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Pistachio. Ice cream.
You heard me. Homemade pistachio ice cream. And it couldn’t be easier! Unless you decide to by whole pistachios that are not already shelled… Let me set the stage for you. We’re walking around Trader Joe’s on a very busy Saturday afternoon. People are shoving us left . . . → Read More: Pistachio Ice Cream I realize this has nothing to do with the big game that’s taking place this weekend… but I made vanilla extract! It’s not much to be proud of, really. It took me all of 30 seconds to throw together. Combine sliced vanilla beans and plain vodka in a container. Store in a warm place and give the bottle a shake daily. In two months (or thereabouts), you’ll have the most intense vanilla extract ever.
Here it is on day 1:
Two months later:
A little darker, a lot more intense, and ready to contribute to many baked goods here at Tasty Retreat! And the best part? Whenever you run low, just top off the bottle with more vodka. I can’t believe I had never made this before. Not bad for a 30 second recipe, eh? Well, 30 seconds plus two months. Also known as “seven layer cookies.” Or “Italian-American cookies that don’t actually exist in Italy.” (Trust me, we looked.) Let’s review: as I’ve said before, baking is not my forte. All the measuring and preciseness just does not suit me (…unless we’re talking about the to die for rosemary shortbread, which is easy peasy and perhaps the greatest invention of life — please go make some immediately). But I’ve always loved a good challenge. A few weeks ago, John brought home a box of these lil’ cuties. Per our usual self-restraint, we quickly ate them all. I knew I wanted to try making them at home, but was just waiting for a recipe to fall into my lap. Ask and ye shall receive. Just last week, Heather Homemade posted this very recipe! Basically, the cookie gods wanted me to bake. And who am I to disregard such indirect orders?
So what the heck are rainbow cookies anyway? Other than delicious, I would describe these as almond-cake cookies coated in a thin layer of chocolate. Alright, fingers crossed. Let’s do this. I seriously could not wait to post this recipe. I almost posted twice yesterday, but that seemed a little excessive.
Let’s be honest: I’m a much better cook than I am a baker. Every once in a while I get an itch to whip up brownies or cheesecake, but in general, I’m more of a savory kind of gal. When I came across this recipe, I knew, I just knew it would be my kind of dessert. First of all, it’s got two.sticks.of.butter. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Combine all that butter with chopped rosemary, turn it into a giant cookie or tart, and BHAM! My perfect dessert. For all you skeptics out there scratching your head at the thought of combining fresh herbs with something savory like shortbread… think again. This is by far one of the tastiest desserts I’ve ever baked. And the best part? It can double as a savory side dish! Dessert, appetizer, whatever. These savory delights know no bounds. Continue reading Rosemary Shortbread Please tell me that you’ve tried speculoos before. That as I sit here and tell you how ridiculously good these are, you’re not staring at your computer with confusion over what speculoos is.
Remember when I posted about the Wafels & Dinges truck? They’re putting speculoos on top of warm waffles. Why not put them on warm blondies? When I came across this blondie recipe last week (originally calling for peanut butter), I knew what needed to be done. To me, blondies are more like a giant chocolate chip cookie than a brownie, and that’s part of what I love about them. The idea of having a huge speculoos blondie-brownie-cookie was too good to pass up, and fortunately, I already had all of the ingredients on hand! So at 10 pm, I set out to do a little baking. (Some things just can’t wait till morning.) Why hello there, Tasty Retreaters! Dana here. Ari has graciously granted me a guest post, and I am absolutely thrilled to write about one of my favorite pastimes: baking. I defer to others on all things savory, but when it comes to sweets, my obsessive attention to detail (no really: on my sorority bid day, when making my “faces page” – this was before facebook existed – to introduce myself to my new sisters, I listed “straight lines” as one of my “loves”…) has proven quite an asset for creating delectable desserts. Today’s post is really courtesy of Ari – it wasn’t until I tasted one of her lemon bars that I realized I liked them! – and so when signing up for a recent department potluck, lemon bars struck me as the perfect summer dessert: light, not too sweet, and with a touch of zest. When I think about matzah, “delicious” is rarely the first word that comes to mind. It’s dry, relatively flavorless, and I always seem to purchase way more than I could ever eat. I realize this last point has nothing to do with any actual characteristics of matzah, but I still hold a grudge. Look, it’s just not my favorite. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy other items that are traditionally served at Passover. I love charoset, kugel, horseradish, and (duh) brisket. But matzah? Until recently, I could’ve done without it. Now. Now I will crave matzah. I will crave matzah that is covered in caramel and chocolate and (generously) sprinkled with sea salt. You will too once you make this dessert (aka: crack) matzah. Continue reading The Best Matzah Ever Every January, people all over the world vow to eat healthier — to make smarter decisions regarding food and exercise — as they ring in the new year. I thought long and hard about doing the same thing, but… I decided not to. Okay, well that’s not entirely true. Yes, I would like to lose a few pounds (who wouldn’t?). And yes, I would love to feature some healthier meals on TR. But that won’t be starting for at least another week or two. I’ve got some delightfully yummy homemade meals that are just too good not to post, and let’s be honest, they’re part of the tis-the-season-to-be-jolly mantra. AKA: good for groups, great for parties, but not at all low-calorie, low-fat, or well, low-anything. But they are highly fun to eat. Tiramisu is one of my all time favorite desserts. I used to order it at restaurants until I tried this version. Now it seems like nothing else compares.
Pecan pie. Is there a more perfect fall dessert? Turns out, yes. I am a huge fan of pecan pie. And cheesecake. (For the best cheesecake you’ve ever tried, check out Two Little Red Hens Bakery on NY’s Upper East Side. Yum.) So it was only natural to combine the two into these adorable, bite-sized Thanksgiving treats.
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