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Time for a redemption arc

Wren Martin Ruins It All – Amanda DeWitt

Summary: Wren Martin ascends to student council president with the chance to finally cancel the stupid heteronormative big dance, but his vice president has other ideas that are (unfortunately) not terrible.

I carefully pull the cupcake out of my backpack. I made it myself, which is unbearably embarrassing, but I swear it’s more arrogance than romance. My cookie bars didn’t get much of a chance to shine at the bake sale, so it’s time for a redemption arc: lemon-lavender cupcake with cream cheese frosting, but I like to call it perfection. The fact that I had to put it in an old plastic Chinese takeout container is a little less elegant.

p. 315

Perhaps, as the name of the book suggests, Wren Martin is not the nicest nor the most savvy, but it’s still pretty easy (for me, at least) to fall for someone so clueless and mostly well-meaning. From the introduction of Wren hitting his head on a locked door to the [redacted] at the conclusion, the audience (me) is a bit ahead of where he is in terms of where everything is headed, but the joy is in the journey not necessarily the destination. 

I picked this book up both because I’m always a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers type plot, and the cover blurb sort of hints at such a story, but also because I’ve been interested in reading more ace/aro stories to read more widely in the vast alphabet that entails LGBT+ and this one sounded entertaining enough. 

Boy, I was in for a treat, not unlike the perfection that makes up the cupcake described in the quote. I’m not sure if I can explain exactly why this hit all the right notes for me—I’m decidedly not in the ace/aro category, but otoh am a bit of an oblivious asshole that may help me feel seen—but I can say that Amanda DeWitt is going to be one to watch (at least for me, and she has one other book I plan to get to soon!). 

Unlike “Imogen, Obviously,” Wren is not unsure of his sexuality; he describes himself early on as asexual (as does the blurb). But, like that other book I loved, Wren is still new to understanding and processing his feelings when they don’t jibe with a pre-ordained idea he has of himself, and the book (both books, tbh) is a good exploration of finding yourself as you find yourself interested in another person who doesn’t necessarily factor into that idealized person. 

Both also work really well in demonstrating, at least to me, how easy it is to be yourself behind a screen, when there’s some distance (and in this case, anonymity) between you and the other person you’re vibing with (in whatever way). It’s both freeing to be able to flirt/chat/be more open but also limiting in terms of being seen and experienced at your worst, or as a whole of a person. Maybe that’s just the older millennial in me reckoning once again with the disconnect I feel between online and “real life,” but I think the exploration in Wren is well explored and an interesting contrast between Wren’s feelings for his anonymous friend and his new-found frenemy. 

Like Wren, the cupcake he describes is more complicated than it first appears. But I couldn’t resist showing within the quote his arrogance but also his joy at a job well done, as well as a little bit of awkwardness.

Perfection cupcakes

Here’s hoping I did his story and his cupcake justice with this attempt at mashing up a handful of Food Network cupcake recipes, and how I did it: 

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 1 ⅓ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • ½ t. salt
  • 10 T. butter 
  • ¼ c. lavender flowers
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 1 c. milk

For the frosting: 

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • ½ c. (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 3 c. confectioners’ sugar
  • 2–3 T. lemon juice or whole milk, as preferred
  • Purple food coloring, if desired and available 

Directions

  • Step 1: Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liner.
  • Step 2: Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. 
  • Step 3: Melt the 10 T. of butter with the lavender flowers on low heat, and cook for 5 minutes. Strain the lavender flowers from the butter, discarding the flowers and placing the butter in a large mixing bowl. Let the butter cool slightly. 
  • Step 4: Beat together the butter and sugar, and then add the eggs, one at a time until mixed in. Then, add the lemon zest and juice. 
  • Step 5: Slowly add in the flour mixture and then the milk until a smooth batter is formed. 
  • Step 6: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops spring back, 20 to 25 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely on a rack before adding frosting. 
  • Step 7: For the frosting, use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Add in the lemon juice/milk. Continue mixing until combined, adding a little more juice/milk or sugar until the consistency looks correct. 
  • Step 8: Use a knife or a decorating pipe to add the frosting to the cooled cupcakes.
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Still counts

Imogen, Obviously – Becky Albertalli

Summary: Imogen visits her bestie at her nearby college and gets a taste of what it’s like to be seen as queer, and along the way realizes that maybe she isn’t so straight after all.

