#ChocolateTakedown 2016

It’s been over a year since I did a Brooklyn Takedown. I wasn’t necessarily going to enter another one. I mean, ice cream isn’t my forte. I contemplated doing the mac n’ cheese. The others didn’t seem up my alley because I’m more adventurous in my baking than my cooking. Plus, I don’t worry about meat.

But Takedown founder/colossus Matt Timms announced a new one this year: the chocolate takedown. This one to take place on Valentine’s Day. I thought about it for all of three minutes before emailing Matt, “I’m in.” The sponsors for this round would be Brooklyn’s own Raaka Chocolate near the BQE. They kindly donated 5 pounds per Takedowner. So I schlepped over and got my 5 pounds of pastilles.

What I didn’t know about Raaka is that it’s vegan chocolate. So I wondered how that would affect my idea. I immediately knew I wanted to do Mexican Hot Chocolate. Savory didn’t seem an option if it wouldn’t be effective. I predicted a bunch of people may try to tackle bacon and chocolate. I did my research on the spice components of an authentic Mexican hot chocolate—cayenne, chili powder, cinnamon, sometimes nutmeg. The options were a Mexican hot chocolate mini donut with some kind of frosting, perhaps a dulce de leche or a chocolate covered pretzel that I’d balance out in some way. Guess which one I went with?

The thing about the Takedowns is you never know what will win. You can have a lot of components and assembly that does (or doesn’t) work well and win (or not). You can have a unique idea that people really enjoy that may be good but not good enough to take home a prize. So when one does a Takedown you do it because you enjoy it. And sure, winning would be nice.

I did some testing, found out what was necessary, premade some ingredients and had a snafu so had to redo it, and ultimately was left with much more than I had anticipated, in particular cinnamon candied peanuts.

Ta da! Ain't that pretty?

While assembly, mainly chilling of each batch, took longer than I’d have liked once I got to the Royal Palms I was between Angela (aka Mind Over Batter) and another candidate who had complicated entries that required much assembly. And I kind of just stood around greeting people while they both continued to do their respective things.

In the end I didn’t win. (sad face) But I got several requests of people wanting to know if I sold the product on its own. I contemplated after the fact having said yes and maybe making additional dough off of this snack. But mainly the take away was that I remembered how fun the Takedowns are. How well run they are (go Matt!). And it’s great seeing friends (Angela who won two prizes and Emily whose dish also rocked) I haven’t seen in a while and eat some good food whilst getting compliments. The best were from those who said they didn’t think chocolate covered pretzels were anything special until they tasted mine. (I’m not boasting here folks.) “I never got chocolate covered pretzels before. But after trying yours I get it.” True story.

Once again a successful Takedown, on a really frigid day, where I have leftover chocolate, pretzels, and candied peanuts. So if you’re reading this and would like some lemme know! Happy to comply while supplies last!

#TopTenChocolatiers2015

Once again the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) served as the backdrop for a food celebration this one hosted by Dessert Professional.com. The annual Top Ten Chocolatiers Hall of Fame event on Wednesday, January 27th was an indulgent festival of chocolates with deep flavors, new combinations, and stunning presentations.

Navigating my way through the main ICE floor in FiDi I was given directions to make a few turns but after the first turn I simply followed the intense smell of chocolate which led me to my destination. ICE staff offered pockets of people hors d’oeuvres while weaving through the incoming crowd. This was the pregame before tasting all the decadence that the Top Ten Chocolatiers had on-hand.

If you thought you’ve eaten good chocolate any time in your life prior to attending this event one taste from the Top Ten would set you straight immediately. Hershey? Shut your mouth! Ghiradelli? Pfft. Cadbury? Please. Godiva? Meh. The unique flavors developed by each chocolatier are unmatched. Once you have their chocolate your standards elevate tenfold. So try being satisfied from a Snickers after trying Anette Right DeFendi’s balsamic rare facets with strawberry that looks like a prized ruby and shines like one. Or tasting the silky smooth chocolate shell with no granular texture but actually melts as soon as tongue hits your lips/tongue from Stick With Me’s banana bonbon. The flat and crispy Rocher’s made by EHChocolatier that I admit I had several of whenever I found myself drifting back to that particular table. The Indian components in the mango lassi white chocolate filled piece. The subtle habanero in Oliver Kita’s semi-sweet chocolate hearts. The richness and visual beauty of these chocolates was enough to have you peer at them for a few minutes before daring to taste a piece. Once you did indulge though? There was no turning back and, admittedly, some gluttony happened on my part.

