Pound Cake

This week, I was given the all-important job of taking care of the "boys" - my wonderful brother and father. With my mother at work an hour away, and my sister already back at college - I don't return for another week! - it was I alone who was left to feed the army.

And let me tell you, my teenage brother alone eats as much as an army. Maybe more!

So when it came to deciding upon a dessert that would last them more than a day and a half - no small feat, considering my brother's appetite - the choice was simple: pound cake. That glorious concoction of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. Lots of butter and eggs.

Tomato Tart

Didn't I tell you that I was going to make more tarts this summer? What can I say, I love my new tart pan! After making a sweet and creamy dessert tart, it was time to try something a little more savory. This tomato tart fit the bill and made for a delicious dinner. We had it with steak salad, but it's definitely hearty enough to stand on its own, too.

Tomatoes, to me, are synonymous with summer. Those wan, insipid hothouse tomatoes you can buy at the grocery in the winter aren't even worthy of the name. No, I want a huge, juicy, homegrown tomato, bursting with flavor. I absolutely stuff myself with them while they're in season, and have found lots of ways to prepare them inventively. But using them in a tart was new to me, so of course I had to try it.

Perfect Pesto

Use this pesto recipe for my Tomato Tart, for any other recipe involving pesto, or just for snacking! Freeze any extra in ice cube trays so that you have fresh, basil-y pesto even in the winter.

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil, as needed

Combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts, cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Stream in olive oil until the pesto has the desired texture.

Guest Post! Wonton Soup

I may love to bake, but the real chef in the family is my sister. I'm firmly convinced that she can cook anything and make it taste absolutely fabulous. So when she volunteered to guest post for Birds & Brownies, I was delighted! I would highly recommend that you try her very delicious version of wonton soup.

-  The Bird Girl

 

Hello to all Birds and Brownies readers! Let me introduce myself. I'm the bird girl's sister, I'm in my 20's, and I study chemistry. Being a chef, I love the way that chemistry and cooking intertwine!

However, I should warn you, this post will be a little different that what you normally see on this blog. I am a chef, and not a baker, so I HATE TO MEASURE! I prefer to cook by the seat of my pants, so to speak, throwing together whatever looks good. Surprisingly, the things I make usually turn out quite delicious! I will do my best to turn this wonton soup experiment into a recipe you can recreate (just remember, a pinch is a correct unit of measure!).

Orange Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

For my sister's 20th birthday, she asked for a cheesecake, just like last year. But while last year's version was plain with raspberry sauce, this time she wanted orange and chocolate. So, I thought, how can I really pump up the flavor while still maintaining the pure flavor of our tried-and-true cheesecake recipe?

Well folks, I think we have a winner, because this cheesecake was amazing! It's not too difficult to make, nor does it require any strange equipment (besides a springform pan, which every baker should own). It doesn't have to be fancy, but it tastes great, which is the most important thing. My sister gave it two thumbs up, and I hope you will agree!

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Bourbon Sauce

 

Bread pudding is really not a summery sort of food. But today I was thinking about what I wanted to make for dessert, and the thought of rich, custardy bread pudding with sweet, creamy sauce just wouldn't get out of my head. Before I even realized it, I was surfing for recipes! And oh my, was I not sorry at all that I decided to make this.

The great thing about bread pudding is that if you have some stale bread, an egg or two, and some kind of dairy, you can make it easily. You don't need crazy ingredients or fancy tools to make a really comforting, delicious dessert. Just like Grandma used to make! 

Dive-Bombing Bluebirds

Everyone loves bluebirds. Or at least, everyone I've ever met. They're very pretty, with an attractive song, and they will happily nest close to your home if you provide them with a site. Of course, one could argue that there are many other underappreciated songbirds that are far more interesting, but for the sake of this post let's just focus on the admittedly beautiful Eastern Bluebird, America's darling.

Sialia sialis, the Eastern Bluebird

Sadly, this is not my own photo, but rather was borrowed from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. If you love birds, go to this site, because it is amazing.

Okay, I'm done with my shameless promotions.

Isn't the male bluebird spectacular? With that striking sapphire back, wings and tail; and the rust-red waistcoat, he's absolutely gorgeous. It's no wonder that everyone loves him. His mate is a little more plain, but still quite beautiful, especially considering that most female songbirds are very drab.

