Welcome to flamingobear. We're the Martin family. Jenn cooks a lot. Tim eats it. And the trees are awesome.
Much like Krispy Kreme and its famous “Hot Now!” donuts sign, I think Southern cooks could benefit from a “Hot Now!” biscuits sign. Call this neon biscuit beacon an updated version of hollerin’ or triangle-ringing – the modern day equivalent of the traditional dinner bell. Or breakfast bell. Or supper bell. Or all three as scratch buttermilk biscuits are welcome at each, sometimes even in the same day!
My husband’s fantasy football season is over. My home team Titans didn’t make it into the postseason. My father-in-law’s beloved Packers exited in week 1 of the playoffs. Three reasons why my attention for football can now be fully directed where it really belongs – to food for the Super Bowl!
Sorry for the posting lull. I was, sadly, beginning to think I’d left my cooking karma back in 2009. First I suffered through the “mocha meringue massacre“. Then, I made granola, and it bit the turned to dust. (Why, oh why, does my granola not clump!?) So, I was a bit wary of having a third strike.
So, really, Shakespeare, what IS in a name? When it comes to the baby you’re carrying in your belly, lots. Lots of pressure to make your child’s name unique but not too unique. Pressure to come up with a name with longevity – one that is suitable for an infant as well as an elderly adult.
No doubt about it, turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving feast. Following close on its heels (do turkeys have heels?) comes dressing. Farther down the hierachy of Thanksgiving essentials fall cranberries. However, this bread could change all that. Studded with cranberries and walnuts, scented with orange, and sporting a double-decker braid, this bread is centerpiece worthy.
Move over Thomas, there’s a new English muffin in town – the homemade version with lots of nooks and crannies! This recipe comes from Alton Brown, who Tim refers to as my “gateway drug” because he was the first person to get me hooked. On cooking, that is!
“Why do folks in Lake Woebegone lock their cars during the summer? To prevent their neighbors from leaving bags of zucchini in the car.”
-Garrison Keillor on NPR’s Prairie Home Companion
However, one bite of these light and bright muffins may just make you unlock your car doors!
Panzanella. Bread Salad. Take your pick of what you want to call this. ‘Round here we just call it good.
Isn’t there something magical about popovers,? No yeast, baking soda, or baking powder is needed to transform a handful of simple ingredients (just eggs, milk, flour, salt, and butter) into edible hot air balloons. The steam that’s created in the hot oven is what makes them pop – and makes us smile! Piping hot and dripping with butter and honey (from our neighbor’s bee hives, no less!), Tim rates a bite of this culinary marvel as one of his top 10. Stay tuned for the other 9…
One bit of advice: Resist the urge to open the oven door! Opening it allows heat to escape and causes the oven to cool down. This, in turn, causes the steam inside the popovers to condense and the popovers to collapse. Instead, take a peek through the oven window to see the magic at work!
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