Tessa stops short. “You’re an award-winning chef?”

“Yeah… I don’t want to brag, but”—I bite back a smile—”I kind of swept the ten-and-under category in the Li’l Cookies Library Fundraiser Bake-Off.” 

“Yeah you did,” Tessa high-fives me. 

“Best Rice Krispie Treat of my life,” Lili says. 

“Thanks! It’s the recipe from the back of the Rice Krispies box.”

“Still counts!”

p. 45

This book made, at least to my eyes, several year-end best lists for queer YA fiction in 2023, and so I could not resist giving it a try. Then, I read the whole thing in more or less one sitting, and I understood what all the fuss was about. 

A thing I’ve heard more and more from the LGBT+ community (or maybe my ears were finally ready to listen) is the phrase “You are queer enough,” and this book is basically the embodiment of this concept. 

In some ways, Imogen had never given too much thought to her sexuality. Since all her friends are queer, and while she’s never kissed a boy (or anyone else!), she’s always seen herself in contrast to them. In other ways, because she’s always seen herself in contrast to them and has that message constantly reinforced by another friend, she’s never had reason to give it much thought. Then, a little white lie gives her a weekend where no one questions that she *could* be queer. That gives way to weeklong flirting exchange with another girl that has Imogen questioning everything she thought she knew. 

What does being queer look like? What if her love of queer people and queer media left her blind to the fact that it could look like her? What about earlier obsessions with girls? And most importantly, what about this new girl keeps her up too late and smiling? 

Imogen, obviously, is a delight to spend an easy 300+ YA pages with, and one that left me up too late and smiling way more than I’m used to. And the Rice Krispies treats, well, they were a bit easier and made well before bed time, but they were no less satisfying than the book (given it’s been years since I have had or made them). 

Rice Krispies treats (pre-cutting)

Here’s what I did, following the recipe on the back of the box (well, the Rice Krispies website anyway), obviously: 

Ingredients

  • 3 T. butter
  • 1 (10 oz.) package JET-PUFFED marshmallows 
  • 6 c. Rice Krispies cereal (or generic, shhhh)
  • Oil, for coating

Directions

  • Step 1: Melt butter in a large saucepan or pot over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add in the cereal, and stir until well coated. 
  • Step 2: Spray or spread oil in a 9×13 casserole dish, and then use an oil-coated spatula or wax paper to evenly press the mixture into the dish. 
  • Step 3: Let cool, and cut into 2 in. squares. Freeze any leftovers by separating squares with wax paper. 
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What’s a turnip?

Calculated Risks – Seanan McGuire

Disclaimer: This is the 10th book in a series, and the second in a mini-series featuring a recurring character, so to avoid any spoilers for anyone new to the series (and in an effort to hopefully convince anyone new to the series to give it a shot), I will simply (humbly) attempt to give a summary and review of the series overall. 

Summary: There’s a religious order that is aware of “monsters”—otherwise known as cryptids, or species as yet identified by (and maybe hiding from) science—that hunts them down. There’s also a family whose previous generations worked for this order and who recognize that these creatures are no monsters and are deserving of protection, and the books follow this family and their descendents in their efforts to fight the real monsters and save the creatures. 

At least one of the vegetables responsible for the brownish gravy that covered the whole thing shared enough of the chemical makeup of tomatoes to taste like paradise. The rest of the flavors were harder to define. 

If that sounds weird, you try explaining what a turnip tastes like to someone who’s never tasted one. If you can manage anything better than “like a potato, but maybe sort of sweet,” you’re a culinary genius. Now imagine the person you’re talking to has never had a potato either. You have no common point of reference. I could tell I was eating something close to root vegetables, and some kind of herbs, and some kind of fungus, maybe, along with the large chunks of what could almost have been shrimp, and a piece of what was almost but not entirely like bread.

p. 289

As soon as I heard of Seanan McGuire’s fae series about October Daye, I went to the library to give the books a try. Within a matter of a few weeks, I’d caught up on the series and was mad that I’d spent so long denying my own interests to even consider giving such a book series a try. And yet. And yet I kept putting off reading her InCryptid series because it seemed sillier. As if sillier wasn’t exactly the sort of thing to appeal to me. 

