Easy-Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

February 4, 2016


Perfectly cooked and a notable difference in peeling

Perfectly cooked and a notable difference in peeling





Rating: 4-1/2 stars.
Cost: 60-cents.
How much work? Low.
How big of a mess? Low.


6 large eggs


Colombian Arepes de Queso

November 23, 2015





Rating: 3-1/2 stars.
Cost: $2.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess? Medium.


2 cups water
2 cups masarepa flour (12 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted or softened butter


Home Fries

February 26, 2012






Rating: 4-stars
Cost: $2.
How much work? Low.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium.


2-1/3 pounds russet potatoes
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives


Sweet Avocado Pop Tarts With Lime Glaze

November 23, 2011

I absolutely love fresh avocados; so I added these to my “to do” list a few months ago when the recipe made the rounds on TasteSpotting and FoodGawker. When I read the recipe in detail they seemed overly sweet, so I cut back on the sugar. Unfortunately, they were still too sweet for my taste. While my kids loved the sweetness, they didn’t care for the avocado. I’d give them 3-stars, because the lime was over-powering and didn’t let me enjoy the avocado. The lime glaze was heavenly; only the lime mixed into the filling needs to be scaled back.

Overly sweet; not just an adult version of a Pop Tart.

The boys loved the idea of making home-made Pop Tarts, but next time I’ll have to stick to a more kid-friendly fruit; cherry, strawberry, orange.

Rating: 3 stars.
Cost: $5 for 4 large pastries.
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium.
Start time 11:00 AM. Lunch: 1:20 PM.

The original recipe that I got from another blog is here. My descriptions of how I prepare it today are given below:

Pastry Dough:
2-cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4-cup cold water
1/2 teaspoons salt

Avocado Filling:
2 Hass avocados
3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Lime Glaze:
1-cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice

  1. Cut 2 sticks of butter into 1/2″ cubes, then chill in freezer for 15 minutes. Add 2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoons salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse for 10 one-second pulses until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with bits of butter sprinkled throughout. With the processor running, add the cold water and processing until dough forms.
  2. Remove to a floured surface and knead for 10 seconds and form a smooth, uniform ball. Separate into two evenly sized balls, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350° and remove your chilled dough balls to a well-floured work surface. Roll each piece of dough out into an 8″ x 12″ rectangle; about 1/4″ thick. Cut out 16 rectangles measuring 3″ x 4″ each. You may need to assemble your scraps and re-roll your dough a few times to get even pieces. If the dough becomes too hard to work with stick your cut pieces of dough back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to be sure that they’re chilled through once you assemble and bake the tarts.
  4. Lay your pieces onto parchment-lined baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.
  5. Peel, pit and chop your avocados into a small dice and place in large bowl. Add the lime juice and sugar, and mash into a chunky consistency.
  6. Spoon the avocado mixture onto 4 pieces of cut pastry. Use your fingers to pre-form the second rectangle of pastry so that it is slightly cupped. Carefully place on top of each mound of avocado and use a fork to press the top and bottom of each pastry together down all four sides. Using fork; gently pierce the top of each pastry several times to allow steam to vent. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until the edges are just turning a lightly, golden brown. Remove the baked tarts to cool for 10 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare your glaze by whisking the confectioners’ sugar and lime juice together in a small bowl.
  8. Finish by glazing the top of each with the lime glaze.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

September 18, 2011

Part of my weekly ritual involves going to Panera Bread and blogging in the early morning hours before my two boys wake up on Saturday or Sunday. With every coffee refill, I pass by a beautiful Cinnamon Raisin loaf. The only problem is that the $4.50 price tag seems absurd. And since Chris Kimball doesn’t have a recipe, I had to resort to Martha Stewart. True to form; Martha’s recipe is basic and decent but is less fool-proof, omitting details that are “common sense” (at least to Martha Stewart). It also didn’t have enough raisins or cinnamon, plus I substituted 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Can be messy if the filling oozes into the oven.

I first made this loaf one day before Huricanne Irene; as part of our “weathering the storm provisions”. The recipe includes my improvements; which I give 4-stars. My 12-year-old son called it the best bread I’ve ever made.


  1. No matter what you do, there is a danger that the filling will overflow. So put a foil-lined baking sheet pan below the loaf pan for easy clean up.
  2. As with most of my bread, I made a 1/4″-deep slice using a serrated knife down the top of the loaf. I make this release cut to promote a higher rise during the fist few minutes of baking.  Unfortunately, my release cut sliced into the filling and let it ooze from the top during baking. In the future I will not make any release cuts.
  3. The original recipe called for 45 minutes in a 425-degree oven. After just 35 minutes the crust was thick and hard, but not burnt. I had tented the loaf after 15 minutes. To rectify the problem I reduce the over temperate to 375-degrees after 5 minutes; enough time to give the loaf an “over spring” but low enough keep the crust from becoming too tough.

