Tag: baking

I Asked AI for a Recipe — Here’s How It Turned Out!

Published on by RJ1 Comment

Late last week, I decided to do a little experiment. I asked AI to create a recipe for me. The original prompt that I wrote into the chat was: “Create a recipe for a cake that I can make this weekend that uses fruit that is in-season this time of year. I want the cake to be elegant with rich flavors and perhaps a flavor combination that is unexpected but still tastes excellent.”

Within moments, the chat filled up with a recipe for a Brown Butter Peach Cake. After some refining of what I was looking for in the recipe (type of cake, title of recipe, editing some ingredients), I was eventually satisfied with what the generator had assembled for me.

The original recipe can be found by clicking here. The formatting is my own.

Continue reading “I Asked AI for a Recipe — Here’s How It Turned Out!” →

Barefoot Contessa Recipe 65 – German Chocolate Cupcakes

Published on by RJLeave a comment

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve made an Ina recipe. Actually, it’s been a while since I’ve made any recipe and then wrote a blog post about it. But last weekend for the first time in a while, I actually had a reason to bake! So I took advantage of it and decided that perhaps it might be good to write a blog post, too.

Over the weekend I attended an Oktoberfest party and I was asked to bake something. Sticking with the German theme, I quickly decided on making a German chocolate cake. But then I realized that for a party, cupcakes might be easier to both make and eat. The dessert becomes finger food, perfect for an outdoor gathering during the last few warms days of the year. Luckily for me, Ina Garten had a German chocolate cupcake recipe. It was like the stars aligned.

Continue reading “Barefoot Contessa Recipe 65 – German Chocolate Cupcakes” →

Fourth Anniversary Thoughts

Published on by RJLeave a comment

About four years ago, as the world was still dealing with the effects of the COVID pandemic, I started a blog. I’ll be honest now. I wanted it to become “big.” I wanted it to be popular, similar to the food blogs I read and visit online often.

It didn’t take me long to realize that running and maintaining a food blog of that caliber is a full time job. And unless I was willing and able to put in the work, that it would be a long shot for me to achieve that goal. I guess I assumed that it would happen overnight. How delusional I was!

Continue reading “Fourth Anniversary Thoughts” →

Fall Flavor Recipes: Scones, Cakes, and More

Published on by RJLeave a comment

Fall has officially arrived! Pumpkin spice lattes, large crisp apples, cooler days and nights, and soon the leaves will be changing colors. Fair season is in full swing in New England. This year, I was able make the trip to The Big E in Massachusetts. It’s New England’s largest fair and runs over two weeks every year. I was really happy to get back there this year, after missing it last year due to my work schedule.

Continue reading “Fall Flavor Recipes: Scones, Cakes, and More” →

A Return to Baking

Published on by RJLeave a comment

As the weather changes, and I’ve settled into my new work schedule, I’m going to make an effort to return to baking and blogging.

A couple weeks ago, I decided to reactivate my baking bug. I made something that I’ve made a few times before and blogged about before. It was Ina Garten’s Banana Chocolate Crumb Cake. You can read more about it here.

Of course my most recent iteration of it didn’t look quite as good as the original. The picture is below. Ignore the sunken spot in the middle. I have yet to buy a proper cake tester for the condo, so I had to use a butter knife.

A New Adventure Awaits

Published on by RJLeave a comment

Hi everyone!

As you may have noticed over the better part of the last year that this site has become nearly dormant. Ever since I started a new job last summer, I just haven’t had that much time to bake and then write about it.

At first I thought that as I settled more into my new role, things would change. It would become easier to find a rhythm that worked. But eventually, I realized that I think I’d just rather be doing other things. So, the baking went to the back-burner. I even stopped collecting cookbooks in the same capacity as I had earlier.

Continue reading “A New Adventure Awaits” →

My Obligatory Apple Bake for 2023 – Barefoot Contessa 64

Published on by RJLeave a comment

It’s fall in New England. That only means one thing: I’m pretty much obligated to bake at least one thing with apples. Since I am not, by any means, a pie person, I decided to go a different route. Apple cake. Luckily for me, Ina Garten has a recipe that combines wonderful flavors and had the entire kitchen spelling like fall.

Continue reading “My Obligatory Apple Bake for 2023 – Barefoot Contessa 64” →

The Richest Brownies You’ll Ever Eat – Barefoot Contessa 63

Published on by RJLeave a comment

You know, sometimes you just NEED to have a brownie.

This weekend was time-change weekend for most of us in the United States. The fall back one always hits me a little harder than the spring one. I think it has to do with the sun setting before I walk out of work at 5:00 for the next four months. As a way to cope with this, I decided to do one of the healthiest, and therapy-approved methods: bake something sweet!

Continue reading “The Richest Brownies You’ll Ever Eat – Barefoot Contessa 63” →

Pumpkin Roll for an October Afternoon – Barefoot Contessa 62

Published on by RJ2 Comments

It’s October and that means its now socially acceptable to bake pumpkin things without getting an eye-roll from pumpkin haters. I had an extra day off earlier this week so I decided to see if the baking bug was still within my soul. (Hint: it was.) What did I bake? None other than Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Mascarpone Filling.

Continue reading “Pumpkin Roll for an October Afternoon – Barefoot Contessa 62” →

My Top 5 Fall Bakes

Published on by RJLeave a comment

Fall has officially arrived! Pumpkin spice, large crisp apples, cooler days and nights, and soon the leaves will change colors. Fair season is in full swing in New England with the Big E now in its final week. Sadly, I won’t be able to make it this year due to my new work schedule and lack of time off. But there’s always next year!

Continue reading “My Top 5 Fall Bakes” →