Then, well, you know, the world went into quarantine, and we all thought we might die of this new virus, and suddenly, silly was exactly what I needed. Then, like the Toby Daye series before it, I had caught up on the series within a matter of weeks, this time deciding to buy the trade paperbacks since libraries were often closed, or we feared this new virus as something potentially spread through touch (rather than air). 

I managed to catch up before the last two books were released, and it’s been a struggle since to wait the time between publishing, while recognizing that McGuire is one of the more prolific authors and that authors are people living through the same times as the rest of us. Still, this series captivated me. 

So, when the latest came out this past winter, I went back through not the entire series but more than half of it, the ones that centered on my favorite characters, and bits of my favorite moments. 

For me, while I’d enjoyed the series through all its twists and turns to date, I fell in love with the youngest daughter of the main family branch (so far). I’m the oldest and nothing like Antimony, but her stories spoke to me, mostly because she was the odd man out, and who doesn’t love the black sheep? (I mean, several assholes don’t, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.) When a perfectly perfect and dramatic arc finished with her, I almost doubted I could love any family member as much, and then along comes cousin Sarah. Introduced in the first book (and per McGuire, one of the first characters she imagined in this world), Sarah is given the spotlight in books 9 and 10, including Calculated Risks. Again, I don’t want to spoil the series, but I am happy to say that the distance between her introduction and her turn in the main role was worth the wait for having all the background of the world and the family to truly want to wrap your arms around someone who’d probably prefer you kept your distance lest she manipulate your mind. 

While there’s plenty of other food items to spotlight throughout the series, I couldn’t help but return to the passage about the possible shrimp gumbo-like product discussed near the end of this book. I just loved the way McGuire both captured the flavors of something Sarah was bound to love while acknowledging how difficult it can be to define flavors, especially when the species you’re talking to may not be your own. I am a hater of the dreaded fungi, so I skipped that bit, but otherwise I did my best to envision what she described, and make it edible to a mere human palate. 

Extra-dimensional gumbo

Here’s what I did to make extra-dimensional gumbo: 

Ingredients

  • Oil, for sauteing
  • 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 12 oz. andouille/cajun sausage, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ c. lard (or butter or other fat)
  • ½ c. flour
  • 1 ½–2 qt. vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14 oz.) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
  • 12 oz. frozen sliced okra
  • 1–2 T. creole seasoning
  • ½ T. dried thyme
  • 1 large (or 2–3 small) turnip, chopped
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
  • Scallions, for serving
  • Parsley, for serving
  • Bread, if desired and to match the book, for serving

Directions

  • Step 1: Add a small amount of oil to a large Dutch oven, and heat over medium heat. Add the shrimp and andouille, and saute until cooked through/browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat, and set on a plate or in a bowl to cool. 
  • Step 2: In the same Dutch oven, melt the lard/fat and slowly add the flour, whisking to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3–5 minutes. 
  • Step 3: Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, and cook in the roux until slightly softened, another 3–5 minutes. 
  • Step 4: Slowly add the broth, adding a cup or so at a time, to ensure the mixture remains thick. 
  • Step 5: Add the tomatoes, turnip(s), spices, and okra. Simmer the mixture for 40 minutes, covered, over low heat. 
  • Step 6: Add in the black-eyed peas, and cook for another 20 minutes, covered. 
  • Step 7: Add the meat into the mixture, and cook for about 5 minutes until reheated. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 
  • Step 8: Serve the soup over rice, with scallions, parsley, and bread (if using), and enjoy!
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On chorizo burritos and coming out

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School – Sonora Reyes

Summary: Yami knows she’s a lesbian but desperately hopes no one else knows, as she and her brother start at a new Catholic school, but of course, she immediately befriends (and falls for?) the one out and proud lesbian at her school.