Rating: 4 stars.
Cost: $1.30 for one 9″x5″ loaf
How much work? Low/Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium
Start time 2:00 PM. Ready at: 5:30 PM. (plus 1 to 2 hours of cooling time)

The original recipe is here , which she credit to Martha Stewart. My descriptions of how I prepare the loaf today are given below:

Dough Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
7-1/2 oz warm milk (1 cup, less 1 tablespoon)
18 oz. all-purpose flour. (3-1/4 cups)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/4 teaspoons salt.
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins
Non-stick cooking spray
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Filling Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water
1 egg

  1. If desired, measure out your 1/4-cup of sugar of which you can mix about 1 teaspoon in with your hydrating yeast. This will give the yeast additional food to give it a nice kick start.
  2. Microwave milk in 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup for 30 seconds to 105-degrees. Whisk in yeast and allow to hydrate for 5 minutes, after which you should see some bubbling.
  3. Add flour, butter, sugar, egg, salt and cinnamon to bowl of standing mixer equipped with dough hook attachment. Turn mixer to low (2 on a kitchen-aide) and slowly add yeast mixture.  When ingredients become incorporated, increase mixer speed to 4 and mix for 3 minutes until the dough is mostly smooth and clears the sides of the bowl.
  4. Slowly add the raisins until they become incorporated. Increase to 6 and continue to knead for another 3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and the raisins are evenly distributed.
  5. Spray a glass bowl and rubber spatula with non-stick cooking spray. Put the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat lightly with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size. In winter, you’ll have to use your warmed, but turned off oven to help.
  6. Using a greased spatula, fold the dough over onto itself; rotate bowl quarter turn and fold again. Rotate bowl again and fold twice more (a total of 4 folds). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 40 minutes.
  7. Spray a 9″x5″ loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  8. To make the filling, combined sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and water in a small bowl.
  9. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  Use a rolling pin to roll into a 10″x12″ rectangle.  Brush lightly with beaten egg, leaving a thin border around the edges.  Sprinkle the entire surface (less borders) evenly with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  10. Fold in the edges along the long sides of the dough about 1″; resulting in a 10″-square.  Beginning with unfolded ends (the folds will form the loaf ends), roll the dough up into a tight spiral log, gently pressing as you go.  Pinch the seam to close, and place seam side-down in the prepared loaf pan.
  11. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the dough rises just above the edge of the pan. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425-degrees. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the lower shelf to catch any drippings.
  12. After the loaf has risen, brush the top of the loaf lightly with the remaining beaten egg.  Bake at 425-degrees for 5 minutes, then reduce to 375-degrees without opening the oven. Continue baking for another 35 minutes; rotating the pan after 10 minutes. Tent loosely with foil when the top crust reaches your desired darkness (I tented mine about halfway through baking).   The loaf will be done when the internal temparture reaches 195-degrees.
  13. Cool the loaf in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn out the loaf and allow to cool on a wire rack for 1-1/2 to 2 hours before slicing. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar.

Ultimate Cinnamon Buns

August 14, 2011


Great tasting cinnamon buns, but there is a big flaw




Rating: 4-stars.

Cost: $3 for 12 cinnamon buns.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Medium.


3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3 eggs
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar


Hash Brown Mania and other Craziness

October 13, 2010

There was a period over several months when I ate hash browns twice a day; for breakfast and dinner. No, I am not crazy (at least not for hash browns). I was biking across the altiplano of Bolivia. It was several day’s ride between towns, and the only food available was potatoes. But not just potatoes; the world’s most bountiful variety of tubers.  With hundreds of varieties of potatoes, every color in the rainbow, every shape imaginable; I don’t think I ate the same type twice. But enough was enough, after I road down the back side of the Andes into the Chaco desert of Paraguay, I swore I would never eat hash browns again. Now, more than 10 years later I am going to break my promise to myself and make Chris Kimball’s Classic Hash Browns.


Wringing before cooking makes for better taste and texture.


Classic recipe is here, but there are other variations here. So what makes this recipe different is the technique of drying the potatoes. Place in clean cloth towel and twist until they have released their water. Here I mixed with 2 tablespoons of grated onion and 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

3-1/2 stars. Overall, these rate better than my Bolivian Hash Browns; though how many people have eaten purple Hash Browns?

Rating: 3-1/2 stars.
Cost: $0.50.
How much work? Low.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium.
Started: 8:30 AM.  Ready:  9:00 AM.

%d bloggers like this: