these Babka Pull Apart Muffins which now makes every December around these parts BABKA SEASON.  I love a new tradition, especially one that involves chocolate and encourages coffee so in celebration of another December together, I’m back atcha with a MOUNTAIN of a Chocolate Babka Cake.   We’ll start with dreams of coffee cake.  Amplify those dreams by make a coffee cake that’s more closely related to a pound cake than anything.  Great!  Next, subtract the streusel filling and add in a chocolate-y rich spreadable chocolate filling that’s dark as midnight.  Factor in an hour of cozy oven time.  Consider a shower of powdered sugar while you brew up a cup of hot coffee and just like that you’re in my kitchen with me – and there’s cake thank goodness!   This recipe is brought to us in partnership with AeroPress because every good coffee cake obviously needs a perfect cup of coffee.   Here’s what’s so cool about an

Check out our favorite delicious and easy quinoa recipes, from enchiladas to quinoa salad recipes to vegan chili. You’re sure to find a favorite! In just a few years, quinoa has become a majorly popular food. When Alex and I first started A Couple Cooks eight years ago, quinoa was relatively new. This supergrain is now a staple in our weekly meals, and it’s super delicious too. Over the years we’ve created all sorts of quinoa recipes. So we thought we’d share our top 10 easy quinoa recipes with you! All these quinoa recipes have become family favorites in our house, and we hope they will in yours too! Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is one of the world’s most perfect foods (according to  some ) due to its high nutritional content. It’s actually a seed, not a grain, which makes it naturally gluten free. Compared to other vegetables, quinoa is high in protein, calcium, Vitamin B, and iron. Fun fact: apparently the Incas thought it was sacred, because eating it regularly appeared to provide a long,

During the holiday season, the freezers at Trader Joe’s are stocked with more treats than usual, giving you plenty of easy options for holiday entertaining. Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Cake is a new dessert that is a festive option for a holiday party anytime during the Christmas season. The dessert consists of two layers of ginger cake that are topped with cream cheese frosting and gingersnap cookie crumbs. The cake comes frozen and needs to be defrosted before serving. It can be defrosted in just a couple of hours at room temperature, or more slowly in the refrigerator if you prefer to plan ahead a bit more. The cake is simply decorated and well-packed, with a cardboard ring supporting the cake inside its box to ensure that it keeps its shape. My cake came out looking just like the cake on the packaging. The cake exceeded my expectations and is very tasty. It had a dense, yet tender crumb and delivered a good amount of ginger flavor, accented perfectly by the small bits of candied

Easily one of my top five pantry staples, extra virgin olive oil is what I use to cook with most often. To dress a salad or finish my favorite roasted potatoes or add moisture to the best lemon loaf... Please visit Sprouted Kitchen to view this Recipe.

This time of year I get all sorts of questions, usually from really thoughtful significant others eager to buy their baker-loves the best baking present they can for the holidays.  It’s so sweet and thoughtful and I can’t help but think that it’s also motivated by their desire for cakes and cookies and the smell of fresh bread in their house.  If you’re dating a baker… it’s definitely a hobby you want to encourage with gifts.   Here are a few of the items I treasure in my kitchen everyday, but especially on baking days.  I hope this list inspires some generous gifting to the baker in your life.  Ya get what ya give, ya know?  I’m mostly talking about cookies, so…  BOOKS and things :  some of the books and magazines I reach for most often in my kitchen these days.  I find all of these books to be great technical and creative recourses for the home baker.  •   Fearless Baker  by Erin McDowell – traditional technique and a pep-talk with just about every solid recipe.  It’s a book ever

A few freshly baked cookies and a cup of hot tea is a wonderful afternoon treat – and it is even more delicious when the cookies have some tea in them, tying the two elements of that tea-time snack together. These Earl Grey and Vanilla Sugar Cookies are laced with just enough real Earl Grey tea to give the an addictive flavor that Earl Grey fans will keep coming back for. And even if you’re not a big tea drinker, the cookies still go just as well with coffee and milk. The cookies use a few bags of Earl Grey tea to get the tea flavor into the cookie dough. Loose leaf tea may be the preferred way for many to brew their tea, however the bagged tea is much finer and incorporates more easily into a dough like this one. The flecks of tea leaves add a beautifully specked look to the cookies, and you really don’t want to have larger leaves in the mix when you eat them. I used two whole bags of Earl Grey tea, which came out to be approximately 2 tablespoons of tea leaves. While that might sou

Hello sweet friends!  Wow wow wow – it’s one of the best weekends of the year.  The days feel long and the fridge feels like it will always always be full of turkey. I hope you had a memorable Thanksgiving.  Memorable in the way that you laughed so hard it hurt and someone helped you with the dishes.  I’m taking time this weekend: with friends, on long drives, at home putting up my Christmas tree.  There’s a calm in this weekend as we stretch towards the last month of the year and I’m savoring it!  I hope you have too. Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 198! at Joy the Baker.

