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November 20, 2009

How-To: Bake a Turkey-Shaped Cake

CRAFT: Thanksgiving

Bake a Turkey-Shaped Cake
By Cathy Callahan

CRAFT: Super Crafty Kidz

How about cake instead of pie this Thanksgiving? I don't mind pie but am really more of a cake person. This turkey-shaped cake is a fun way to introduce a cake to the dessert table and is also fun for kids to make for Thanksgiving. And if the "pie people" turn their noses up at it? At least it can also double as decoration for the table.

With the big holiday just around the corner I'm sure many of you are starting to pour over your favorite cookbooks in search of recipes. I really don't own many cookbooks and am an advocate for just having a few really good ones on hand. There's been a lot of talk about classic cookbooks lately. Of course we all love Julia Child's The Way to Cook. The Joy of Cooking has been a staple in kitchens for many generations. On many people's lists of "must haves" are The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, How to Cook Everything, Beard on Food and the list goes on.

But to me an overlooked classic is Baker's Coconut Cut-Up Cakes (1956 edition). Why not have a little fun in the kitchen? It was updated in 1959 and retitled Baker's Coconut Animal Cut-Up Cakes. It was published by Baker's to promote their "Angel Flake Coconut" product. At any given time there are usually a few listed on eBay and there is oftentimes a bidding war to get the older ones. You can sample some pages of the book in charm and poise's Flickr set.

Cut-up cakes are all about the reconfiguration of the standard layer or sheet cake. Following the illustrations, the cake is cut into shapes and arranged to resemble things like boats, bunnies, witches, etc. and then iced, sprinkled with coconut, and decorated with candy; the boat eveb gets Lifesavers for the portholes. And they all have cute names.
I have made the "Ella Elephant," "Fanny the Fish," and "Dear Santa."

I just made the "Gobble-Gobble Gobbler" as a dry run for this Thanksgiving. I tried to follow the recipe as best I could but I have to be honest that a little more explanation would have been helpful. I did have a couple of mishaps and had to approach this project like a small scale construction project. So here I've adapted the original directions in hopes that it will make it a little easier for you. Make sure you wear an apron because it's a very messy, but fun, undertaking.

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How-To: Homemade Crescent Rolls

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I'm already starting to drool over all the amazing food that we'll be having. These homemade crescent rolls from Calli of Make it Do look like they would be a mouth-watering addition to any holiday table. The pictures are making me so hungry!

Martha Stewart's Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Vegetarians need gourmet Thanksgivings too! I personally am thankful for Martha Stewart and this sensational meat-free menu plan. I will never forget the Thanksgiving when my mother made broccoli salad for my vegetarian boyfriend at the time, complete with plenty of chopped bacon. I chalk it up to true lack of knowledge about non-meat eaters. In her mind, broccoli wasn't a meat, and the bacon added flavor! This menu is a beautiful meal that needs nothing to shine except fresh vegetables made with love!

Dale Dougherty's Cheese Talk

CRAFT and MAKE editor and publisher Dale Dougherty gave a talk at Ignite Sebastopol II called "Blessed are the Cheesemakers."

November 19, 2009

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Header Supercraftykidz

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
By Jennifer Perkins and Chris Boehk

Every fall my husband Chris whips up a batch of his world famous pumpkin pie ice cream! This year we served it at a Halloween party and are planning to take it to a Thanksgiving potluck! Since this is his special fall creation, I let him write up the instructions and I took the pictures!

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CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide 2009: For the Foodie

I'm a big fan of homemade food gifts, which in my mind include alcoholic items, condiments, spices, etc. In fact, my mom recently told me that one of her favorite gifts in years past was a jar of Bronzed Chicken Spices that I mixed together in a big batch and doled out to family members along with the recipe. Mom said it took the hard part out of making a yummy dinner, and it was a thoughtful and helpful gift. Bonus!

