When the turkey needs baking and the yams need glazing and the cranberries need saucing and the potatoes need scalloping and the giblets need gravy-ing—to say nothing of the in-laws needing fresh towels—and and and…
…the last thing you need to do is worry about making homemade pie crust, right? Read the rest of this entry »
A message from Tom Payne, King Arthur Flour marketing director:
As we all nervously watch for signs of light at the end of a dark economic tunnel, the news doesn’t look good. Some predict the financial crisis will dampen our economy well into 2009. Particularly hard hit will be organizations that rely on donations and fund-raising, including schools, youth groups and charities.
With many school-funding initiatives around the country at risk, how will our nation’s schools cope with lack of funds for their programs? With Americans wondering how they will hold on to their own savings and make ends meet, how will nonprofits encourage people to give? Read the rest of this entry »
Whole-grain ciabatta. Does this sound oxymoronic, or what? I mean, ciabatta is the queen of crusty white-flour breads; a baguette gone round-shouldered and soft-edged. It’s the epitome of light texture; the antithesis of the sometimes heavy, somewhat dense texture we associate with whole-grain breads. Whole-grain ciabatta—why go there? Read the rest of this entry »
So, here we are, sitting under the fluorescent lights because it’s already gloomy-gray outside at just 4:30 in the afternoon. We, the Web team here at King Arthur Flour, are still trying to “fall back” from Daylight Savings Time, getting used to the sun sidling low around the horizon each day before finally—resignedly—setting late in the afternoon. Before we even leave work. So that we trudge out to our cars in darkness. Sigh. Read the rest of this entry »
You’ve been there, right?
Your teenage son comes home, dumps his backpack on the kitchen floor, opens the refrigerator, drinks from the milk carton with one hand while grabbing a box of cereal, bag of chips, and fistful of cookies with the other, and somehow, through his full mouth, manages to mumble, “Remember the team dinner tonight—you have to bring dessert.”
Team dinner… tonight?! When… where…
“Hey, wait a minute, buddy, you NEVER told me about any team dinner. What do you mean, dessert? It’s 4:30! What time is this dinner?” Read the rest of this entry »
Do you have any idea how easy it is to make a tender, tasty muffin? It’s “easy as pie.” A real “piece of cake.” Both of which expressions puzzle me, because neither pie nor cake is anywhere near as simple to bake as a dozen muffins. Popovers can be problematic; brownies might burn. Even cookies are more complicated. But muffins? Give me a bowl and a spoon, and I’ll produce a dozen steaming muffins faster than CNN predicts a winner next Tuesday. Which should be about 6:10 a.m., Eastern time. Read the rest of this entry »
Chocolate and peanut butter have a truly symbiotic relationship: each brings out the best in the other. While Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have the corner on the combination in candyland, bakers can create a classic of their own. Our version is called Magic in the Middles. It was born when we were working on the Cookie Companion; one of our readers/customers plaintively asked us if we had a recipe for a cookie like this, and PJ went to town on the idea. She was extremely successful. Read the rest of this entry »
Ah, here we have it, one of the Great Mysteries of Life: where does the name Monkey Bread come from?
You’ve got monkeying around. And monkey wrench (as in don’t throw one in). Monkey business, monkey on your back, more fun than a barrel of… colder than a brass. For some reason, monkeys make their way into the popular lexicon WAY more often than other members of the Animal Kingdom. I mean, how often do you hear anyone say “giraffe in the middle,” or “armadillo see, armadillo do”? Point taken. Read the rest of this entry »
Every once in awhile you meet a person (or a recipe) with perfect poise; no matter the topic (or occasion), these all-around champions strike just the right chord with their audiences. These encounters inevitably leave one feeling enriched by the experience. It’s a pleasure to spend time in their company. This dish is just that kind of recipe. Read the rest of this entry »
Ah, autumn! The frost is on the pumpkin.
And the frosting is on the pumpkin cake. Cream cheese frosting, to be precise.
What is it about rich, thick cream cheese frosting that sings so beautifully with anything pumpkin? I mean, they go together like movies and popcorn. (Or October and political ads.) There’s just something about the slightly exotic, mildly spicy taste of pumpkin, and the temptingly tangy, sumptuous and creamy flavor of cream cheese that simply says YES to my taste buds. Read the rest of this entry »