Pecan pie is a delicious dessert that I find is best when you have a crowd to share it with. This is because pecan pie is a rich dessert and one pie can usually be divided up to serve quite a few people! If I’m not entertaining, I will sometimes skip a pecan pie in favor of other pecan desserts, simply because I know that I won’t be able to get through the whole thing in a short time-frame. Whether you’re baking something just for two or serving only a small group, there are times when a small batch recipe can come in handy. These Small Batch Pecan Pie Bars capture all the flavor of a classic pecan pie in a recipe that is perfect for a small group! The pie bars are made in two stages: first the crust, and then the filling. Unlike a traditional pie recipe, the filling is added to the crust when it is still hot from the oven, which really streamlines the baking process. The crust is a shortbread crust that is made in the food processor and pressed into the pan. It is crisp, buttery and

Per request! Many moons ago, we made a summer cheese here. It was simple, had a few handmade components but was super quick to throw together. Since then, and especially lately with the holidays... Please visit Sprouted Kitchen to view this Recipe.

I made the season’s first Sweet Potato Pie this past weekend and got tears in my eyes.  That’s a true fact.  Some things just always taste the same and always taste right. If you’ve been around this humble corner of the internet for long enough, you know that my Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie is near and dear to my heart – meaning that at least a third of my heart is actually made up of this pie.  It’s our family recipe and a major part of our holiday traditions, but beyond that – it’s just a solid gold recipe. Continue reading Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie – 2 New Ways! at Joy the Baker.

Pumpkin is one of my favorite fall flavors and I never get tired of baking up desserts that feature it. This Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie is a classic pumpkin pie with a twist inspired by one of the most popular fall coffee drinks out there. It starts with plenty of pumpkin, but coffee and warm pumpkin pie spices are added until each bite tastes just as satisfying as a sip of the coffee house classic. While you can add in a cup or more of hot, freshly brewed coffee to a chocolate cake recipe, there isn’t a lot of extra liquid in a pumpkin pie that can be substituted for coffee. As a result, you need to use instant coffee or espresso to bring in that rich coffee flavor. Instant coffee is slightly easier to find in grocery stores, but instant espresso delivers a deeper coffee flavor and is what I recommend using in this recipe. If you only have regular instant coffee, you’ll want to add in an extra half tablespoon or so to bump up the coffee in the finished dessert. Starbucks Via can also b

The word is ‘bread salad’.  Inclusive of greens and such.  Present with many a chunk of bread – of any sort – in this case CORNBREAD.   This dish is somewhere between a cold salad and a warm side.  It’s rare that I crave a lettuce-y  salad this time of year.  If it’s not roasted in some form… let’s just not.  I’ve found that this warm-ish salad meets all of my chilly weather needs with the added bonus of  an aggressive amount of toasted cornbread. Continue reading Southern Panzanella Salad at Joy the Baker.

Buttermilk pie is a simple custard pie that is always a favorite with my family. I always enjoy baking with buttermilk because it brings a lot of flavor into cakes, waffles and other bakes. This pie filling is no exception, as the buttery and tangy flavor of the buttermilk makes for a pie filling that is reminiscent of cheesecake – but much, much lighter. This Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Pie is an easy version of this classic pie, where buttermilk is accented with a touch of sweetness and lots of flavor from real vanilla beans. There are only a handful of ingredients in the filling. It is made with buttermilk, eggs and sugar, along with a bit of cornstarch to give it a texture that allows you to slice it easily after baking. I used real vanilla bean and it is worth splurging on in this recipe. The aromatic sweetness of the vanilla really comes through in the finished pie and it balances perfectly with the flavor of the buttermilk. The custard is tender and light, with a nice creaminess t

Hello sweet friends. I’m glad it’s Sunday. I’m glad you’re here.  Today I’m teaching a Sweet Potato Pie workshop at The Bakehouse .  It’s my favorite time of my year and my favorite kind of pie so it’s going to be a pretty sweet day.  I hope it feels that way for you too.   This weekend I’ve also learned the wonders of the Falafel Waffle, a recipe in the book Food Wine .  Andrea and Dana stopped by The Bakehouse yesterday to make brunch for a bunch of us.  Overall – it’s a full weekend of gathering and connection.  Gathering and connection are the spirit of this time of year.  Let’s remember. Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 197! at Joy the Baker.

