favorite homemade bread

Sriracha. It's delicious in/on nearly everything, so of course it's ridiculous in this homemade bread. I made this sriracha & cheddar bread a while back (original post here), but I've been daydreaming of making it again soon. The combo is brilliant.

A couple more weeks of teaching and grading and then I'll be baking & working on projects :))). I feel like I'm in a whirlwind of trying to grade final tests, celebrate birthdays, and catch some of the Moontower Comedy Festival. (Mom I promise to call soon!)

Limoncello

I finished making the batches of limoncello! I followed Giada De Laurentiis' recipe for ratios and The Cooking Channel's recipe for how long to steep (I did 1 month). I used Everclear as the alcohol after reading the tip that the higher the alcohol content, the more the lemon flavor is extracted. (Italians use grain alcohol, so it definitely makes sense.) I purchased the Everclear on Martin Luther King holiday, before noon, and the cashier said, "Ohhh, having a party?". Ew, no. I must have looked like a sorority girl heading home to mix it with fruit punch. In a giant cooler. Total frat move. Sick.

Eric and I will always have a soft spot for limoncello after our honeymoon last summer. We spent two and half weeks in Italy, with part on the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is known for its ginormous sweet lemons and their limoncello. We drank our fair share when we were there and brought home a bottle of homemade from the bed & breakfast we stayed at.

Me in Positano, Italy. June 2013.

"Papa" making limoncello at our bed & breakfast in Montepertuso.

Spring Break

I am obsessed with spring break. Everyone should get a spring break. The weather is perfect and for over a month I daydream about it. Getting my house squeaky clean, fixing up our bikes, exploring sxsw stuff, planting flowers, cooking yummy food, drinking wine, sewing, reading a book sitting outside, .... (the list could go on forever).

Eric and I were both really sick on New Year's, so we didn't get to celebrate. I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge that's been there since December 30th! That's getting popped asap.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade, Lemonade & Limoncello

School is closed today because of inclement weather. First things first: I made biscuits and got to sample the meyer lemon marmalade that Amy and I made two weekends ago.

I've never made marmalade before, but it was really easy and the meyer lemons were fun to work with. They're so beautiful. Amy picked out the recipe from Food & Wine.

 

Amy sent me home with some leftover lemons and suggested that I made limoncello. I'll post more about the limoncello when it's finished (the peels are resting for a couple weeks in the alcohol). The limoncello only uses the peels of the lemons, so I saved the juice to make mint lemonade (total treat..I never make lemonade).

No major plans today except doing some cleaning, crafting and some planning for next week's classes. We have very little snow outside, but I might be able to make a miniature snowman.

Copycat Costco Kale Salad & A Trip to Charleston

Last week I traveled to Charleston to visit my friend Danielle and her family. We had a great time of hanging out, eating delicious food, and going downtown. Her oldest daughter turned three while I was there and her baby was trying out new foods (I got to witness avocado). :)

 One night we stayed in and put together dinner at home. She had some kale salad that came from a mix from Costco that was delicious. It reminded me of a Whole Foods one, but better. I replicated it at home. It's so so good. I was happy to find a recipe for poppyseed dressing that uses honey instead of sugar too. 

For the salad:
Several kale leaves, sliced thin
Several brussels sprouts, sliced thin
Several broccoli florets, chopped fine
Cranberries
Sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, or walnuts

For the poppyseed dressing:
3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. honey
2 tsp. dijon
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tbs. red onion diced small
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)

Whisk all ingredients for the dressing together except the oil & onion. Slowly whisk in oil. Stir in onion.

Toss to combine & enjoy.