Categories
pie

peach pie

peach pie

a week and a half in our new place, and this pie is already the third thing we’ve baked. the very first was a batch of chocolate chip cookies (to test out the oven), followed by blueberry muffins. but this past weekend we had a few people over for a bbq and i knew we had to have a pie. peaches are out in full force in dc right now, and peach pie + ice cream = good times.

peach pie

now that we’re completely moved in and pretty much settled, we can really start enjoying summer. and now that we have a grill (which we plan to use several times a week), it feels more like summer than ever.

peach pie

peach pie is one of the simplest pies to make, but also one of the most refreshing and delicious. there are few foods that actually taste like summer, but eating a slice of this pie just makes you feel like school’s out and nothing else matters except for taking a nap in the afternoon sun.

peach pie

peach pie

the key to this pie is getting good ripe peaches – once you’ve got that, you can just let the fruit do the work. so, you should probably get on making this pie, like immediately. don’t wait for the weekend – get yourself to the store, or better yet, the farmer’s market, and share the peach pie love now.

peach pie

Categories
cake

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

in the short history of this blog, i’ve already moved twice. my moves were both in a 3-block radius, but regardless, it’s never an easy thing to do. the girl and i spent the entire weekend moving boxes and bags and furniture and plants into our new place (yes, i said OUR!), and have been too tired to do little more than look at our piles of stuff and imagine what the place will look like once we get enough energy to move anything.

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

so begins the long journey of figuring out where everything should go. one of the problems we’ve run into already is having doubles of, duh, of kitchen stuff. we were both thoughtful enough to get each other cooking gadgets and pots and pans when we moved into our old places, but now that it’s all combined, there’s just not room for 2 full sets of stainless steel cookware. and what are the odds that we’ll both need to press garlic at the same time? you can see the dilemma.

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

another issue is that we simply don’t know where everything is yet! not every box is labeled and packing got hastier just before the move, so if i wanted to find, say, a wooden spoon, i’d be hard-pressed to track it down. in lieu of full on cooking (which is actually killing us), we made hot dogs on the bbq (we have a bbq! and a shared backyard!). but enough about the new place. these rhubarb strawberry shortcakes were the very last thing i baked in my old place (the best cookies ever being the last thing i made last time i moved).

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

everyone is doing things with strawberry and rhubarb this time of year, and i can’t claim that this recipe is anything particularly special, except that it’s really really delicious. it was also my first experience with shortcake. i guess i never saw the point in shortcake before if there was tall cake to be had.

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

call me a convert, because these little guys are awesome. my only regret was not having whipped cream on hand to make the evening perfect.

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

i’m going to miss my old place, but i’m excited to fill our new apartment with memories, and more importantly, delicious baked goods. it may be a little while before i’m baking in full swing again, but there’s more to come!

strawberry rhubarb shortcake

Categories
bread

cheesy, savory monkey bread

cheesy savory monkey bread

all of the best foods have “bizzaro” versions: regular pizza has dessert pizza, apple pie has chicken pot pie, and monkey bread has…savory monkey bread (though if you’re looking for a really good sweet monkey bread recipe, go HERE). this works out great, because while i have a serious sweet tooth, the girl usually prefers more savory flavors.

cheesy savory monkey bread

just like sweet monkey bread, the dough is a cinch to bring together. i used green onion and parley with a bit of greyere cheese, but any combination of herbs works. i could see adding some crumbled bacon as well…

cheesy savory monkey bread

when we were kids, the best part of making monkey bread was tearing it into tiny pieces and rolling it in cinnamon and sugar. with savory monkey bread, you roll the pieces in herb butter.

cheesy savory monkey bread

then you arrange all the dough pieces in a pan, and brush them with more butter. right before baking, you give it yet another brush of butter. i guess it goes without saying, but the finished monkey bread is incredibly buttery and rich. this would be great dish to just put out and snack on with some friends.

cheesy savory monkey bread

i wanted to give a gigantic shout out to everyone who donated to the susan g komen breast cancer 5k last week. if it was possible for me to give hugs through the internet, please know that i would. it was a fun event and you all really came through. you guys are the best.

cheesy savory monkey bread

and finally, i think i mentioned briefly last week that i was moving soon – well it’s happening this weekend. i’m saying goodbye to my current kitchen and hello to my new one. pro: i now have a dishwasher! con: i now have an electric range. it may take some time to adjust.

cheesy savory monkey bread