Saturday Cocktail | Limoncello, Gin, & Grilled Thyme Cocktail

I hate it when people move away.

This cocktail is in honor of our friends, Jim and Michele, whom I credit with my renewed interest in cooking. I won't bore you with all of the details about how we met (work), but let's just say, we all hit it off.

They had us over for dinner, we had them over for dinner, they had us over for dinner.... next thing you know, it escalated. It was awesome.

They introduced us to Fine Cooking magazine, along with some pretty amazing music. As it turned out, we all were big fans of the same type of music. A challenge for me was to find new music they did not yet know about. I'm pretty sure I introduced them to Beirut and Kasey Chambers. They introduced us to a hell of a lot more.

And then they moved away.  Wah!

Actually, we've gotten together several times since then, so I can't complain. Love you guys. I just wish you were closer.

Pull-Apart Buttery Dinner Rolls

These are my favorite homemade soft dinner rolls. They're really easy to make, and the flavor is reminiscent of a traditional holiday meal. They are baked in 8 inch round cake pans, which help keep them extra soft. I've never managed to have any leftovers of these, but I'm pretty sure they would also make excellent buns for turkey sandwiches.

BBA Challenge #34 Pumpernickel Bread #35 Sunflower Seed Rye

Over the course of one year, I baked the 42 recipes in Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. In order. It was an excellent course in bread baking. I highly recommend doing something like this at least once.

I own a lot of cookbooks. An embarrassing amount of cookbooks. Thank goodness for Amazon Wish List and libraries, or I would be in big trouble. That being said, it was so satisfying to have finally done something like this.

Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies

This is a true chocolate craver's cookie. It involves lots of cocoa powder, semi sweet chocolate, sour cream, cream cheese, and malted milk powder. I do not even want to know the calorie count.

Random hints and thoughts on this recipe:

You have to place them far apart on the cookie sheet because they spread out like crazy into these flat rounds you see here. It's almost miraculous.

The filling might make an excellent cupcake frosting.

Use a portion scoop to measure out the cookies onto the cookie sheet so that they will be evenly sized. 

I'm thinking about making them smaller next time. 

Onion and Sage Focaccia

Sounds cliche, but this bread is amazing.  I'm just saying.

Onion and Sage Focaccia

Adapted from a recipe I've been wanting to try forever by Nancy Silverton and published in the Los Angeles Times

Ingredients

1 risen round of focaccia dough as described in my previous post.

2 ounces low moisture mozzarella cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

1/2 of a large red onion cut into one inch cubes.

Olive oil to brush on the top of the bread.

1/3 C chopped sage leaves (do not chop finely).

Pinch of sea salt.

Friday Cocktail - Gin + Lemon + Mint Martini

Michael Ruhlman, a fabulous food writer and cookbook author recently blogged about a Chicago cocktail called the Southside. I had to try it.

Gin. Lemon. Mint. This cocktail is soooooo refreshing. And I never would have thought of this combination.  The mixture of the lemon and mint is amazing. And we have a pot full of mint and a tree full of lemons growing in our little back yard. Organic! Almost like health food.

I upped the ratio of lemon juice and substituted agave for the simple syrup. Make mine. Make Ruhlman's. Or invent your own ratio. There shouldn't be a lot of controversy. I mean it's not like it's a Manhattan or a martini. Either way you will love it.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Brownies, cinnamon, cheesecake, pumpkin. What a fabulous combination of flavors. This recipe is very reliable. And it is easy, easy, easy.

Okay, it does require three bowls, a mixer (I used a hand mixer), a pan, a whisk, four measuring cups, and four measuring spoons, but really, it is still very easy. I promise.