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KOHLER Original Recipe Chocolates by Anette Right DeFendi had me gluttonous.

Polska's Chocolate. Had an earthy essence to it.

Adam S. Turoni's creme brulee bites made with white chocolate.

Also a sense of sorry took hold as the event came to an end and chocolatiers tried to get rid of their goods. When would I be able to have these bites again? (In the case of Stick With Me the shop is located in SoHo, NYC. Sweet!) But for pieces that range with origins in Rhinebeck to California to Mexico there was an actual pain in my chest that I may never taste these again. Admittedly this was dramatic thinking as most of the honored chocolatiers offer shipping for their goods. As is I’m saving the balsamic gems for a rainy, or stressful, day eager to taste the sweet and fruity ganache filling yet resisting to truly relive the magic.

Top Ten was a celebration of chocolate, the range of creativity of the chocolatiers, and the stunning imagery it could be molded into as well as the uniqueness of chocolate combining citrus or heat or seaweed or tea. It made me rethink how I look at chocolate as a treat to see it as a new path for imagination when developing something for others to savor. Chocolate stores are the new cupcake shops in New York City with new ones selling raw bars at hefty prices in their own store fronts that also serve as cafes, at Smorgasburg, or in specialty stores. Brooklyn specifically is a spot where Daniel Sklaar of Fine & Raw is located as well as more hipster brands that may or may not utilize high quality ingredients straight from the cacao bean. So, at least in NYC we’re not at a loss for the “good stuff.” But Top Ten incites a need for me to broaden my palate even more, delving into smoky/tart/deep/rich/tangy flavors on the ever growing range of chocolates available around North America and the world. Well, damned if Top Ten didn’t further broaden my horizons. I may never eat a Snickers again…

EHChocolatiers Ancho Bar. So good. This surpasses a Snickers.

A shiny box of glorious Stick With Me bonbons.

Co Co. Sala's mango lassi. Super sweet.

Congrats to all the Top Ten Chocolatiers for 2015!Chuao Chocolatier, KOHLER Original Recipe Chocolates, EHChocolatier, Oliver Kita Chocolates, Polska European Bakery & Chocolate, Fine & Raw, Co Co. Sala, Voilá Chocolat, Chocolat by Adam Turoni, and Stick With Me.

Chuao Box

Dessert Offerings of 2015

In addition to the annual list of readers you know it’s also time for the annual list of desserts I had, the good, the bad, the ugly. And it seems fitting to post it on my birthday! Yay sweets! As you know I like to keep it honest. Life is too short for bad books and bad desserts.

Sweet Buttons Desserts – This place has been around for about 3 years in the Lower East Side. It’s in walking distances from Sugar Sweet Sunshine and they specialize in small treats. Passionfruit is one of my fave items on dessert and when done well in a tart it can be refreshing and perfect. Sweet Button’s had a great gelatin filling and thick buttery crust with meringue on top that was delectable and worth a winter splurge. I loved it big time. In fact I owe that place a visit.

Joyce Bakeshop – I partook in the strawberry croissant which was disappointing because it’s simply a croissant with strawberry preserves inside. However, the croissant itself was fantastic! Reminds you of what a good, homemade one tastes like versus the packaged ones you buy at the store. I can never go back to those. In addition I got a banana, nutella handpie which was meh. This may have been tastier warm and the pie crust was flaky yet had no distinctive flavor or sweetness. Too much nutella and not enough banana. Usually this combo is a great mix in a crepe. Upside the handpie was a solid size for the price.

Balthazar – They regularly deliver pastries there to one of my favorite tea houses in NYC, Serengeti Tea. The croissants are addictive and what a good French croissant should be. Buttery as heck, a slight sweetness, flaky like a friend of yours who always cancels last minute, and simply good. I stuff my mouth with it and a good Ethiopian chai as a treat to myself in winter. It’s one of the best things about winter. The canelle is a French mini bundt cake that is extra baked outside. With the alcohol inside (rum I believe) it gives it an almost chocolatey taste but is super soft inside.