“So hey, if you still want to leave, you can. But I’d love for you to stay for breakfast. I was about to make your favorite.” 

“How do you know what my favorite breakfast is?”

“Because you’re about to tell me.” He smiles. “So, what’s for breakfast?”

“Chorizo burritos.” I don’t know why talking about my favorite breakfast food makes me tear up.

p. 241

I fell in love with this book from its opening line: “Seven years of bad luck can slurp my ass.” I immediately identified with (spoiler for the second sentence) being so rageful as to punch a mirror and the profane way the main character describes it. 

And the rest of the book did not disappoint. Yami—and her friends, frenemies, and family—proves to be as complicated as the emotions evoked in that first sentence. She is equal parts headstrong and stubborn as she is impulsive and sardonic. Throw in a healthy amount of self-doubt as evidenced by the foodie quote, and you’ve got a fully realized teenage girl, at least from my own experiences. 

Being a lesbiana is newer to me, but is yet another way of being seen. 

So, self-doubt? Check. Queerness? Check. How do we get to the chorizo burritos? 

Well, aside from the above, my wife introduced me to her recipe very soon after we became serious enough to start sharing meals. 

I’m not sure it’s exactly what Yami envisioned, but I can say that in 10+ years of marriage and dating, I don’t think I’ve ever made the meal myself, always trusting her with it. 

While it’s relatively simple, it’s always hard to make something you’ve long since entrusted someone else to do perfectly. Still, I think I did OK in my attempt. 

Chorizo burritos

Here’s what I did, following my wife’s instructions: 

Ingredients

  • Oil, for sauteing 
  • Butter, for cooking eggs
  • 1 lb. Mexican chorizo 
  • 1 large russet potato, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2–3 large eggs
  • Pickled jalapeno slices, for serving (optional)
  • Shredded cheddar or crumbled cotija, for serving (optional, and as preferred)
  • Burrito-sized tortillas

Directions

  • Step 1: Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the potato, cooking until the potatoes are almost fully cooked through. Add the onions, cooking until softened and translucent, about 3–5 minutes. Add the chorizo, cooking until the potatoes and chorizo are cooked to perfection. Remove from heat.
  • Step 2: In a separate large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add eggs, being sure to break up the yolks. Cook until done, flipping halfway through, and remove from heat. Cut up the eggs into bite-sized pieces. 
  • Step 3: Add the eggs to the chorizo mixture, and add in jalapeno slices (if using). 
  • Step 4: To serve, spoon desired amount of mixture into tortilla, top with cheese (if using), and wrap burrito. Enjoy! 
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Soup and the depths of friendship

Hell Bent – Leigh Bardugo

Disclaimer: This is the second (so far?) of two books, so there is one pretty big spoiler that will recur in this review; however, I did my best to keep it general. 

Summary: Galaxy “Alex” Stern is not your typical LA girl trying to make it at Yale—but that is mostly because she can see ghosts and her friend is in hell, but worse still, her past is catching up with her and the semester is just getting started.

“Bad news first, please.”

“We have to go back to hell.”

“I see,” he said. “And the good news?”

“Dawes is making avgolemono.” 

“Well,” he said as they reached the stone columns that marked the end of Arlington property. “That’s a relief.”

p. 392

My memory isn’t what it used to be, and these past few years have tested that even more, but I did remember the sort-of cliffhanger that ended the previous book in this series, Ninth House, well enough that when I learned that there would be a sequel, I knew I would be reading it as soon as it came out. 

Despite some details being vague from the first book, it was easy enough to fall back into the world of Alex Stern and the actually magical houses that occupy much of elite Yale. It was even better to dive back into the many worlds that the complicated young woman finds herself in and find myself at home. 

To avoid too many more spoilers than the hints given, I will just say that beyond the magic and the complications, there’s a nice story of friendships and the different ways they unfold—the ones you might leave behind from your pre-college years, the ones who get one aspect of you and those who get another, and the adults in your life who make you feel like you’re *almost* one of them as well. 