Easy Breakfast Quiches

A few days ago, there was a breakfast-baking extravaganza at our house. My mother had an important meeting and was providing breakfast for everyone at her workplace, so the whole family helped her prepare. I was put in charge of quiches, and I thought, what a great opportunity to photograph and post this great recipe that we've been making for years!

These aren't truly quiches, since they don't have a pastry crust, but they are very similar and a lot easier to make. We love to make them in the evening, so in the morning, a few minutes of warming up are all that stand between us and a yummy, protein-rich breakfast.

Peachberry Tart

I have been absolutely dying to use my new tart pan for almost a month now, and yesterday I finally found an opportunity. It's a non-stick, removable bottom, lifetime warranty pan from Wilton, and if you don't have any of their spectacular products I suggest you get some, because they're wonderful. I'm planning to make tons of tarts over the next few weeks - sweet tarts, savory tarts, every tart I can think of!

We had a bowl of freshly-picked blackberries sitting in the fridge, and a flat of peaches, and they just screamed "make us into a delicious summer tart!" Well, when the fruit starts talking to you, I reckon you'd better listen to it! I decided to modify and combine several recipes into one, and the result, I must say, was scrumptious, and a perfect end to a summer meal.

A Birthday Bird and Buttercream Frosting

I couldn't resist posting a picture of this adorable birthday cake that my mom and sister decorated for my birthday party a few weeks ago. I actually baked the cake, but they wouldn't let me decorate it myself. Even after more than 20 years, they still insist on decorating and surprising me with a cake every year - and I really don't mind at all. What can I say, I like cake! :)

Also, in case you were curious, "Didi" is a family nickname; it's what I used to call myself when I was very young.

Even though I don't have any more pictures, I'll give you the recipe for our delectable buttercream. I've tried several different recipes, and this one always takes the cake (pun intended!). One recipe is just about right to frost a double-layer 9 inch cake, but if you want to do a lot of decorating you might want to make 1 1/2 or 2 batches.

Thumbprint Cookies

These buttery little cookies are traditionally Christmas cookies - and I always make them in December - but who says cookies have to be confined to Christmas? If you insist on keeping your seasonal foods in order, just call this Christmas in July.

I remember my sister and I making these when we were quite young, with my mother supervising. We loved pressing our thumbs into the small, warm cookies to make a space for the jam. I always loved the ones rolled in nuts, but my sister, who used to tell strangers that she had a nut allergy (not true!) so they wouldn't serve her any, always made sure we left some plain. Either way, they are delicious both for cold winter nights and warm summer afternoons, maybe with a cup of tea or iced coffee.

I also like that these cookies aren't too sweet, so they show off the star ingredient, the jam (jelly, preserves, whatever you like to call it). Over the years, we've tried strawberry, blueberry, apricot, peach, apple butter, cherry butter, and orange marmalade, and they've all turned out great, so I think it's safe to say that you can pick whichever fruit you like best. 

Welcome to the Aviary

This blog is mostly about baking (and food in general), but we can't ignore the other part - the birds. I'm lucky to work at an aviary this summer, overseeing a breeding program for Dark-eyed Juncos. The junco is a handsome sparrow-like passerine (that means a perching bird, as opposed to something like an owl, hawk, or buzzard), but we usually don't see them here in the midwest except in the winter.

Every winter, juncos migrate southward from their usual homes in Virginia, the Dakotas, Northern California, and other higher latitudes. I see them in my snowy garden pecking at the seed we scatter for our bird friends. But at the aviary, we can observe them all year long. My breeding juncos live in a 2x4 and chicken wire house with a concrete floor so mice, who like to eat bird eggs, can't get in.

Bird-Worthy Brownies

What better way to start a new blog than by making the title recipe?

Brownies. One of my favorite desserts of all. They're chewy, gooey, fudgy, and - most importantly of all - brownies are undeniably chocolatey. Not only is chocolate good, I'm firmly and utterly convinced that it is also necessary for life on Earth. Really.

There are hundreds of brownie recipes floating around on the web, and on little paper slips in people's recipe boxes. Some of them are more gooey, others more cakey. Some have caramel and some have peanut butter. Some even have cheesecake baked in. They're all delicious. But sometimes, you just want a plain, no-frills brownie. Do you ever feel like that? Cut the almonds and pine nuts, forget the coconut and candy bar pieces. Put a hold order on that cream cheese, because it's time for a simple - but delectable - brownie.