Make My Cake – The oatmeal raisin cookie was what I got though I took out many raisins because raisins are not my thing. Of the cookies I purchased the oatmeal raisin was the best cookie of the bunch. Their coconut pecan one was hard and nondistinct, neither was another cookie I had. It may have been white chocolate macadamia nut. See? Not memorable. MMC is supposedly known for the cake so get that rather than the cookies. Though the cookies are cheap at 75 cents each if you’re on Frederick Douglass and tight on cash.

Levain Bakery – Their cookies are expensive but worth the price and walk to Levain over Make My Cake. I had the raspberry bomboloncini (Italian for ‘small donut’) twice. This is an Italian doughnut filled with raspberry preserves and covered in powdered sugar so it's a sugary mess. The first time I had it it was a treat, the second time it was a dry, hard mess that I threw out. It’s cheaper than other doughnuts at a $2.25 pricetag. So on a good day try it but on a bad one skip. Additionally I tried Levain’s cinnamon sugar brioche. Okay, not sweet as I was told and okay next day but something I wouldn't buy again. Their breads (banana, pumpkin) and cookies are the real draw. Though their signature walnut chocolate chip cookie seemed way undercooked when I had it again.

Londel’s – Noticing a trend in terms of Harlem eats? This is a restaurant where I had the peach cobbler during the AALBC party during BEA week. Fantastic crust. Fresh peaches (not canned) in a ramekin and I wanted more of this cinnamony syrupy goodness. To me, peach cobbler is only worth eating with fresh peaches, which is why I usually eat them, when offered, in spring/summer.

Little Cupcake Bake Shop – A worthwhile carrot cake cupcake! Thing is their buttercream icing is very buttery so overly sweet and stiff. Also had the vegan mango cupcake which was fantastic and had a passionfruit filling. This vegan dessert could compete with everything else I’ve had in it being super solid. Do not let the word ‘vegan’ scare you! As with the carrot cake the mango icing was very sweet but the cake was so good and moist that all this along with the passion fruit filling hit the spot. Loved! Great summery cupcake.

Nunu Chocolates - Handmade chocolates in Brooklyn. They were fine, however I wasn’t a huge fan of the ganache assortments. You can't choose what you'll get in a variety pack so you may be disappointed. A bit too sweet for some of the ganaches paired with the dark chocolate candy exterior.

Jam Jar (Pie or Cake) – I really wanted to like this. The packaging and design were so spot on as is the idea of dessert in a jar. It’s a big “thing” now. This is a small vendor who was at Smorgasburg over the summer. I chose the Flea Nut "pie." While her packaging is fantastic, colorful, vibrant, easy to read from afar, the Flea Nut was not. The brownie was too fudgy (read undercooked) for me and the chocolate was subpar, way too sweet, sweeter than anything I've ever had really, which makes me think it wasn’t fine chocolate but some cheap variety that’s more sugar than cocoa. The texture of the cake was the same as the peanut butter on top making it super heavy to eat. So basically this was a fudgy brownie with peanut butter (which was good) on top and chocolate chips. Just too too rich and not a good balance. Perhaps her other pie/cake flavors work better but this one was not made with great ingredients and perhaps much of the money went into the packaging rather than the execution.

4&20 Blackbird – Tasted their caramel apple pie which was very, very good. Been awhile since I had a pie without a crumb topping that I enjoyed as much. I really need to get more of 4&20’s stuff, their menu is often filled with things I’d love. Why are they not in Queens?

Dessert Club ChiKaLicious – I tried their vanilla bean mille crepe cake which was fine. It’s half the price of Lady M's but a bit rich in the homemade vanilla bean cream which is delicious though a mille crepe cake shouldn't have the cream oozing out of it so much. The vanilla bean comes out well in the delicate whipped deliciousness of the cream. This cream is also used in the Dough'ssant which is supposedly a take on the Cronut. I didn't find that the croissant was too doughnut-like beyond the shape. I had the salted caramel and I think the salted caramel topping (which was a lot) overwhelmed the core taste of the croissant. It is filled (in the bottom) with the same vanilla bean cream and tastes delicious but again the salted caramel was overflowing on this one. I'd like to try the others on site and see how they compare as the croissant's texture was a fantastic flaky one.

Amy's Bread – I bought the lime cornmeal cookie. It was fine. And by fine I add a slight attitude to that. “How are you doing, Jenn?” “Fine.” My money could’ve gone to their coconut bar which is awesome. The cookie has lime zest that somewhat comes through and that’s one of the few shining things about that cookie that I can remember.

