Time for an installment of Friday Things:
1. Cooks Illustrated Tested Whole Wheat Flour and if you thought all whole-wheat flours are created equal, you were wrong.
I used to think that flour was flour. It’s not. I am so brand loyal to King Arthur and it’s all I use, with the exception of a random specialty flour. I draw the line at mail ordering flour and buy what’s in the grocery store and sometimes on a unique flour that I buy once a year, I’ll brand-hop but otherwise the King and I are tight.
2. Manchester Glass Set, $128 at Anthro. A wall-mounted set that would be handy for mounting so many things.
You don’t have to put fresh herbs in it, but I’d like to.
3. Need easy, fast, No-Bake Cookie Recipes?
The Huffington Post featured a couple of mine in their No-Bake Cookie Recipes (Slide 2 and Slide 3)
These Peanut Butter and Jelly Coconut Cashew Sandwich Cookies (no-bake, vegan, GF) are fast and easy, with No Added, Sugar, Salt, or Oil
4. Dorothy’s 5 Tips for Creating Business Cards post – Over and beyond about what to put on the business cards, she shares info about how to change your Facebook name, what a QR code is and how to get one; that Google Voice exists and you can have phone numbers forwarded to your cell so you don’t have to put your cell phone on your business cards.
A cornucopia of helpful tidbits and even if you don’t need business cards, you could probably use some of the sidebar trivia and tips.
5. The Kitchn did a story about What Have You Been Most Surprise (or Embarrassed) to Learn in the Kitchen
The reader comments are great. Sometimes it’s nice to know you’re not alone on just discovering certain things.
For me, I’ve recently discovered that whole wheat pastry flour and graham flour are the same thing.
Or despite knowing better, I’ll read recipes that instruct to combine butter with chocolate chips and melt them. This never works for me and the chocolate always seizes. I’m always surprised when I read recipes that indicate otherwise because in my experience, chocolate chips are finicky and don’t like to be mixed with butter. Bars of chocolate are a different story. But I ruined a bag of chocolate chips and a stick of butter the other day because I didn’t listen to my gut that was saying wait a minute, don’t do it. The water in the butter is the kiss of death for chocolate chips.
6. This Stephanie Johnson Torino Train Case, $78 at Kitson. Crocheted anything reminds me of my grandma and my childhood. I fear that this wouldn’t be durable at all and would snag and look horrible in about a week, but it’s sure cute.
7. Smoked Cashew Salsa – It reminds me of the coating mixture I make for Cheezy Kale Chips (raw, vegan, GF)
The Kale Chips are the best kale chips I’ve ever tried because of that coating. Those little bags of (mostly crushed) chips from Trader Joe’s that are really pricey or from Whole Foods that will break your bank account don’t hold a candle to homemade kale chips. You’ll never buy storebought and you can make them in a low 200F oven.
I’ve adapted the coating mixture for “Spicy Doritos” Cheezy Dip as well and it’s great with veggies sticks, on crackers, on bread, or just about anything.
8. Lauren Conrad featured my Cookie Dough Balls on her site
When I created the recipe in 2009 and I never could have imagined that they’d appear on Lauren’s site.
I have memories of putting my then two-year old down for a nap, turning on some guilty-pleasure episodes of The Hills, and eating cookie dough balls.
9. Do you like Sriracha? Here are 20 Sriracha Recipe Ideas
10. Do the Ripe Thing from Cooks Illustrated. If you thought your bananas had to be black as the night for banana bread, they don’t. Nicely freckled and speckled, but pitch black is not necessary and there’s little difference in sweetness between heavily freckled and completely black.
Meaning you can make this Browned Butter Buttermilk Banana Bread with Strawberry Butter sooner rather than later.
However, my favorite banana bread recipe of all time is this one. No frills, fast, easy, with amazing bread results, guaranteed, every time.
What are your Friday Things?
If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.
Anything you’re surprised to learn in the kitchen? Mistakes that plague you?
Flour preferences or loyalties? Freckly vs. black bananas for baking?
St. Paddy’s Day Plans?
Have a great weekend and check back for a giveaway!
Comments