Getting to Know Me and You

I've recently become a fan of Kim at My Inner Chick, and her hilarious, poignant, and important voice in the blogging world. Her responses to some "Foodie Questions" that she found on the blog of Mandy at The Complete Cook Book prompted me to accept her invitation to share and get to know one other with the questions below. And be sure and check out Mandy's original post at The Complete Cookbook!

(Apologizing in advance for the fact that some of my responses have two answers - I'm a Gemini and can't help it.)

Light Brioche Revisited

In June I discovered a wonderful bread recipe on the blog of Lucie Madeleine and made these hamburger buns. I have made the recipe several times since, to the delight of my family, and most recently for a luncheon for church. This time I made petite rolls, and I was very pleased with the results.

Between rubbing butter and flour together with your fingers and being careful not to add too much flour, this dough is not the easiest to handle; but the reward of following the instructions is a deliciously light and tender roll.

Lesley's German Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found the recipe for these delicious German Chocolate Chip Cookies on the blog of Lesley's Eats. The story she wrote about having lunch with her Mom and sharing one of these cookies, then recreating the recipe with her made me lonesome for my daughter, who moved away to Dallas last summer, and my Mom, who shared many restaurant desserts with me.

I decided on the spot to make them, and needing a chocolate fix to cheer me up, off to the kitchen I went to soften the butter. About an hour later I was eating my first cookie.

Marbled Nutella Banana Bread

I have been a follower of Emily, aka Sugar Plum, since she made a comment on my blog about Oklahoma in 2008. Emily creates original recipes, and she is Food Network-famous. She is cute and funny, her blog is a fun read with gorgeous photos, and she is gifted in the kitchen - I just love her to pieces!

I had never tried Nutella and didn't quite "get" what all the fuss was about. When Emily posted a recipe for Marbled Nutella Banana Bread, I finally decided to buy a jar and try it out. I'm glad I did - it's delicious! Her recipe makes a perfectly moist, not-too-sweet bread, and the addition of Nutella to half of the batter adds just the right amount of chocolate to enhance the banana flavor and not overwhelm it. I could have eaten the entire loaf, but fortunately I was giving it away.

Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies

Last week my son and DIL went out of town for a much-needed break, and while they were gone I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with my grand-kids, aged 12, 10, and 8. In between trips to Hobby Lobby and the grocery store, swimming, belly-laughing, and generally having a great time, I made them Brown Sugar Cookies from the blog of Baking Bites. These were a big hit - we all loved them! When my son and DIL came home starving after their 3-hour flight, they couldn't stop eating them.

Red, White, and Chocolate

Here is my offering for a Fourth of July dessert - an all-American chocolate cake with cherries, whipped cream, and chocolate buttercream. The cake alone would be perfect with just a dusting of powdered sugar, but dressed up for the holiday it is a perfect collaboration of moist cake, sweet chocolate, tart cherries, and fluffy whipped cream.

Lemon Herb Rice

For a side dish for my husband's birthday dinner, I served him Lemon Dill Rice from Mennonite Girls Can Cook. My version included Minute Rice, fresh-from-my-garden oregano, and both lemon zest and lemon juice. It was so good! Next time I'll add even more herbs and lemon.

Fruit Shake

In the 1980s I purchased a book called Fit for Life and followed the nutrition plan outlined in it, which was eating healthful food in proper combinations. Although I no longer adhere to the plan (and I really should - I felt fantastic while on it), I still use some of the recipes from the book. One of the recipes is for a fruit smoothie, and I love it because it is a frequent quick and healthy lunch for me and does not contain the yogurt found in most smoothie recipes. Although I love yogurt, I do not want it in my smoothie.

Boozy Banana Bread

I recently purchased Eva's Kitchen by Eva Longoria, and I've read it cover to cover. Usually when I get a cookbook I mainly look at the pictures, read the recipes that look appealing to me, bookmark a few to try, and give a cursory glance at the others. This cookbook captured my attention, because I like the way Eva writes, and I want to try nearly every recipe. She includes the stories and traditional recipes of her family, what is was like growing up on a Texas ranch, and some of the recipes she has developed from her travels as well as from her restaurant, Beso. Her cookbook is not pretentious in any way and is written as you might imagine she is talking to you while you watch her cook. Her recipes are simple with uncomplicated directions, emphasizing fresh, local, and in-season ingredients.

Light Brioche Buns

After a cooking friend supplied a link to Lucie Madeleine's blog, I found a recipe for these homemade brioche buns and tried them for our turkey burgers this past weekend. They were deliciously light with just enough sweet to complement the burgers. I will be making more of these for a family get-together this coming weekend!