Butter & Scotch – As much as I love everything that comes out of this place the orange bun is okay. It’s a bit too orangey for my taste and not enough caramel evenly distributed, plus the pastry was a tad dry. Conversely, the key lime pie is the friggin' BEST! As always the pies come through big time in this place and even when sharing the key lime with friends they attested it was one of the best things they ever tasted.

La Gran Via Bakery – During the Sunset Taco crawl I bought their black & white cake. This was a mistake as it’s nothing special and reminded me of box cake (not to hate on box cake which can be quite tasty). This was a chocolate and yellow layer cake with "mousse" in between that didn't taste too mousse like but that may have been because it was out in the heat. Nothing special to write home about. If you want a cake fix this is affordable and a good portion but I'd save the calories for something more delicious.

Georgetown Cupcakes - Key lime cupcake. (I do like my citrus.) Solid cupcake and I see why people like it. Not the best of the best but this seems to be one of those touristy spots just like Magnolia. I’d visit Georgetown again (except for the annoying clientele of tourists, hipsters, teens, cash-laden types who push and shove to get through). Also the overall vibe is that of a cast of the CW rather than an NYC bakery. Anywho, cupcake was soft and had the necessary hint of lime in the cupcake, not hidden but there and not overly subtle. The cream was soft and not a mountain of it on the cupcake so a good balance and yes the lime was there too! A good size and $3 isn't a bad price tag.

Baked – They have a new Tribeca location! If I still worked there this’d be very dangerous. First up, the peanut butter milk chocolate chip cookie which wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Not bad but not sweet enough and I think they may have used some all natural/organic PB that took away from the peanut butter taste and was more like a peanut cookie with a lot of dark choco chips in it. Good chewy texture but not a fan. And its way too big considering. Also got zucchini nut bread which was solid! Next was the pumpkin muffin because pumpkin. Also good stuff! Super moist inside. Would buy that ten times over with their zucchini bread or any of their breads! Had a key lime bar that was perfection. Light and creamy and very citrusy in taste. Some of their other items are actually gaining steam over their brownies!

Macaron Parlour – Noticing a trend with this being an annual staple? I had the carrot cake macaron with cream cheese filling and holy crap it's just like a carrot cake. They did it again! Also had the candied bacon one with maple cream icing which was okay. The bacon overwhelmed the flavor of the macaron which I believe was caramel.

Craftsman & Wolves - During my San Francisco visit and Jackie suggested it. This place has a lot of fancy fare happening but I played it safe (and to be honest by the time I got their most of their stuff was sold out) and got a brownie with caramel and salted almonds that was a good size. Brownie was split in half and caramel & almonds a thin layer. Very good and not too chocolatey. I’m eager to see if I can try more from them my next time in San Francisco this year.

Dandelion Chocolate – Also in San Francisco. When I saw it I knew I had to try it and so I did it: the brownie bite flight. This was a solid life choice. My fave of the three was the Guatemalan one with notes of chocolate cookies. Since Dandelion is artisan made on the spot chocolate from various regions' cacao the chocolate was intense, not too much but definitely unique to each brownie in the flight and made you take notice. Second favorite was the middle one from Papau New Guinea and least (but good after tasting it more) was the last from Madagascar with dried cherry notes that hit you fast and settled down the more you let the chocolate linger. Super good. Their cinnamon chocolate roll with cocoa nibs not as much a life changer. There was no taste to the pastry, all I could taste was the cocoa nibs and even the cinnamon sugar gets lost. The pastry was a fine texture but again nothing stood out about the taste of it so I could barely remember this one. They also make their marshmallows on site and that was good stuff. Pure vanilla taste and I know this would go great in their homemade hot chocolate.

Psycho Donuts – Since I was in a doughnut mood and in San Jose I found the closest shop. The options were vast but I went with the Marla and also the Drunkin' Punkin'. Like a friend said if a place has that much on top of the donuts they may be overcompensating for something. The Marla was a fine yeast donut with no filling that had butterfinger crumble on top and a peanut butter drizzle. Not at all dry and combined some of my fave things. But the donut itself would have no discernable taste without the toppings. The Drunkin' Punkin' was a sad case. A cake donut that had NO pumpkin but pumpkin spices and really it tasted mainly of cinnamon not the pumpkin spice combo, sadly. It was dry-ish and the cream cheese icing on top hardened with a bourbon drizzle and pecans. Again if it weren't for the topping nothing would stand out and as a donut it's not at all enticing for pumpkin lovers. Super nice staff but they do not make their donuts onsite, they get shipped from elsewhere. Not the best donut game at all.

