My starter has come to life!  Well, at least it has bubbles and has grown a bit for the first time.  When I checked on it this morning, this is what it looked like.  I thought it might grow a bit more throughout the day, but no such luck. Continue reading →

I’m back to tell you about day two of my sourdough starter experiment.  So, 24 hours later and my jar of flour and pineapple juice looks exactly the same.  But that’s okay, I wasn’t expecting any change yet. Continue reading →

Today we begin the great sourdough starter experiment.  The goal of this experiment is to catch some wild yeast and try to keep them happy so that they will multiply.  By harnessing the power of wild yeast in a sourdough starter, we’ll eventually be able to bake bread without using any commercial yeast at all.  That’s what traditional sourdough is – a bread leavened by wild yeast.  The process can be very technical and scientific, but I’m not going to delve into all those boring details right now.  Instead, we’re just going to jump in and get started and I’ll explain things as we go. Continue reading →

I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Oregon.  Three of those days were spent in Portland with a fun and inspiring group of food writers and photographers, the rest were spent between Eugene and Florence, where I spent some time with my ex-husband’s family who I’m grateful have decided to keep me in their lives.  It was my first trip to Oregon since my husband and I separated in the spring of last year and though I was a nervous, emotional wreck in anticipation of it, the entire trip turned out to be a cathartic and healing experience. Continue reading →

I first made and fell in love with this corn bread two summers ago when I was diligently working my way through Peter Reinhart’s book for The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge.  It was a fantastic bread – rich and sweet and moist with sweet corn bursts and bits of salty bacon.  The texture was unlike any corn bread I had ever experienced, thanks to Mr. Reinhart’s method of soaking coarse ground cornmeal in buttermilk overnight before making the bread.  Yes, it takes a bit of planning, but it’s worth it. Continue reading →

I’ve never been a huge fan of crumb-topped coffee cakes.  I’ve had so many that were dry and boring that I decided early on that I’m just not really into coffee cake.  But my mom used to make one called a Sour Cream Pound Cake and I loved it.  Continue reading →

These are amazing.  I’m calling them savory scones, but you might recognize them as a rich version of cheddar biscuits.  I really don’t care what you call them as long as you make them for someone special. Continue reading →

Like most places around the country, autumn in California’s San Joaquin Valley is a beautiful time of year.  While we might not have as many vibrant colored leaves as other places, we do have fruit trees.  Pomegranates, persimmons, lemons – these are our fall colors.  Take a drive through the country or just about any older neighborhood and you’re bound to run across some of these beautiful trees with their red, orange, and yellow fruit.  Persimmon trees are my fall favorite.  The trees drop their leaves as the fruit ripens, leaving nothing but the spectacular glowing orange orbs – it’s quite a beautiful sight. Continue reading →