Ina Garten’s Blueberry Crumb Cake

Welcome to Baking Shoulder Season!

“What is that?”, you may ask. It’s the term I coined this weekend when trying to find a recipe. It’s when it’s too late in the summer to get enough flavor from the stone fruit and berries, so you don’t really want to use them in your baking. But it’s still too early for all the “fall bakes:” things like pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and ginger. These things are inching their way towards the spotlight, but not quite yet. Plus I can’t bring myself to bake something pumpkin-related until at least after Labor Day.

What is one to do during this time?

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A Return to Baking

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.

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“Dirt Bomb” Muffins – MB Recipe 35

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.

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A Small Twist on a Coffee Cake – MB Recipe 32

There are few things that I enjoy more with my breakfast than coffee cake. Though, for obvious reasons, I don’t often get the chance to have it. Well, a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to experiment with a new coffee cake recipe. Is it really a surprise that it came from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook? I think not.

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A Quick and Easy Strawberry Treat – MB Recipe 31

If you’re a newer reader of my blog, you may not know that I have a love-hate relationship with scones. Unfortunately for me, the cookbook I’m baking through has 10 scone recipes that all have to get made at some point. It isn’t something I’m looking forward to with this project. However, I think I found a way that makes things easier for me to make these delicious treats that also makes them taste better too!

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Lemon Scones for Spring – MB Recipe 27

Earlier in the week, I had a bit of free time, so I decided to spend it by baking. This time, I decided on another scone recipe from the MB cookbook. It’s a chapter that is getting almost completely ignored.

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Recipe #22 Challah French Toast

This recipe can be found in Family Style, page 187.

This one of the first recipes I made from the Breakfast category that I actually I ate for breakfast! I had made Chocolate Banana Crumb Cake recipe last month which came from the Breakfast section.

This recipe has so much potential, but sadly I did not execute it well. First, I used bread that was too soft and got soggy really quickly. This led to not having crispy edges on the French toast during the cooking process. However, the flavor is present and tastes amazing! I was just missing that slight crispness around the edges.

This is a recipe I’d make again with sturdier bread. It is a quick meal and I can see it impressing someone if it’s executed properly.

The taste of the orange and vanilla was really prominent which was a nice change for me. Granted, I’m accustomed to frozen French Toast, so anything would be better than the box.

I will be taking the next couple of weeks off from cooking. Yes, even with Christmas on the way. But, I will just be too busy. Plus my brother is coming home and I haven’t seen him in a while.

I do plan to make some posts over the next two weeks. First, I will be reviewing another one of Ina’s cookbooks sometime next week. I’ll also make a post about the dessert recipe I try from the new cookbook I bought over the weekend.

Now, it’s time for me to get ready for the snow!

Until next time….