Spot Dessert Bar - Had the Kabocha Brulee cake. A warm caramelized pumpkin cake with cookie crumble and condensed milk ice cream. I ate this during BinderCon and by the time I got to it the ice cream was soup but tasty soup! I drizzled it over the pumpkin cake and it was delish so a necessary addition to the overall dessert. A flat and blech sugar cookie came with as decoration which you can forgo but the pumpkin cake has all the flavors of ACTUAL pumpkin (not just pumpkin spice) so that you can enjoy this dessert being filling but not overwhelming and having a firm custard delicacy to it. So far I have very much enjoyed Dessert Bar's desserts and those with Asian flair as well. I need to go there more often!

#PiePartyICE 2015

Another year, another pie party. And for me, 2015 wouldn’t be complete without one. Once again, Jackie Gordon and Ken Leung were the organizers & MCs of a masterful event. I mean, the word ‘pie’ is in the name! If you’ve read my posts on this event from previous years you know that pie party is a gathering of the food writing/blogging community namely in sake of the almighty pie! Does it have a crust? Then yes it counts as pie-ish. It can be savory or it can be sweet. It can be gluten-free, vegetarian. It can come in mini form or ginormous size. It can have a thin crust with a bed of toppings or it can be encapsulated in dough with a delicious filling to bring the flavors home. Basically just bring something delicious and we’ll eat it.

My contribution was once again savory! This time a free-form onion tart. This wasn’t too hard to make either. Pre-make the dough and then morning of slice over 2 pounds of onions and cook with lots and lots of butter, some thyme, and a couple of scoops of crème fraiche (which I forgot). Roll out said crust then bake and you have yourself a tart! In my case not the prettiest of tarts but it was tasty y’all!

What also brings in the fun and camaraderie of Pie Party are the people and the fantastic and generous contributions from sponsors such as Cabot Creamery and King Arthur Flour so that there were high quality ingredients in this tart. Butter really does make a difference so putting two sticks of it in the crust and then a good amount in the onion sauté helps elevate the flavors entirely. And the crust was super easy to work with too thanks to the flour and method. Will I make this again? Damn straight. And I will remember the crème fraiche!

On a day that was completely gray skies, blistery winds, and rain it was cozy to come upstairs to the new Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) center and be surrounded by pie, Cabot cheese samples, many delicious hors d’oeuvres (they had mac n’ cheese bites!), and mix of fall themed drinks thanks to Reyka Vodka, Mizu Shochu, and Tequila Tromba.

The ICE staff were the epitome of kindness and professionalism helping us to heat pies, find plates large enough for some people’s tarts, and also serving those wonderful appetizers in a steady pie pre-game. Also on-hand was The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen’s (Susan Palmer) beef and chorizo empanadas. (I swiped several of those to take home, thank-you-very-much.) Add to that Cabot Cheese & Butter had samples of their apple pie with a cheese crust, and then there was the cheese station with crostinis and crackers and some fruit. Areas to try and win some goodies from such great culinary kitchen staples from Anolon, Wüsthof, or the Dub Pies station. Really Dub Pies has been a steady sponsor so I kind of keep an eye out for their minis since I was introduced to their goods at the very first pie party several years ago.

So, when did we actually get to the main course of the day? In due time my friends. Grab a drink. Get two, three even they’re themed drinks! Take a few photos of all the glory of pies. Put on an ICE jacket and take some selfies why don’t you for a chance to win a free class!

Okay, okay, yes, pie. The parade of pies were split by savory and sweet with them coming in at fifty-fifty in representation. In the sweet section some pies were melting. But, as I told several people even though I bemoaned the look of my own creation, “I don’t care how it looks, I just care how it tastes.”

After hors d’oeuvres and drinks I think my eyes were a bit bigger than my stomach. So much pie! Meat pies with oxtail or pork or duck confit (Thanks Experimental Gourmand)! And sweet! Since I had had my fill of the savory in the form of the cheese table and then some kick butt appetizers. I’m telling you those mac n’ cheese bits were something I honed in on. Whenever an ICE staff member was nearby with one my arm snapped out to grab a few. And once I found a plate of them it was all over. So when Jackie announced Pie Party was officially on I went straight to the sweets. No regrets friends.

