Why I love Design Sponge and reading. How cool are the mini fish tank bookends, my cat would have a field day with them (thus I’d probably go with the silver owls).
Archive for the ‘Books’ CategoryBookendsSunday, February 7th, 2010R.I.P. J.D. SalingerThursday, January 28th, 2010States UnitedFriday, January 22nd, 2010I forgot to post this earlier, I am watching the HBO series John Adams starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Liney on Netflix. Based on Maine resident David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, it really puts you in the patriotic mood. Excellent!
Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip MuffinsThursday, January 7th, 2010These muffins from the Baked Cookbook by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito took nearly 40 minutes to bake in my oven. They were worth it though, yummy. Now I really, really want a Vulcan oven! I am on such a banana kick as of the holidays. Trying to substitute chocolate with fruit, sort of working. I mean without the bananas in these there would just be a lot more chocolate. Oh, who am I kidding! Chocolate makes the world a better place and a very yummy one. The instructions were super easy to follow, which is great since these were made late last night when I toyed with heading to bed. Of course, after I baked I felt the need to stitch. Felt very accomplished with happy thoughts and a lovely banana chocolate smell in the air as my head hit the pillow. Enjoy!! Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins 1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas) Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Fill each cup about three-quarters full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.
Oh Baby Those Pumpkin-Spice Muffins are GOODTuesday, January 5th, 2010This recipe is from the BabyCakes Cookbook, which I keep reaching for to try new vegan recipes. I drizzled maple syrup over these muffins, which added the perfect natural bit of sweetness. Pumpkin-Spice Muffins 2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour Preheat the oven to 375. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper linens. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add the oil, agave nectar, rice milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is smooth and thick. Using a plastic spatula, fold in the pumpkin and hot water until both are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the tin 180 degrees after 10 minutes. The finished muffins will be soft to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. Let the muffins stand in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Broiled Honeyed GrapefruitMonday, January 4th, 2010Broiled grapefruit with a bit of honey seemed the sweetest way to begin today, the first work day of the new decade. My goal moving forward is to include more recipes in this blog, after all I have a bookcase full of cookbooks and how else am I supposed to become more proficient in the kitchen!? This recipe is from a first edition copy of The Honey Cookbook by Juliette Elkon (originally published in 1955) I scored at Bonnie Slotnick’s. Broiled Honeyed Grapefruit - The Honey Cookbook For each grapefruit half: (**I quartered mine, because that is the way I like it.) Remove seeds from halves of grapefruit. Core and loosen sections. Spread with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon and mace. Dot with butter. Brown under moderate flame or broiler unit. Serve at once.
New Decade of ReadsMonday, December 28th, 2009I am just finishing up the fantastic book Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef by Marco Pierre White. The first British chef to win three Michelin stars the book is surprisingly fresh, intelligent and authentic. He seems to hold nothing back, including his throwing of cheese and risotto.
What I have stacked on my bedside table: A Lost Lady by Willa Cather, one of my favorite writers. A World Without Bees by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum, about colony collapse disorder. The Reivers by William Faulkner Dracula by Bram Stoker Women With Men by Richard Ford. I found his book The Sportswriter so whacky and brilliant I am reading another of his novels. Ancedotes of Destiny and Ehrengard by Isak Dinesen Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. If you have not already, read her Pulitzer Prize winning short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. It is gorgeous. Any good reads you think I should add to my stack? I would love to know. Photo The City Sage. Celia’s ListMonday, December 21st, 2009This is a fun and eco-friendly holiday wish list from Celia at Omnivore Books on Food in San Francisco. I spent an afternoon there earlier this year and thanks to the savvy staff picked up some gems including Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Kitchen. Celia’s wish list for this holiday season. A pair of CARwalk blue plaid wool Eco-sneaks from Simply Shoes
Shelf space for all the vintage books on my website that I have to sell since I’m out of room. A culinary tour of Turkey with EatSmart guides.
Holiday Wish Lists from RabelaisMonday, December 14th, 2009These wish lists are so fun! Following are Don and Samantha Lindgren’s holiday wish lists. As owners of Rabelais Books in Portland, Maine they see me on a pretty frequent basis. I love hanging out in their shop, it represents everything I love in life - food, land, agriculture, and books (tons of them) on all.
