Archives for March 2014

by on March 31, 2014   •   43 Comments Bakeshop

Mocha Pie with Espresso Whipped Cream

I couldn’t tell you when the craving for a mocha pie originated, only that it is a desire I have been trying to ignore for the better part of a year.

My affections lie firmly in the fruit pie camp, which is why the urge for a rich pudding of dark chocolate and coffee, tucked into a flaky crust and topped with mounds of espresso whipped cream was a mystery to me. I’m usually all about the rhubarb pie in the spring (three recipes and counting), but this year, I’m serving up mocha.

Mocha Pie with Espresso Whipped Cream | Simple Bites #pie #mocha #recipe

Fortunately, Easter is just around the corner, and chocolate is usually on the menu in many shapes and forms. I’m going to go ahead and suggest that this cream-topped mocha pie make an appearance on your table for the holiday. And if it is, please invite me over.

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by on March 28, 2014   •   23 Comments Traveling

Brussels Sprout, Walnut & Pesto Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

Our first daytrip as a married couple went awry when we found ourselves sitting in an empty restaurant somewhere in the Croatian countryside, starving, and staring at an indecipherable menu.

The drive through the top corner of Croatia and neighbouring Slovenia had been beautiful, but about two hours past lunchtime, we were desperate. We hadn’t bothered to pack anything to eat from our villa back in Lake Balaton region of Hungary, planning to stop along the way and sample the local fare. After all, half the fun of spontaneous travel is tasting the regional cuisine; the only trouble was, we hadn’t seen anything other than the occasional farmhouse.

As our rented Opel Astra bumped along the absurdly narrow roads, I kept busy looking for a roadside restaurant or any sign of food. We finally pulled into a gravel parking lot where a low building flashed a neon Pizza sign in the window. Pizza? That was unexpected, but to us at the time it sounded glorious.

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by on March 26, 2014   •   6 Comments Quick Bites

Apricot Basil Chicken Salad

Chicken salad was once a food I refused to eat. I found it too mayonnaise-y and bland for my tastes, but that at all changed when I ate the chicken salad at a restaurant near my college campus. I still remember the first time I tried it, amazed that something I despised for so long could be so delicious.

That was the changing point that showed me chicken salad didn’t have to be dull. Not only was that chicken salad full of flavor, but it had a pleasing texture thanks to the addition of grapes. Since then, fruit in chicken salad has always been a must for me. I added grapes to this curried chicken salad, and now I’ve got another favorite in this version made with dried apricots.

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by on March 24, 2014   •   18 Comments Bakeshop

How to blind-bake a pie crust

Danny and I were trading off household jobs one recent Saturday morning and I pointed out that he should do the dishes. I was planning to blind bake a pie crust and needed to get the dough in the fridge to chill.

“You’re going to WHAT now?” He asked, clearly dubious of the credibility of my task.

“Yeah. You know, prebake a single pie crust, to hold a cream filling.” I explained. And because there was pie in his future, he conceded to doing the breakfast washing up.

It’s no wonder he had no idea what I was talking about. I seldom make cream pies, so strong is my fondness for the fruit-based variety. But I had an idea for a pie that I wanted to make for Sunday dinner and so a-blind-baking I went, while Danny kept an interested eye on my work.

Strawberry season is nearly upon us and that means fresh strawberry pie needs to be on your weekend brunch menu, as well as mine. To do so, we need to know how to blind bake a pie crust. Read on for the tutorial! Don’t worry, it’s a cinch.

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by on March 21, 2014   •   10 Comments Gardening

Starting seeds indoors

The first day of Spring was officially yesterday, although outside our windows snow still gently fell, adding to the preexisting mounds.

The boys shoulders slumped when they observed our weather; they’ve been eagerly anticipating the first bike ride of the season, but it looks like we’re getting an extended winter. Usually we’re tapping the maples by now, but that, too, has been postponed until warmer days arrive.

As a way to encourage ourselves that spring will indeed come eventually, we started a few indoor seedlings. I let the boys lead on this project, which they were happy to do. Play with dirt? Yes, indeed.

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