While this world does more or less revolve around Alex, Hell Bent does show different sides of this young woman, how she is in some ways perceived differently by different people and talks to them as such, but it’s still the same person underneath. And that will definitely keep me coming back again for more (assuming another in the series is on the way). 

Again, without further spoilers, there are so many moments in this book that revolve around the curative properties of homemade soup. As we find ourselves in the depths of winter now, I am reminded this is true regardless of whether magic exists in this world. 

While the avgolemono soup in the book is not further described, I have made this soup more than once, including trying to give it a little more heft than a starter. As it’s cold out, the added character makes for a nice, restorative meal. 

Avgolemono soup

Here’s what I did, using my old recipe:

Ingredients

  • 4 c. broth, chicken or vegetable will work
  • ¼ c. uncooked orzo
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 T. lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (or buy rotisserie and use about 2 c. of meat)
  • 14 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
  • Capers, for garnish, if desired

Directions

  • Step 1: In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the orzo, cover and simmer for about 7 minutes. 
  • Step 2: Mix together the lemon juice and eggs in a medium bowl. 
  • Step 3: Once the 7 minutes are up, ladle about 1 c. of the broth into the egg-lemon mixture, and stir well. Slowly add the mixture back into the saucepan, and stir until the soup thickens and becomes opaque as the eggs cook, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
  • Step 4: Add chicken and artichoke hearts and cook for another 3–5 minutes or so until the artichoke hearts are heated through. Ladle into bowls, top with capers (if using) and enjoy! 
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Anyone can cook, but Thimble knows best

Legends & Lattes – Travis Baldtree

Summary: An orc from a legendary group of fighters completes one last score for a lucky charm to help her leave the mercenary lifestyle for a simple life where she owns and operates a coffee shop in a mid-size port town.

The rattkin made an urgent dipping motion. 

Viv shrugged. She dunked one end into her latte and took another bite. Her eyes went wide. She chewed, swallowed, and allowed herself a moment to appreciate this subtle elegant comingling of flavors. “Oh hells, Thimble. That old man was right. You are a genius.”

p. 149

From the tagline of “A novel of high fantasy … and low stakes,” this book had me. As someone who has now been involved with a role-playing group for nearly 10 years and who loves the game’s rare town days as much as she enjoys slaying her foes, the tagline and the idea spoke to me. I’m happy to say that the book didn’t disappoint; the tagline was accurate and delivered exactly as hoped. 

In some ways, there is not much more to the story than the summary I provided above and the previous paragraph—but where the book excels and where you would hope it would excels given its claim of “low stakes” is how much it focused on the small joys of a coffee shop (which I will admit is a rarer experience for me in this post[???]-COVID world), the scents of freshly ground beans and fresh baked bread, and immense pleasures of getting to know the local characters, and more importantly those who get you well enough to form a friendship, perhaps a new team but this one a little less focused on treasures and the slaying of supposed beasts. Baltree clearly knew what he was doing in focusing on character-building and slowing down the “action” to enjoy a quick sip, a small bit, a moment of conversation. 

The peak for me was the creation of thimblets, clearly a biscotti, but the moment where the food and drink come together and as the shop needs something new for its customers. But also, perhaps when everything is finally coming together for the characters and this new less dangerous but no less thrilling adventure in a fantasy world. Though the book doesn’t provide a recipe, enough of a description is given, and I have made biscotti before, that I figured I could approximate it well enough.

Thimblets

Here’s what I did: 

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 6 T. butter, melted, plus more for coating
  • 1 T. cardamom 
  • Zest from 1 orange
  • 2 t. juice from (same) 1 orange
  • 1 T. baking powder
  • 3 c. flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 c. walnuts
  • 1 c. currants

Directions

  • Step 1: Whisk together eggs and sugar, and then add butter, cardamom, and zests and juice from orange. 
  • Step 2: Mix in baking powder and salt, and then gradually stir in flour until well cohered into a dough. 
  • Step 3: Once dough is mixed, add in the walnuts and currants. 
  • Step 4: Form into two 2 in. logs, and bake on a coated baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. 
  • Step 5: Let cool slightly, and then cut logs to about 1 inch on a bias. 
  • Step 6: Place crescents onto another (or cooled) baking sheet, recoated with butter, and bake for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Let cool.
  • Step 7: Enjoy with a nice hot coffee, or perhaps a latte, and a good sword and sorcery book. 
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Hello (again), world!

