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Shoofly Pie (Parade of Pies, Part 6)
“Shoo fly, don’t bother me!” I have to sing this little song to myself every time I think of shoofly pie. Most people I know are not familiar with shoofly pie, and I don’t even when I first heard of it. Shoofly pie is a cakey molasses pie that seems to come together from nothing. […]
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Syrian-style Baklava (Parade of Pies, Part 5)
**So it’s not a pie in the usual sense, but baklava is pastry stuffed with nuts, sweet syrup, and butter. The pie spirit is there. And really, who would complain about getting baklava?** Growing up I never knew that there was more than one kind of baklava. The sticky, crispy, little diamonds with pistachio and […]
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Sour Cherry Pie (Parade of Pies, Part 4)
Sour cherries aren’t really in season this time of year, but they can often be found jarred. They lose their characteristic bright red coloring when they are jarred (I believe the bright red “cherry pie filling” that you can find cans of has added coloring to make them look as they do when they are […]
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The Classics: Apple Pie (Parade of Pies, Part 3)
I’m very particular about my apple pie. I used to think that I didn’t like it, but it turned out that I didn’t like how soupy and sweet many apple pies can be. Then I found the joy of baking specifically with apples that could stand up to the heat and retain some firmness. To […]
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The Classics: Pumpkin Pie (Parade of Pies, Part 2)
Pumpkin pie is a classic Thanksgiving pie, but there’s no reason you can’t have it all year round. During the fall, I usually get tasty pumpkins and squashes on sale, and then I bake and puree the flesh so that I can freeze it and use it all year long. Canned pumpkin is also generally […]
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The Classics: Pecan Pie (Parade of Pies, Part 1)
The first pie in the parade is pecan. This pie screams Thanksgiving to me, even more than pumpkin pie. Growing up, I remember there always being a pecan pie on the Thanksgiving dessert table. It was probably especially popular in kosher households because it’s an easy pie to make pareve, or non-dairy, so you can […]
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White Bean salad, spread, or dip
Sometimes you have to admit that, no matter how hard you try to prove otherwise, you are wrong. Right on the heels of my last post about how great dried beans are, I have to take it back – at least partially. Dried beans can be great. Just not if you’re as absent-minded as me. […]
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Tangy Bulgur Salad and New Foods
We were recently invited to a potluck lunch with an ingenious theme: “New Foods.” The host wanted guests to bring foods that would most likely be new to him, and hopefully the other guests. I gave the challenge a lot of thought. I eat a lot of weird things, so I had plenty of options. […]
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Whole Wheat Pocket Pita
I’ve clearly been on a bit of baking kick lately. I think it’s been because by the end of the week I’m out of fresh goods but I always have basic baking ingredients in my pantry. A lot of people bake bread to be frugal. And I’d like to say that I made these pita […]
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Cheesy Owl Crackers
I’m sure you’ll think I’m crazy, but I just couldn’t resist. After seeing Deb from Smitten Kitchen’s Whole Wheat Goldfish crackers I couldn’t not try them. I also happened to have everything I needed on hand, including a block of ultra orange cheddar that had exactly 6 oz left. I had never made crackers before […]