Well, one regret is that I couldn’t eat more pie. I took home a conservative amount since I knew I would be out of town the following week. I had the ace Abby Dodge’s caramel apple pie that I, to this day, dream about. I perfectly folded galette crust with an interior that hit all the spots in terms of my craving for something sweet. I had Jeff of Foodmento’s lemon pistachio tart which, after much sugar and chocolate, was a citrus-y and light palate cleanser that I could’ve devoured in more than a couple bites. I also had someone’s pocket pumpkin pies with a cinnamon sugar glaze that was uber sweet. More contributions included Banoffee Pie from The Cake Dealer, a lovely strawberry tart from the ever creative and on point Daisy Bow, and a chocolate hazelnut torte by Kelly Vass I regret being unable to tackle due to the abundance of chocolatey goodness. So lovely and rich! And Jackie’s cupboard harvest pie was a literal pie with the words pie decorated all over. It was made of apricots, apples, currants, cranberries, and golden raisins. So consider your antioxidant intake fulfilled after a piece of this! It was just right as a mix of tartness and sweetness to truly hit the fell of fall.

   

On the savory spread my tart got demolished with a small portion left. Yay! There was Margaret’s Oxtail pie. The pictures she’d been posting the previous day and her contribution from last year was a short rib that was braised similarly. Consider that pie on point. I also enjoyed Kian Lam Kho’s Sichuan chicken hand pies. Day after and toasty warm it was delicious with or without the accompanying Sichuan dipping sauce. There was 4 cheese pie with tomatoes and leek pie and more hand pies. Pies with bacon! Pies with more and more cheese in various forms! Love. It.

At the end ICE provided a tour of their new digs for anyone willing. There was plenty of Dub Pies to go around and also some that they again generously provided in our goodie bags. Did I say goodie bag? Why yes I did! Those have also become a staple of Pie Party. Take home pie and get some pie-themed goods. Check out this swag, y’all!

I didn’t want to go home and walk back through the whipping winds and drizzling rain. I could’ve stayed at ICE all day and eaten pie, gabbed with my foodie peeps, some of whom I hadn’t seen in a long while and some I met for the first time in person, and had more of those mac n’ cheese balls if they were around. But it was time to go and we all got to take home a little bit of Pie Party with us, or a lot, I mean there was a lot of pie left, for next year. I personally cannot wait and now have an additional arsenal of goods to make my pie or tart or galette (whatever you wanna call it) to bring my A-game.

As always a HUGE THANKS to the kindness of sponsors like Anolon, Wusthof, Dub Pies, HalfPops, ICE, King Arthur Flour, Wild Hibiscus Tea, Honey Ridge Farms, Cabot, Tovolo Home, Mizu Schochu, Reyka Vodka, and Tequlia Tromba for making Pie Party the place to be for the local food writing community. We are indebted and now addicted to your respective products, you know, if we hadn’t been already.

#CookBookTrials: A Taste of Home's Home Style Cooking

February is almost at an end and I have completed my first cookbook trial with A Taste of Home: Home Style Cooking.

This is a cookbook filled with recipes from home cooks that have been compiled into various sections like: morning meals, side dishes & salads, Sunday dinners, sweet treats, and so on. I did five recipes one breakfast, one side dish, one gatherings dish, one Sunday dinner, and of course one sweet treat. I will always stand by doing something sweet!

Baked Eggs with Cheddar and Bacon

Prep/Cooking Difficulty: Not hard at all. You grate some cheese (in this case instead of cheddar I got smoked mozzeralla), break some eggs, chop some garnish and preheat the oven. Very easy to make and easy peasy but you have to watch your eggs to make sure the yolk doesn't harden fully to get the slight "jelly" effect of it while the whites around are hardened.

Taste: Perhaps because I under did the cheese (I'm not a huge fan of the egg & cheese combo) it settled on a bland taste for me, more egg than anything else. I'd also rather bacon inside than on top crumbled as a garnish because I like the combo taste of meat and egg. So, this may have been more my fault on the prep end than on the recipe itself but of course one can always make modifications and not necessarily go by the book.

Yay or Nay? In a sense "meh."

Crusted Baked Chicken

Prep/Cook Difficulty: Not difficult at all, especially if you've made chicken before. Biggest thing is if you don't have a good bowl for mixing you'll have crumbs all over your countertop after breading the chicken. Dipping chicken in flour and buttermilk is traditional fare for frying but since you bake less mess from no oil popping on your stovetop. And then you simply let it bake.

