Hello again, from my surprisingly active adventures in quarantine baking!
These locked-down weekends have been spent whipping up all the carbs & breads I could ever dream of, & more than I could ever consume on my own. Luckily, between putting some in my freezer & participating in exchanges with friends, I've been able to experiment my heart out while making sure none of it goes to waste.
Last month, I received my first box from Love Local CLE, which I first told you about in a recent post. A project of Central Kitchen, they've partnered with local farms to create weekly bundles of fresh produce, meats, & more, originally intended for restaurants - with contact-free pick-up near downtown Cleveland.
My first bundle included all kinds of products that made it into my many baking adventures, including carrots, apples, eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, oats, & breakfast sausage - all from Ohio farms. Here are just a few of the ways I put those ingredients & others to good use.
Nutty Parmesan Herb Scones
I used the Supercook app to find this recipe on MyRecipes.com from Sidney Fry. Unlike most scone recipes, this one doesn't use any butter, just olive oil - & although some of the commenters insist that this results in less-than-soft scones, I disagree.
What I'm saying is that my scones were bomb, & Mike inhaled them all within, like, four days. The Parmesan makes them niiiiice & cheesy, & even if you don't have fresh thyme (I certainly didn't), dried thyme works just fine.
Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
I finally acquired some yeast, thanks to my IG friend @pbnjeanelley, & I decided that my first bread adventure should be a low-key (read: relatively easy) one. I'd heard focaccia was fairly simple, so I dug up this recipe from Inspired Taste.
Verdict: Yes, this was extremely easy to make, & yes, it was also extremely delicious. Next time, I won't make it the same weekend that I make scones and bagels; focaccia doesn't last long, & it shouldn't have to compete with other breads for my attention!
Apple Carrot "Sunshine" Muffins"
I got both carrots and apples in my Love Local CLE box, so I combined them in these muffins from Yummy Healthy Easy. Truth be told, I like them, but not quite as much as I'd hoped. They're not as moist as I'd like for them to be.
Next time, I think I'll use this recipe from Sugar Dish Me, which my friend Crystal (@eatdrinkcleveland) used with the carrots & apples in her Love Local CLE box. Gotta keep experimenting!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I'm not typically much of a cookie person, & I usually hate raisins - but for some reason I loooove oatmeal raisin cookies (& I believe that anyone who doesn't is a monster). I used a recipe from Simply Recipes & it was indeed simple, not to mention delicious.
These cookies look a little bit undercooked, but they're not! They're crispy around the edges & chewy in the middle, which is the very best way for cookies to be, in my humble opinion.
Everything Bagels
I still can't believe I made my own bagels! This recipe from @midwestfoodiegirl (now also on ReformJudaism.org) doesn't call for boiling the dough, like so many do - but it still somehow produces bagels that taste damn close to some of the better bagels I've had in my life.
If you're a native New Yorker, these bagels probably aren't going to live up to your standards. But in lieu of being able to stop into your favorite deli, these are a pretty delicious fill-in.
We used them on breakfast sandwiches like the ones below, which included pork breakfast sausage from Moore's Heritage Farm in Plymouth, OH; eggs from Holistic Acres in Newcomerstown; & white cheddar from Middlefield Original Cheese Co-Op. TRIFECTA!
We're picking up our next Love Local CLE bundle tomorrow morning; this one is a mostly-meat bundle, plus pierogis & applesauce. Stay tuned for more cooking adventures, coming soon... & I think next week I'm finally going to try making challah, too!
What have you been making lately? Got any good recipes for me?
Disclaimer: I am one of a few local bloggers who was asked to spread the word about the new Love Local CLE project in exchange for one complimentary bundle. I bought the next one on my own because it's a damn good deal for damn good product. As always, all opinions are my own.
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