How to be healthier? Eat healthy versions of your favorite recipes! Here are examples of processed foods with a healthy makeover. How to be healthier? One way is to eat a lot of “healthy” food like salads and smoothies–which is a great way to start! But what if you could eat healthier versions of your favorite recipes? Here are our top 8 examples of processed foods with a healthy, real food makeover. From a fancy homemade version of a hot pocket to crispy baked fries to vegan nacho cheese, there’s something for everyone. Rule #39 in Michael Pollan’s book Food Rules says that you can eat all the junk food you want, as long as you make it yourself. He figures that with the effort required to make it, you’ll indulge only occasionally. This is just how Alex and I feel about our old nostalgic processed foods. After working to minimize the processed foods in our diet, we’ve begun to make many of the foods we used to buy. Ready for our favorite recipes? Favorite recipes | examples of pro

Step one:  clean the refrigerator.  Wow… truly a strong place to start.   (We’re mentally starting our lists for Thanksgiving, right?  I’m in the business of making brain-space, fridge-space, counter-space, belly-space, and entertaining-space for this holiday and it all starts in the mind and in the fridge.)   Again.  Step one:  clean the refrigerator.   Step two, order the turkey or order the protein or figure out which giant gourd you’re going to roast and enjoy in place of a bird.  Step three is something else important.  Step four involves cleaning the guest bathroom and finding a nice candle for that space.  Step five might be name cards.  Step six might be assigning mac and cheese to the right person.  Step seven (though it should be step two) is assigning pie duty to the right pie-knowing people.   The one thing, make it’s number eleven or twelve down the list, is to root through your spice cabinet and take out all of the warming holiday spices that might make up a Pumpkin

Pumpkin baked goods can come in all shapes and sizes. While pie is the traditional vehicle for pumpkin when it comes to dessert, it isn’t the only option out there and it can be fun to mix things up with other pumpkin desserts. This Pumpkin Praline Pecan Bundt Cake is a perfect option for a holiday dessert. It is not too sweet and delivers a plenty of pumpkin flavor, packed with warm spices, brown sugar and crunchy pecans – and while it is large enough to serve a crowd, it is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight, too. Instead of using regular pecans to add crunch to this cake, I used praline pecans, which are toasted pecans coated in a buttery brown sugar mixture. This sweet type of pecan, or other nuts, and variations on it can be made at home pretty easily, but they are widely available on grocery stores because they’re delicious snack foods, too. I picked some up at Trader Joe’s and gave them a fine chop using a kitchen knife. The store-bought ones are ideal if you need to save

This Italian gift basket called Mediterranean Sunset is based on a meal we ate in Italy! Gourmet food gifts are the perfect gifts for foodies. This custom Italian gift basket was created in partnership with  DeLallo . All opinions are our own. Guess what? We’ve got an exciting brand new gourmet food gift: a custom A Couple Cooks Italian gift basket ! And it’s based on a real meal that Alex and I ate in Italy this summer. Our favorite Italian foods brand, DeLallo , asked us if we’d like to curate an Italian gift basket for you. We’ve traveled to Italy several times and many of our recipes are Italian style recipes . So, we could not be more excited to curate this gift basket based on our latest trip to Italy! Keep reading for the story behind the basket and how to get one : it’s the perfect gift for foodies! The story behind this Italian gift basket This is an Italian gift basket with a story. On the Italian coast this summer, Alex and I enjoyed a simple homemade dinner with famil

While “mincemeat” sounds like it refers to a savory dish containing minced meat, mincemeat most often refers to a mixture of sweetened dried fruit and spices. Looking back at the history, there was a time when mincemeat refered to a savory mixture of meat and fruit, as well as a time more recently when it sometimes included animal fat. These days, most commercially available mincemeat is just the fruit, sweetener and spices – and it is a delicious addition to holiday pies, tarts and muffins. These Mincemeat Oatmeal Muffins are a good choice for breakfast or brunch on a fall or winter morning. The muffins have just enough oatmeal to give them some substance, while maintaining a tender crumb. They’re packed with bits of fruit and plenty of spice, so they’re warming and really taste like the holidays in every bite. You can make your own mincemeat and there are many recipes out there to choose from. You can also buy commercially prepared mincemeat – None Such is a very common brand that

Gift-giving is my love language and I’m jumping into this holiday season with both feet.  Gift-giving comes in all shapes and sizes this season.  It might be a little homemade treat you bring to the host of holiday dinner, it might be a sweetly fragranced candle, or a box of decadent chocolate.  Some of my favorite gifts are the ones that last for months to come in a thoughtful subscription so there’s a surprise in the mailbox every few months! Continue reading Holiday Host Gift Guide, 2018! at Joy the Baker.

Wondering how to buy sustainable fish or sustainable seafood but not sure where to start? Here’s a quick guide to get educated fast. Is eating sustainable fish and seafood something you’re interested in? The hard part is that once you get to the grocery store, there are so many options and labels that it’s completely overwhelming. Is farmed fish sustainable fish, or should it all be wild caught? What about fresh fish versus frozen: what’s better? Are there types of fish I should avoid? Alex and I have been eating most vegetarian for the past 10 years (and most of the recipes in this space are vegetarian), but we do occasionally eat sustainable fish or meat. The thing is, we realized there were still some intricacies about buying sustainable fish and seafood that we didn’t understand. Since Alex and I wanted to learn more, we figured you might want to hear it too! So, we’ve called in an expert to set us straight: and luckily, we happen to have a friend who’s an expert on the subject.