Taste: I enjoyed the breadcrumb mixture detailed in the recipe. Reminded me of some I had bought and now I know what combination of herbs and spices to use to get that similar Italian seasoned breading taste for chicken. And I prefer baked chicken to fried at times so on a cold day it was a nice way to eat without worrying about a lot of calories.

Yay or Nay? Yay!

Bacon and Garlic Green Beans 

Prep/Cook Difficulty: Not much really. You're using thawed frozen greenbeans so you take it out the bag before you're ready to use. From there frying up bacon and the garlic, onions and such make a nice savory combo to what could be a bland side dish with little additions.

Taste: I used turkey bacon for this (and the egg dish) and have to say I enjoyed it with the garlic & onions of the string beans. It was a different taste to something I usually eat with salt/pepper or with a bit of garlic/onion powder. It worked well as a side for the crusted chicken and complimented it with the hearty taste even though I had double the protein. It'd probably even go well with some basic mashed potatoes as a larger meal with turkey instead of crusted chicken.

Yay or Nay? Yay for varying up vegetables!

Lemon Snowdrops

Prep/Bake Difficulty: For me no difficulty whatsoever. But if you are truly new to the game I think the fact that you make the lemon butter filling (which is on par with homemade lemon curd in texture/taste) and then make a basic lemon shortbread could be a bit trying as a first recipe. But for someone who is used to baking it was super easy. I'd suggest making the lemon butter filling before the cookies this way it's cooling in the fridge while you're baking cookies and by the time the cookies have cooled so has your filling ready for use!

Taste: Oh my goodness. Fantastic. As several co-workers said to me when I gave these cookies out: "This is the perfect cookie." The shortbread cookie is made how shortbread should be made with confectioner's sugar so the texture is on point in being buttery & crisp (and you know I know having won a cookie takedown with shortbread.) And if you're a lemon fan like myself it's great because there's lemon essence in the cookie from lemon extract but strong lemon sweetness in the filling and it's a sandwich cookie so you get lots of cookie and a bit of filling with each bit. Also I did not add confectioners sugar on top because it's messy and I think this lessened sweetness helps since the filling is good enough as is.

Yay or Nay? Duh! Yay! A zillion times yay!

Note: For this recipe I also want to not try and make the cookies as small as you can. I rolled them out as tablespoons which made about 20 sandwich cookies in all when the recipe says four dozen though they are much much smaller.

Lemon Easter Bread

Prep/Cook Difficulty: Not much. The main thing about making anything with yeast is it needs to rise a few times in a warm atmosphere. So if you're making it make sure you have a few hours. Otherwise mix everything in bowl and leave, knead and leave then bake!

Taste: The mixture calls for lemon pudding mix along with flour, yeast, water, and such. So I think I had been expecting a sweeter bread but this was your traditional not sweet bread with a hint of lemon. Freshly baked it smells amazing. I did make some honey butter and having that along with the bread (warm) was very tasty as a nice treat. But I had it cool and alone and was none too impressed. So I'd suggest eating it warm and with something like a sweet cream or preserves.

Yay or Nay? A moderate yay with accouterments and warm. Cannot emphasize how good freshly made warm bread is.

Would I recommend A Taste of Home: Home Style Cooking? Absolutely, each recipe was easy peasy, and for the most part the ones I chose to do were quick (except for the bread which needs time to have the yeast rise). In general prep isn't more than 30 minutes per recipe and certain ones, like turkey, would take several hours on the baking/cooking end. There's a good range of options for protein dishes, but a head's up that in general this isn't a cookbook for vegans or those who are gluten-free. There are a good amount of veggie options but bacon can fit prominently into some dishes, though there is the availability of seafood for pescetarians. The ingredients for dishes is not hard to find and the title itself, Home Style Cooking, notes that this book was compiled with home cooks (not necessarily hardcore chefs) in mind.

For my friends with families who need to do a quick meal or even my couple/single buds who may want to do more cooking at home I'd heartily recommend this book. Also keep in mind the cuisines featured are very much American based (BBQ, fried, bacon galore, some Italian influence, cheese is great!). There won't be items like mascarpone or anise or anything of the like really. So if you're looking for items that are familiar and may have an alternate ingredient or method of preparation consider this book and feel free to tweak recipes as you feel fit. I'm definitely gonna delve in more.