When my friends heard that I would be making Challah for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, everyone told me the same thing:  challah makes the BEST french toast.  And since french toast is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, of course I had to give it a try.

As promised, I took half of the homemade challah to my sister and brother-in-law yesterday (which resulted in me staying at their house for a rousing game of Monopoly).  But I saved part of the loaf for myself, allowing it to stale slightly overnight so that it would be in perfect condition to play the leading role in my favorite breakfast.

I have already shared my standard French Toast recipe with you, including step-by-step photos, so I’m not going to go through the whole thing again.  But I did make a few changes this time that might interest you. Namely, I fried the french toast in oil. Continue reading →

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Bread #6 for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge is Challah.  This was my very first time making Challah and also the very first time braiding any type of bread dough!  Luckily, both the bread and the braid turned out pretty darn good.

Challah (listen to the pronunciaton) is a traditional Jewish bread that is eaten on the Sabbath and holidays.  The dough is enriched with eggs and lightly sweetened.  The bread itself is delicious, but the shaping is what makes it so spectacular.  The bread dough is divided, rolled into ropes and braided.  The braids can be really fancy, but I stuck to a standard three-strand braid since it was my first time.  After braiding, the loaf is brushed twice with an egg wash and sprinkled with seeds.  The resulting loaf is shiny, golden and absolutely beautiful! Continue reading →

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As you all know, I am a huge fan of simple recipes.  What you might not know is that buttermilk is a staple in my house and I am almost never without it.  I even keep powdered buttermilk in the pantry for those rare times when I don’t have the fresh stuff in the fridge.  It adds such a nice flavor and texture to baked goods that I’ll often adapt recipes to include it even when it’s not originally called for.  So when I saw a recipe in last month’s Gourmet magazine that was simple, included buttermilk on the ingredient list, and looked absolutely delicious, of course I had to try it.

The recipe I’m referring to is Raspberry Buttermilk Cake.  I didn’t have any fresh raspberries on hand, but I did have a handful of blueberries and a pint of strawberries in the fridge, so I decided to adapt.  Although I know the raspberry version is probably delicious, I’m really glad I opted to use the berries I had on hand.  Not only was it a great combination, but this would be a perfect Red, White, and Blue Cake for a Fourth of July barbecue.  Served with whipped cream and extra berries, it would be both festive and delicious. Continue reading →

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This week I am participating in the second round of Eating Down the Fridge. The challenge was created by Kim O’Donnel of The Washington Post blog A Mighty Appetite.  The goal is to completely avoid food shopping (including eating out) for a full week, and instead concentrate on using what is already stored in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.  Because I have been out of town, I started the challenge a couple of days late.  But as of Monday, I have done no food shopping or eating out (with one exception) and I plan on continuing at least through Monday, but perhaps even longer if I can.

Perhaps a week doesn’t sound like a very long time to go without shopping, and for those of us without kids it’s not that long at all.  But my goal for this challenge is to use up things in my freezer and pantry that have long been neglected.  And although I don’t do major grocery shopping more than a few times a month, I am used to popping up to my local market a few times a week for various ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables.  And quite frankly, I’ve been eating out a lot lately, so eating 21 meals in a row at home will be a bit of a challenge for me! Continue reading →

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With today’s modern ice cream makers, frozen fruit mixtures like granitas and sorbets can be whipped up in no time! Usually containing only fresh fruit, water and sugar, Sicilian granita is one of the simplest frozen desserts breakfasts you can make.

We moved back to the California from Sicily a year and a half ago and one of the things I miss most is the granita from Catania. I can’t believe that it took me this long to figure out how simple it is to make granita at home!

My first attempt at granita was a few weeks ago, when I made brioche for The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge.  Since I was making brioche for the first time, it only made sense that I attempt some homemade granita. In Sicily, granita and brioche are eaten together for breakfast during the hot months of summer.  It might sound strange, but don’t knock it til you try it!  You’ll also see Sicilians eating ice cream sandwiches of brioche and gelato, another tradition of which I highly approve! Continue reading →

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