That conversation greatly influenced my selections when I sat down to choose the items in this year's Foodie Gift Guide. It can take just pennies to make a gift that's likely to end up as someone's favorites list this year, so why pick products that cost a fortune, no matter how cool they are? Sure, we'd all like to have a fancy mixer or espresso machine, but in today's economy, a nice whisk or a pound of good coffee are just as welcome.

So here's a baker's dozen of food and kitchen items that you can either make as gifts this holiday season, or pick up without emptying your larder, er, pocketbook. (Puns definitely intended!) I'd love to hear about other gifts you plan on making or buying for the foodie in your life. Please tell us about them in the Comments! Merry merry, happy happy!

Homemade Vanilla I tried this last year after we ran a how-to article in Craft, Volume 07. It was surprisingly easy, and I found organic vanilla beans for a great price on eBay. It needs to sit several weeks, so start this soon if you're going to give any as gifts.

Homemade Coffee Liqueur
A few years ago we made two different versions of coffee liqueur, dutifully marking them brew #1 and brew #2. Some recipes call for instant coffee and some call for a pot of brewed java. The bad news was that we forgot which recipe went with which number. The good news was that both batches were tasty, and our friends and family really appreciated the gift, especially when certain name brands can be quite pricey. This also needs to sit for a month, so factor in the time this needs to sit on the shelf aging to perfection.

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November 18, 2009

Homemade Eggnog Recipe

Christy at Instructables shares with us her recipe for delicious homemade eggnog. I can't wait to try it out!

Thanksgiving Feast: Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping

CRAFT: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Feast: Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping
By Katie Goodman

I have had so many failures with pie crust — too sticky, too dry, full of cracks — that for a while I just resigned myself to buying either frozen crusts or those ones you roll out and shape yourself. But that's really not my style. I love homemade, not store-bought. When I found this recipe from Simply Recipes, it seemed so easy and straightforward that I thought it was worth another go. With such great results on my first try, I felt the confidence I needed to never look back at those store-bought crusts again.

If you're trying to save time on Thanksgiving, you can make the recipe up to Step 5 and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the pie. Just let it sit out on the counter for about 10 minutes before you roll it out.

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Macadamia and Ginger Stuffing

I'm on an island in Hawaii. And I can't stop eating macadamia nuts. Let's see, I've found macadamia nut icecream, macadamia nut chocolates, and pancakes with macadamia nuts. Now I've moved on to the pure stuff- raw, whole macadamias, of which I took some glamour shots just now for this post. I am loving the perfectly subtle butter flavor and a nut that I would consider crunchysmooth. The recipe for Macadamia and Ginger Stuffing that I just discovered on Epicurious seems amazing. It's got great ratings and despite the exotic flavors, the ingredients are easy to find. The recipe also notes that you can season the bird with some citrus juices and sesame oil to really bring together the theme between the bird and the stuffing. I won't be home for Thanksgiving, but I most definitely plan on making this at Christmas, to take my taste buds back to tropical paradise.

November 13, 2009

Maya Marom's cooking blog, Bezakalim

The other day I came across Maya Marom's cooking blog, Bezakalim, and her photos are gorgeous. They capture those small, satisfying moments that, when added up, make cooking such a soothing activity: The vibrant purple stain left on a worn wooden chopping block after cutting a red onion, ripples of sweetened condensed milk being poured over rich vanilla ice cream, the dry ingredients in a bowl before they're mixed, creating a patchwork landscape of peaks and valleys. The blog is written in Hebrew, which I can't read, so in order to find out more about it, I wrote to Maya. She wrote back:

"Bazek" means "dough" in Hebrew, and "alim" means "violent." This is an intentional misspelling of a bazekalim which means "puff pastry." A kind of a word-play to show off my no-fuss recipe policy.
The blog is directed at people who can't cook, or don't like to cook. I take step-by-step pictures of everything, and test each recipe a lot of times to make sure it is completely foolproof. I also designed and built the blog from scratch (I am a web-designer by day).

I am from Israel, and have been running the blog for three years now. Last year, I was contacted by the editor of Yediot Ahronot (Israel's leading daily newspaper) and was offered to write a weekly food column, which is now published every Wednesday in the lifestyle section.