From Samantha: As an adult the holidays are all about giving special homemade gifts to my loved ones. I love to give sweet treats whether baked or preserved. We can all use a little more sweetness in our busy lives. I try to can up some sweet preserves in the late Summer when everything is in season, but have been known to pot up jars of chocolate or caramel sauce this time of year. And then there are the cookies….
In no particular order, with no particular level of importance…
• A second mixer bowl and paddle for my Kitchenaid mixer. At this time of year, when I am in my cookie craze, a second bowl and paddle would make things go much more smoothly. I learned well in professional kitchens to clean as I go, but having two bowls would mean I could double my productivity before I had to wash anything….
• A Chatsford four cup Bone China teapot. Love my morning tea. For the past couple of years I have been quite happy with my Bodum glass pot. This year I feel the need to upgrade to the Bone China, just like my Grandmother would have used.
• A king sized down quilt. Sharing the bed with a dog and at least one, sometimes two, cats can make for some chilly exposed toes with our full sized quilt. We like to keep the thermostat cool, we both sleep better that way, but our beloved terrier mutt Raleigh uses up more covers than his small size belies.
• The perfect pair of black leather boots. Low calf height, flat heel, with real leather bottoms. Anyone seen these?
• A gift certificate to my favorite yarn store, Knitwit on Congress Street in the East End of Portland. My friend Anna, the owner, has the most wonderful taste in yarn, her shop is a wonderland of beautiful textures and colors. Oh the fun I could have, after Christmas, when all my Holiday knitting was done….
From Don
Here are a few of my favorite things to wish for, some in the plausible realm, others are a real reach:
• The English language edition of the Rene Redzepi’s Noma cookbook. It’s become the single hardest modern cookbook to attain, made even more difficult by the fact that the chef would likely buy back copies and destroy them if he could. The perils of perfectionism…
• New fences at our place, so we can go ahead and get the pigs and sheep we want. If our dilapidated fences had been strong and complete when we bought our place, we’d be overrun with farm animals by now. Fortunately, the fence was broken, and we had time to learn something before acquiring farm animals. Now we’re ready!
• A New Holland t4030 all wheel drive tractor with front loader. A useful (and expensive) toy.
• Good health for all of our friends and family members.
• More bookshelves! Top photo brooklyntweed. Holiday Wish ListMonday, December 7th, 2009This is my first holiday season blogging! The idea of how to approach the holidays with Delicious Musings is almost overwhelming. Of course I can offer up my gift suggestions, but really what makes me an expert? I will eventually divulge my wish list and suggestions for stocking stuffers (those ideas are endless), but for now what I thought would be really fun is having some of the most talented, stylish, and interesting people I know offer up their wish lists. So for the next couple weeks we (me and whoever joins me on this fun virtual ride) can peak into the holiday mindsets of different creative personalities including a Maine schooner captain, pet (supply) shop owner, chocolate maker, vintner/beekeeper, furniture maker, perfume makers, cookbook shop owners, clothing designer, and children’s book illustrator. I feel like I am at the top of a snowy hill about to swoosh down very fast with the wind in my hair and a crisp chill in the air. So make sure the cocoa is on, I would like mine with a couple homemade marshmallows please, and let’s get going. Bonnie Slotnick, the owner of one of the best out-of-print cookbook shops in the country world, is a treasure. Her friendly personality, curious sense about publishers and authors, and vast knowledge of food related subjects has me sitting in her shop nibbling on cookies (when she bakes) every time I visit New York City. It literally feels wrong to me not to visit her shop in Greenwich Village while I am in town, even if for a weekend. The small shop is essentially wall to wall, floor to ceiling bookcases overflowing with books and nostalgic recipe pamphlets from the first part of the 20th century. It feels like home.
Bonnie has graciously shared her wish list for this holiday season. Enjoy!! In the “a girl can dream” (impossible dreams) category: A cottage in the country (reachable without getting stuck in traffic) A pony (hey, I’m only 5 ft 2, I’m at the moment my usual mount is a More counter space for baking (I love my old drop-leaf enamel-topped table, More sleep (never enough!) Neighbors who “get” recycling (so I don’t have to keep explaining it) And in the “everybody can dream” category–I love “honoree” gifts that help These gifts take up no space in your house, you don’t have to dust them or Happy holidays! Bonnie |
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