Easter Desserts

Featuring gluten-free coconut cupcakes (I just added an extra egg, 1 cup shredded coconut,  and a little vanilla & almond extract to a gluten-free cake mix. Frosting is butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and coconut.)

Photo: Francesca Davis DiPiazza

Welcome, Glam Doll Donuts!

Glam Doll Donuts opened on Friday at 2605 Nicollet (next to Black Forest Inn).

Baker Jessica (top row) frosts Peek-a-Boo (tres leches) donuts, while owners Arwyn & Teresa (bottom row)--in postwar hairstyles--offer up coffee and designer donuts.

Glam Dolls on Facebook, click:
https://www.facebook.com/GlamDollDonuts

Photos: Francesca Davis DiPiazza

Eat Street Social

Happy Hour cheese plate; Antonio at the bar

Photo: Francesca Davis DiPiazza

Balls of Fire

The unknown-to-me O*KE*DOKE brand in a corner store on Nicollet...

Photo: Francesca Davis DiPiazza

Panaderia Marissa

Mexican bakery on 28th & Nicollet Ave. S.
Photo: Francesca Davis DiPiazza

Frosting The Black Forest Cherry Torte

Inside the Black Forest Inn:  Dannielle lathers on the cream cheese iceing and then adds decorative swirls of whipped cream to the Chocolate Torte: it's their "version of Schwartzwalder Kirschtorte with four layers of chocolate cake with cream cheese filling & kirsch-flavored cherries between the layers, topped with fresh whipped cream," to quote from the menu.

Photos:  Jo Ann Musumeci

The Morning After

After Halloween
Photo: Marz Haney

The French Fry Cut

Inside the Black Forest Inn:  part of a series I'm doing behind the scenes in the kitchen, the machine is cutting potatoes into French fries (obviously).

Photo:  Jo Ann Musumeci

The Opportune Moment

...for a sparrow.

Photo: Marz Haney

Girl Scout Cookies

Selling Girl Scout cookies from a little red wagon.

Photo: Marz Haney (taken last week, before our latest snow)

Making Marmalade

Stewing up Seville oranges, available now at the Wedge coop for 99 cents/lb.
These wintertime Spanish oranges are too bitter and sour to eat, but make the best, tangiest marmalade.

The recipe takes some time but is super easy: basically, just boil oranges up with sugar.
Orange peel and pips (seeds) contain pectin, so you don't have to add a thickener.

Seville Orange Marmalade Recipe

1. Place whole oranges in pan and cover with water. Boil for 2 hours.

2. Cut cooled oranges in half. Scoop out the innards, and return the pulp and pips (seeds) to cooking water. Simmer another 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, thinly slice orange peels.

4. Strain pulp and pips from orange water/juice. (Seville oranges are full of pips!)
Squeeze as much pulp as possible through the strainer back into the water, to become marmalade.

5. Add orange peel and sugar (to taste---it takes quite a lot of sugar!--almost equal parts orange/water and sugar) to water/juice.
Simmer gently another 30 minutes or so, until marmalade starts to thicken. (Will thicken a little more in fridge.)

6. Cool, and pour into jars. Store in fridge.

Photo: Francesca Davis DiPiazza

Thanksgiving Baking

Photo: Francesca Davis DiPiazza

A Sweet & Juicy New Year

Denise cuts up apples to eat with honey, per tradition, on Rosh Hashanah ("the head of the year," in Hebrew: ראש השנה‎), in hopes of a sweet and juicy year ahead. The holiday marking the Jewish New Year began at sunset last night and ends at sunset September 30.

Photo: Francesca Davis DiPiazza