Category: The Kitchen Journal

All the notes from my kitchen, including the Barefoot Contessa recipe reviews, my original recipes, herbal recipes, and more.

A Simple Cookie with a Fall Twist – MB Recipe 37

Published on by RJ1 Comment

Over the weekend, I felt the desire to bake. It had been quite a long time since the baking bug hit me. Since it was a last-minute, I had to find a recipe where I had all of the ingredients already on hand. For the most part this meant that I was limited to cookies and/or bars. While combing through the Cookies chapter of the Magnolia Bakery Handbook I came across Snickerdoodles. Thankfully, I had everything in the ingredients, except for one, but I was able to make a substitution.

Continue reading “A Simple Cookie with a Fall Twist – MB Recipe 37” →

A Return to Baking

Published on by RJLeave a comment

Last weekend, I hung up the headset for the final time. The show I have given my life to for the better part of October played its final performance on Sunday. This show taught me a lot about myself, stage management, and theater. Even though the schedule is grueling and I lack sleep during the performance weekends, I always end up looking back on these experiences with nostalgia and joy.

Continue reading “A Return to Baking” →

What You’ve All Been Waiting For…

Published on by RJ8 Comments

Ever since I posted my review of the Magnolia Bakery’s Hummingbird Cake back in the beginning of August, the post has been receiving a lot of traction. One thing has become clear to me: You want the recipe.

Continue reading “What You’ve All Been Waiting For…” →

One Final Summer Bake – MB Recipe 36

Published on by RJ8 Comments

As summer comes to a close, I though it would be a good idea to take one last advantage of all the delicious berries available. Strawberry season is long gone and the drop in flavor is almost immediate. So I stayed clear of strawberries this time. For this recipe the star was blueberries.

Continue reading “One Final Summer Bake – MB Recipe 36” →

“Dirt Bomb” Muffins – MB Recipe 35

Published on by RJ1 Comment

This past weekend I was FINALLY able to get in the kitchen and bake something. It had been quite some time since I had enough down time to bake, and frankly, I’ve missed it. Sadly, my life has just been too crazy the last couple of weeks. Even though I was looking forward to baking, I still wanted something simple. That meant cakes and cupcakes were out. But, muffins seemed like an excellent idea and there had been a recipe calling out to me for some time.

Continue reading ““Dirt Bomb” Muffins – MB Recipe 35″ →

August 2022 Round Up

Published on by RJLeave a comment

As August comes to a close, I find myself sitting at the keyboard trying to form this post. You would think that for a month where I didn’t have a lot to say, it would be easy to compile a recap. That isn’t always the case. Today is one of those days.

Continue reading “August 2022 Round Up” →

Move Over Carrot Cake, I’m Coming For You! MB Recipe 34

Published on by RJ19 Comments

Last week I finally treated myself to cake. Yes, cake! I have been avoiding the Cakes chapter of the Magnolia Bakery cookbook for a couple months. But I finally decided to make the cake that most intrigued me: the Hummingbird Cake.

Continue reading “Move Over Carrot Cake, I’m Coming For You! MB Recipe 34” →

July 2022 Baking Round-Up

Published on by RJ1 Comment

This month, I made a huge dent in the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook project. (I’m kidding, of course. I only made one recipe!) But, July also saw the return to a time when this blog was just beginning. I made an Ina Garten recipe.

Continue reading “July 2022 Baking Round-Up” →

A Minty-Fresh No Bake Dessert for Summer – MB Recipe 33

Published on by RJ2 Comments

As we enter the dog days of summer, I have decided to return to the Magnolia Bakery cookbook for this week’s recipe. But, this time there was very little actual baking involved in the end product.

Continue reading “A Minty-Fresh No Bake Dessert for Summer – MB Recipe 33” →

Barefoot Contessa 55 – Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Published on by RJ3 Comments

I can’t believe it’s been over six months since I last made an Ina recipe! Wow, time sure does fly!! This is also a quick post because things have been quite busy for me the last couple of weeks. But I did get a chance to get some baking in. I needed something quick and easy and thanks to streaming services I found the perfect recipe!

Continue reading “Barefoot Contessa 55 – Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies” →