I’ve been saying I’m going to do this project for more than a year now, but I recently read a couple of books in a row that reminded me exactly why I wanted to start this project. For the past few years, I’ve been reading a lot more fiction. The world has been stressful (to say the least), and I found comfort in the imaginary worlds of books, specifically in the genres of science fiction/fantasy (SFF) and young adult (YA) fiction.

And one thing I’ve found in reading those books is that any time an author writes about a food item really well I’ve wanted to make the item or imagine a way that it could be made if the details are lacking in exactly how it comes together. I spent nearly a decade writing about food for newspapers, and I kept it up for a while after leaving journalism, so you could say I’m a bit of a foodie. I also got my “start” in writing as a critic—from writing music reviews that only my dad read to my first published reviews in college—and I’ve missed thinking about why I like what I like and why it works for me. 

Then, I thought, why not combine those two things? Read books, review them, and come up with a recipe from something in the text. 

So, welcome to “Cooking the Books,” where on some TBD schedule I’ll release a review of a book I read and a recipe tied to the book, (mostly) using a specific quote from said book. My hope is to release every two weeks, and I have built a bit of a backlog … but the world is not any less stressful, I’m not getting any younger, and I’ve definitely had reading slumps and book hangovers that left me incapable of reading (or instead re-reading the same books for comfort). 

Given the backlog I have already built, I’ll plan to intersperse some of the older books with some of the newer books I read this year (and beyond), though not all are/were new releases when I read them. While I do tend to read newer releases, it’s by no means my entire reading diet, and I’ll consider anything I read/re-read that has a foodie element (or even something else worth discussion!) as fair game in writing. This is my food blog, and I’ll do what I want to. 

I’ll return (hopefully) in two weeks with my first actual foodie post! 

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Foolish Morsels: Fruity Pebbles Bread

Inspired by my favorite food blogger Dennis Lee at Food is Stupid and his amazing no-knead Gatorade bread and resulting post, I was inspired to try my own ridiculous bread. 

I once spent a year making bread every week, and it was almost as good as my year of pie, so I’m not a terrible baker but it’s also been some time since I’ve made bread on any regular basis. Count me among those who did not get into nursing a sourdough starter during the (ongoing) pandemic. 

But when the idea of making bread using my favorite childhood cereal of Fruity Pebbles came to me, I couldn’t let it go. I was going to bake it, and I was going to blog about it, dammit*. 

Credit: https://www.linaortega.com/ from Giphy

Building off of another favorite (a lot of favorites today!) of Gourmet‘s sweet dough recipe and accompanying orange and mint bread, I tried to make this bread as Fruity Pebbles-infused as possible. This of course started with Fruity Pebbles in place of orange zest and in place of mint-infused milk, and then I replaced the Cointreau with Three Olives’ Loopy vodka. Sure, it’s more Froot Loops, but it’s the best I could do. Also, there’s nothing quite like “infusing” warm milk with cereal known for getting mushy in cold milk. 

Though I could have been better about shaping my loaves, I was as pleasantly surprised as Dennis was at his own creation at how well my stupid bread turned out. I’ve loved every slice I’ve had so far. I may be biased as a huge Fruity Pebbles fan, but even my sweetie has been enjoying it.

Either way, though, I’ll definitely be making and enjoying this bread again, and not just to enjoy the leftover Loopy vodka. 

Fruity Pebbles bread loaf

Here’s what I did: 

Ingredients

  • 1 c. + 2 T. whole milk
  • 2 c. Fruity Pebbles, divided, plus more for topping
  • 1 lb. 2 oz. (~3 ¾ c.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 pkg. (2 ½ t.) active dry yeast
  • ½ stick (4 T.) butter, softened, plus more for greasing
  • 3 T. sugar
  • 2 t. salt 
  • 3 large eggs, divided
  • 4 T. Loopy vodka, divided

Directions

Bring the milk and 1 c. of Fruity Pebbles to a simmer. Let sit for 10 minutes or until the milk cools to 120º to 130ºF. 

