Flavors 518

This morning I was successful in getting off the couch from my watching Alias on Netflix, and we made our way to the Troy Farmer's Market . We got some great items, and saw a lot of cool people. I'm a huge s'more fan, and when I saw these at the DreamPuff Marshmallows booth I could not resist. I took it home and put in a 350 degrees oven for about 5 minutes. This is a ridiculously delicious item!  I really enjoy making marshmallows ( last year I mailed them out to half the people I know ). But I will admit that they make a big mess in the kitchen, so I am happy to buy the DreamPuff ones (usually at the Book House ). I also made some graham crackers for the food swap last month, using this recipe . Homemade marshmallows are way, way better than the commercially made ones. The texture is fluffier, and they just taste way better. Homemade graham crackers have a more nuanced flavor and a softer texture. Therefore, homemade s'mores are a brilliant idea. What is al...

As part of Tuesdays with Dorie using the book Baking with Julia,  I made the Hungarian shortbread. You can read the recipe on Cher's blog and also on 1smallkitchen . Check out some discussion about the recipe here . I used strawberry rhubarb jam that I bought at the shop at Indian Ladder Farms . Check out how my shortbread turned out. Great paired with coffee or tea.  I even packed some up to mail to my dad for his birthday.  Here's what I thought about the recipe: I listened to the bakers who thought we should bake the bottom layer for 10 or 15 minutes before applying the jam. That worked out well. My husband and my coworkers all approve of these cookies. I think you can tell whether people are just saying something is good, or if they really really like something. "Whoa, those are good! Seriously!" as opposed to "Thanks for making them!" One of my coworkers particularly like the crumbly nature of the topping. My hus...

Last month I read a post from fellow local blogger, Jen is Green , about a foodie pen pal program. It sounded like fun, and I decided to give it a try. You can read about the specifics of the program here . Now I don't usually like the word "foodie" and what it implies , but in this case I'll get over it. Check out what I sent to Aly in Wisconsin here. It included croutons I got from the April Food Swap , and the Tuesdays with Dorie lemon loaf cake I made . Amanda from Albuquerque, New Mexico sent me some great stuff. I have never been there, so it was a taste of an unknown area of the country for me. Check out what I received. Her theme that she came up with was "picnic". It was a great theme, and I love the Southwest representation with all the spicy foods. Here are little snacks we made out of the spicy summer sausage, jalapeno jack cheese, and savory crackers which had a bit of chili in them. I think most things were from World Market ,...