Although I feel the pictures pretty much speak for themselves, if you would like a little help decoding the Hebrew recipes, you may use the Google Translate function. it is far from perfect, and the page has left-to-right issues, but better than total gibberish :)

November 12, 2009

How-To: Edible Flying Spaghetti Monster

Dot at Dabbled shares how to make these awesome edible Flying Spaghetti Monsters. I'm particularly fond of the peas for eyes.

November 11, 2009

Thanksgiving Feast: Side Dishes

CRAFT: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Feast: Side Dishes
By Katie Goodman

Some might argue that the Thanksgiving sides are really the stars of the show. There are so many good recipes to choose from and every family has that special dish that better be on the table — or else! For me, it's hard to decide. I like so many side dishes for different reasons, but I've picked a few of my favorites to share here.

Thanksgiving Cranberrysalad

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How-To: DIY Coffee Stencil

Here's a fun way to add a special touch to your coffee or cocoa or even cupcakes and cakes. Jessica of How About Orange shows how to create your own stencil for dusting the top of your winter beverages and treats. I may have to try this on Brookelyn's Grown-Up Hot Chocolate.

November 10, 2009

Baking with Persimmons

Persimmons just shout "autumn" to me. Just the sight of those stark branches against the sky dotted with bright fruit sends me straight into cozy mode. Aran over at Cannelle et Vanille has not one but two amazing-sounding recipes for persimmon fans, as well as some fun recollections of the role persimmons played in her childhood. (I have similar memories of raw hachiya persimmons literally sucking the life out of my mouth; it took me a while before I was brave enough to fall in love with the sweetness of a raw fuyu persimmon in a winter salad.) I'm always a sucker for olive oil cake, and while I have never heard of a verrine before, it uses mascarpone, so I'm sold!

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Instructables user scoochmaroo shares her best pumpkin bread recipe. And I love her tip about freezing pumpkin bread so you can make a big batch and keep the pumpkin bread love going.

November 9, 2009

Hot Drink Mixes for Holiday Gifts

Amy at the Motherload shows you how to make hot drink mixes as perfect holiday gifts. She's got recipes for not just hot cocoa but also for vanilla chai tea!

November 8, 2009

Cocktailnerd's Bumblebee

It's been one of those crazy weekends, and tonight I plan on unwinding with this deliciousness. It's a Bumblebee, and I have Cocktailnerd to thank.

November 7, 2009

How-To: Apple Cider Donuts

Randy Sarafan grew up near apple orchards, like me, and shares with us his method for making delicious apple cider donuts.

November 6, 2009

How-To: Green Thai Curry Paste

Instructables user Jayefuu writes:

This is a recipe for a fantastic green thai curry paste. The original recipe I've long since lost, I make up a large batch once every 6 months or so and freeze it in blocks. Once made I can pull a block out the freezer any time I like and fry it with chicken, coriander, carrots, beans and coconut milk to make a wonderfully creamy curry.

How-To: Candy Apples

Sarah James at Instructables is a tireless force when it comes to holiday eats (and food photography, holy delicious!). Behold her candy apple tutorial!

Food Home | Next >

Craft:

How-To: Bake a Turkey-Shaped Cake

How-To: Homemade Crescent Rolls

Martha Stewart's Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Dale Dougherty's Cheese Talk

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

CRAFT Holiday Gift Guide 2009: For the Foodie

Homemade Eggnog Recipe

Thanksgiving Feast: Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping

Macadamia and Ginger Stuffing

Maya Marom's cooking blog, Bezakalim

How-To: Edible Flying Spaghetti Monster

Thanksgiving Feast: Side Dishes

How-To: DIY Coffee Stencil

Baking with Persimmons

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Hot Drink Mixes for Holiday Gifts

Cocktailnerd's Bumblebee

How-To: Apple Cider Donuts

How-To: Green Thai Curry Paste

How-To: Candy Apples

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