Meanwhile, stir together the yeast and the flour. Rub in the butter. Add the sugar and salt and stir. When the milk mixture has cooled, add it and 2 eggs to the flour mixture. Fold in, rotating the bowl as you incorporate. The mixture will be stickier than a typical bread dough, and that’s OK. 

“Knead” the sticky dough without adding flour by stretching and folding the mixture until it is cohesive and less sticky, about 8 minutes. You’ll notice the mixture either doesn’t stick to the bowl or your hands as much when it’s getting close to well kneaded. 

Form the dough into a ball and set in a lightly floured bowl or on a flat surface. Cover with a towel (not terry cloth). Let rise for about 1 hour. 

After the first rise, press down on the mixture and form a flat surface. Top the dough with 1 c. Fruity Pebbles and then 3 T. of Loopy vodka. Fold the dough and then knead using the previous stretching and folding method until the alcohol and cereal are well incorporated. Again, form the dough into a ball and set in a lightly floured bowl or on a flat surface. Cover with a towel (not terry cloth). Let rise for about 1 hour. 

After the second rise, divide the dough in half and shape into 2 rounds. Place the loaves on a lightly buttered sheet pan. Mix together the last egg and the last 1 T. of Loopy vodka. Brush the mixture on top of the two loaves (reserve the remainder, chilled, for a second coating). Once the egg mixture has dried, cover with the (not terry cloth) towel or with coated Saran wrap. Let rise for about 1 ½ hours. 

When ready to bake, heat oven to 425º. Brush the loaves with another coating of egg mixture and top each loaf with a handful of Fruity Pebbles. Place the loaves in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 400º. 

Bake the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes until the loaves are dark golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 1 hour, and enjoy. Perhaps with some Loopy vodka if you’re feeling, well, loopy. 

[*For the five of you who care, I hit a wall about 11 months into the pandemic and had a really hectic and mostly rough 2021, so blogging about food was something I could let go to reduce my stress. Though we still live in tough times, I’m hoping to get back to food blogging again, albeit in a slightly different manner. I’m looking at retooling my site and making some changes in the coming months, but I make no promise as I hesitate to guess what’s in store for the future.]

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Treat yourself!

One of my goals for this silly little blog project is to make things that use equipment that many home cooks have on hand and then to use things that are mostly accessible in the non-metro areas where I live. 

This time, however, I was too intrigued by the ingredients and the chance to try something new, so I treated myself to a fancy dinner that required ordering cheese from Amazon (I know, sorry!), and since I was fancying up my cheese, I also went ahead and ordered some fancy pepperoni to go with it. 

If you can’t guess, I made a pizza. 

Detroit-style pizza ingredients.

It doesn’t sound all that fancy, or worth ordering special ingredients, but it was a Detroit-style pizza that works in a 9 x 13 in. casserole (technically it’s supposed to be a 10 x 14, but please forgive me, Detroiters). And curiosity got the better of me. 

I clicked buy before I could second guess myself. 

I got the recommended items and the recipe from Serious Eats, which I more or less followed. Part of it was it helped to know, say, the amount of dough to make to fit the 9 x 13, but also if I was going to spend extra time and money, I was going to do it right (mostly!). 

Though it took extra time for my order to arrive, the effort of cooking the meal was a fair amount of down time and not all that bad. The sauce was basically similar to what I make when I’m trying to be fancy, and the dough was easily made with a stand mixer. The rest was cubing cheese and slicing pepperoni (yeah, it was that fancy; I had to cut it myself). 

And, you know what I got? A pretty good pizza. 

I really liked the cheese, which is bad because it is pricy. But otherwise, it was a pretty standard homemade deep dish pizza, with the sauce on top instead. Not having any specific nostalgia for that style, I can’t say it was worth it. 

