Author: petebakes

how-to

best recipes of 2008

let’s keep 2009 going the right way – by looking back at the best of 2008! here are the top 10 most popular recipes on pete bakes from last year.

10. real apple pie vs mock apple pie

around the fourth of july, i was feeling very patriotic – so patriotic that i made TWO apple pies – one with real apples and one from an ancient nabisco recipe that uses zero apples. would we be able to tell the difference between them? find out!

9. english muffins

gotta love those nooks and crannies! the only thing better than a warm toasted english muffin with butter and jelly is one that you made from scratch. you’ll never go back to the bread aisle again.

8. jewish apple cake

this cake isn’t just for rosh hashanah anymore. it’s perfect anytime of the year (and anytime of day). just make sure you let it cool completely before trying to get it out of the pan, or else you’ll be apologizing to your guests.

7. ginger cheesecake

who doesn’t love rich, decadent cheesecake with the kick of ginger? and here’s the secret: the crust is the best part. and don’t worry about cracks, it doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to taste great.

6. cheese danishes

we used to reserve danishes for special occasions, but now you don’t have to. your friends will think you went to a real fancy bakery, but it can just be our little secret. unless you’re baking them for me, in which case, i’ll get over it.

5. how to make braided challah

half the fun of baking is wowwing your friends and family before they even take a bite. challah is a beautiful, flavorful and light eggy bread that works great as french toast. it was the first yeast bread i ever tackled and it’s become one of my favorites.

4. chocolate chip coffee cake

this will become your go-to sour cream coffee cake. make it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or dessert and get ready for requests from all of your friends for the recipe. a great starter cake for beginning bakers.

3. brownies! with coffee!

the original brownie recipe came courtesy of my mom, but the idea of adding coffee came from ina garton. and now i don’t think i can eat brownies that don’t have coffee in them. get a giant glass of milk ready and start baking!

2. spinach artichoke dip

spinach and artichoke and cheese – sounds fancy, no? why limit yourself to eating this dip only when you go out to eat when it’s so easy to make at home? try it with tortilla chips or homemade wheat thins!

1. onion bacon and cheese buns

let’s see…bacon, onions and cheese…in a roll…for breakfast? how could life get any better?

cake

beatty’s chocolate cake

this is probably not a great post to start off the new year. if you make this recipe, i can pretty much guarantee it will ruin any attempt at a new years resolution to eat healthier. in fact, it’s happening to me. like right now. as in, i’m eating this cake as i type this post and i can’t stop – and although i feel a little guilty, it’s just too good to put down.

you have to understand, this is an ina garten cake – yes, THAT ina garten cake. i think it’s made its rounds on the food blogosphere already, but i’ve only just discovered it (thanks to the girl and her copy of ina garten’s Barefoot Contessa at Home), and now i’ve converted to the church of chocolate cake. the problem with most chocolate cakes is that they end up too dense and crumbly. since this one is loaded with buttermilk, it’s incredibly moist and delectable, even a week later. the frosting is smooth, rich and still gives a good flavor contrast to the cake.

sure, you can make this recipe and stack it like a normal 2-tier cake. but if you want to “class it up,” do what i did and get some biscuit cutters of varying sizes and create some new cake shapes. then, because both the cake and frosting have coffee in them, top your tiny cakes with chocolate covered espresso beans. making tiny cakes gives people the illusion of only eating a little bit, when each one is really much larger than one serving of normal sized cake.

i have to apologize to any of my coworkers that read this blog. i was planning on bringing in some of this cake to share, i really was, but i just haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. i’ve got tons of leftover cake from cutting out the rounds a bowl of frosting left too, but i’m sorry, i’m going to be selfish on this one. this cake is all mine. time for another bite.

how-to

pete’s culinary resolutions for 2009

Post author By petebakes
Post date January 4, 2009
93 Comments on pete’s culinary resolutions for 2009

it’s time, once again, to get wrapped up in the fervor of the season and make resolutions we will probably never keep. and although i’ve only actually kept one (to walk more and take the bus less), it’s still not a bad idea to reflect on the past year and think about what we can do for ourselves and others to make this new year the best yet. so without further ado, here’s what i’m looking forward to changing in my life in 2009:

be a better grocery shopper
have you ever heard of the method of shopping around the borders of the grocery store? that way, you hit the fruits and veggies dairy and meat counter, but skip the snacks, soda and other preservative-laden junk. yeah, i don’t do that. i rarely have a balanced collection of food in the fridge, and it’s time to fix that.

cook more seafood
fish is great, but i only know a few simple recipes. i’m slowly getting over my fear of screwing it up (and making the apartment stink for days afterward), but i need to kick it up and experiment with different flavors and ingredients.

eat at thai x-ing
i keep hearing legends of how great this restaurant is, but i still haven’t experienced it first hand. thai x-ing is basically a basement on the edge of NW DC where one guy cooks everything and there’s only one table. you have to call hours beforehand just for pickup so he has time to get to your order. we must go.

bake a bastilla
bastilla is a traditional moroccan dish with layers of chicken, eggs, almonds and a ton of fragment spices like turmeric and ginger, wrapped in dough and topped with cinnamon and sugar. it’s been on my recipe list for months now. edit: i finished this one! check it out!

a few blog-specific resolutions:

post more often
i’m not setting a number for myself, but i want to get a couple of recipes in each week, along with at least one post a week on techniques, equipment or anything else i can offer (advice, cookbook reviews, etc).

actually learn how to use the settings on my camera
i know the best way to learn about photography is to practice, but i also know my camera probably has a ton of handy features that could speed up the learning process. it’s time to figure out how to take pictures in my low-light kitchen so i’m not limited to the few hours of daylight i have after work to bake.

all recipes will be in american and metric measurements
this is a simple one. and with a new baking scale, i’ll probably actually keep this one!

check out more resolutions from luke at cookography and nick at macheesemo. what are you looking forward to in 2009? any resolutions?