But in a time when we’re still mostly stuck at home, the experience of getting to try something new was still fun, and treating ourselves made it all worth it. 

Oooh, saucy.

Here’s what I did, if you’re looking for a similar novelty: 

Ingredients 

For the dough: 

  • 300 g. bread flour (about 2 generous cups)
  • 2 ½ t. active dry yeast
  • 1 ½ t. salt 
  • 220 g. water (about a scant 1 cup)
  • Olive oil, for coating

For the sauce: 

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 t. dried oregano
  • Dash red pepper flakes
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 t. garlic powder
  • 1 t. onion powder
  • 1 T. sugar

Salt, to taste

To finish: 

  • 16 oz. Brick cheese, cut into ½ in. cubes
  • 6.5 oz. high-quality pepperoni, cut into ⅛ in. slices 

Directions

For the dough: 

Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Stir to combine. Then, add water. Mix on low speed until dough comes together into a rough ball. Shut off mixer and let dough rest for 10 minutes. Resume mixing at a medium-low speed until dough forms into a smooth, silky ball, about 10 minutes Remove dough hook, form the dough into a tight ball, and set in the bottom of the mixer bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside until dough has nearly doubled in volume, about 2 hours. 

Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish (NOT glass; if using glass, do not cook pizza at temperature recommended below, instead reduce heat to 400 and cook longer!!), preferably aluminum. Press dough into oiled pan and turn to coat. You won’t be able to get it all the way to the edges, so just spread as much as you can without tearing, and then cover again and let rest while you make the sauce, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 500 to 550 degrees, or as close as your oven gets, or LESS if using glass; check OK temperatures for glass. 

For the sauce: 

Heat 2 T. olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add minced garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced to about 3 cups, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt. You will only need about 1 ½ to 2 c. for the pizza, so save the rest for a future use. 

For the pizza: 

Press down on the dough with your fingertips to remove any large air bubbles, and spread to the edges of the dish. Lay half the pepperoni evenly over the top of the dough. Top with the cheese, spreading evenly and all the way to the edges of the pan. Top with the remaining pepperoni. Spoon the sauce over the toppings in three even rows lengthwise, using about half the sauce, or 1 ½ to 2 c. 

Bake until the edges are black and bubbly and the exposed cheese on top is starting to lightly brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a trivet (or folded town) on the countertop. Run a spatula around the edges to loosen and carefully lift out and slide onto a cutting board. Cut pizza into squares and enjoy! 

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Easy like Sunday morning

After the first few weeks of this blog, I realized I’ve done a lot of complicated and time consuming recipes. So, I went looking for something super duper easy, and relatively quick. 

Thankfully, there’s always a variation of breakfast casseroles. 

Breakfast casserole ingredients.

I’ve made breakfast casseroles in a sheet pan and in a Dutch oven, and went with the traditional Denver omelet in my little skillet. But the fun thing is, they’re all a little different, and you can’t go wrong with breakfast foods. 

The one slight twist on this Taste of Home recipe is my sweetie accidentally didn’t get enough bacon but did mercifully come across wonderful spicy smokies (Li’l Bites) from Beeler’s for an extra breakfast treat, so I just used some of those. 

I can’t really take credit for it, considering I didn’t pick the smokies, nor did I make them, but man, they really made the meal. It would’ve been a delight with just bacon, but the smokies accidentally made this an extra special treat. All without extra effort.

MMmmmm, smokies.

Here’s what I did: 

Ingredients

  • 1 package (32 oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
  • 8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 8 oz smokies (we used the jalapeno and cheese Li’l Bites from Beeler’s that are highly recommended if you can find them), thickly sliced and cooked in bacon fat to brown if desired (they’re fully cooked so it’s not necessary!)
  • 1 to 1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 c. whole milk 
  • Paprika, to taste (I used hot paprika to build on the spice)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Butter for greasing the casserole dish

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 in. casserole dish.

In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, bacon, smokies, and ½ to 1 c. cheese. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and milk until blended. Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and pepper. 

Bake uncovered, until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining about ½ c. cheese, and enjoy!