The Ultimate Baking Bucket List
The things everyone should bake before they die
National Gingerbread House Competition 2022 Top Ten winner November 21, 2022 Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC This year’s entry into the National Gingerbread House competition was one that has been on my bucket list for a while. Inspired by deer damage to one of my pots, this one pushed me outside my comfort zone […]
Who doesn’t love cinnamon bread, and who doesn’t love it more when it is presented in such an eye catching shape?! This is such a pretty display that it is perfect for any brunch buffet, but add it to your Christmas morning lineup to amp up the holiday spirit. While this looks complicated, it really […]
If you want to impress your family and friends with your mad bread skills you have to try this. It looks so impressive but is really super easy and it’s made with ingredients found in your pantry. You can whip it up on a whim (like I did today) while binge-watching your favorite TV series […]
This is a fairly versatile recipe That makes a great dough, filling, and glaze that can be shaped into rolls, a bread star, or loaf. Whatever mood you are in you can throw this together with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Dough 1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast 1/4 cup plus […]
Page 117 Mmmmm. Comfort food. Every cook needs a good chicken soup recipe for cold days or for common colds, and this is one works on several levels to fit the bill. This recipe has some versatility to it to be a quick meal or a “from scratch” snowy weekend activity. Since you can use […]
Page 151 We love potatoes. I mean, really love potatoes. So it is hard to put a potato recipe in front of anyone in my family and not get a positive response, and these little nuggets have all the things you look for in a tasty potato dish. Overall, the flavor is pretty good with […]
Page 99 This one got a do-over because I originally made it during the time I was setting up the blog and then forgot to post it. When going through the summary and tying back to all the recipes in the book I found I had missed posting this way back then. Which means I […]
Second cookbook challenge complete! This one took much longer to finish than it needed to. Life, as they say, got in the way. The year 2020 was just a train wreck for everyone and 2021 had its share of challenges as well. I am still working from home but we are making an effort to […]
Page 177 Originally posted May 20, 2020 Pretty good but not the best tater salad I have had. Cannot believe I am saying this, but … it needs more salt. And the yellow mustard is a bit heavy in this one. However, it’s still a good potato salad recipe and when paired with a nice […]
As things start to return to normal, the Omni Grove Park Inn’s annual National Gingerbread House Competition has returned to the in-person event we all know and love. This year I decided to go with something I have wanted to do for years and do it on a grand (for me) scale. Every year my […]
The Omni Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread House Competition succumbed to the COVID lockdown fever and tried to do a virtual event for 2020. They announced it was going forward a month later than usual (August instead of July) and brought the entry deadline up a month (October instead of November) effectively cutting 2 months […]
Page 283 I saved this one for last because I have never been a huge fan of coconut cake and have mixed feelings about that fact. I am a Southerner born and bred, and it is one of those things that is quintessentially Southern to have under glass on your counter whenever company comes over. […]
Page 321 This is one of those dishes that looks incredible and impressive, but in the end it is a bit of a disappointment if you are the cook. It looks so intimidating to make! And it is maintenance! You need to assemble it right before you serve it, and it doesn’t store well so […]
Page 57 I left a few recipes for the end either because I was not already a fan of the food or else I needed a special occasion to justify making it. This one falls into the former category but took so long not because I was really, really procrastinating, but because I kept fumbling […]
Page 147 Down to the last 4 recipes and I have gotten WAY behind in posting them. I completed this one months ago but have been so busy with the gingerbread competition that I haven’t gotten around to posting until it was past Christmas. Getting caught up and ready to move on to the next […]
Page 187 I was hoping for better flavor because I really liked the idea of this dish, but the reality was disappointing. It is bland and grainy-textured. If that’s your thing then go for it, but it’s not mine. You may notice that the picture of the finished product was not taken on the kitchen […]
Page 279 Baklava is sweet and nutty and sticky and delicious. It is also a LOT of work! You know the best way to turn all that effort into fun? Invite your youngest child over and share the experience with them, which means they do the work and you “teach” them how to make the […]
Page 111 Believe it or not, this Southern gal has never had ham hocks before. They do not look very appetizing but then again neither does chipped beef on toast which is very yummy. So I went into this with an open mind prepared to have all that pork flavor infused into the lentils and […]
Page 157 Pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree”, it is the French art of preparing and serving cured meats. A Charcuterie Board is the art of assembling a colorful appetizer tray of meats, cheeses, and accouterments that will make Martha Stewart weep with envy. Assembly takes about 5 minutes if you leverage the grocery store’s precut cheeses and cured […]
Page 199 How many ways can you make a basic Alfredo sauce magical? Let me count the ways! This one adds my favorite flavors of bacon (pancetta could not be found at any of the local markets yesterday), garlic, and shallots. The sauce is wonderfully creamy and the orecchiette pasta has these fantastic cups which […]
Page 237 Whenever I have a seafood recipe to tackle I have something as a backup for dinner because I mostly just taste the final product of the cookbook recipe and then actually eat the backup as my meal. Not this time! I happily cleaned my plate and didn’t need to go to the standby […]
Page 265 Do you know what you cannot find in August? Cranberries. Fresh or frozen. I had to settle for canned cranberries but even canned WHOLE cranberries can make a really good cranberry sauce. I have made fresh cranberry sauce before so can vouch for the recipe if you are using fresh ones when they […]
Page 152 Time for another recipe that combines my favorite flavors – tomato, basil, garlic, and cheese. Given a choice between basil and dill I will always choose basil but you have the option if you like dill flavor. And when I can combine the basil with tomatoes and garlic it’s like hitting the trifecta […]
Page 155 Bias alert – I don’t like black olives and that is the dominant favor in these. Knowing the ingredients were stacked against me, I decided to be true to the recipe for a potion of the final product but took a bit of license with the rest. When it came time to add […]
Page 301 I am down to the last few recipes and surprisingly enough most of them are desserts. I usually jump on the sweets, but this time I have focused on the other sections instead of churning out cookies, cakes, and pies every weekend. Not because the recipes are not wonderful – they are and […]
Page 311 If you are a fan of Gilligan’s Island you will remember that Mary Anne’s coconut cream pie could get Gillian to do just about anything. Well, if she was using this recipe I can see why – it is out of this world good. And it isn’t that hard to make. I am […]
Page 153 French onion dip is one of my favorites. Give me a tub of it and a bag of Ruffles with ridges and I can polish off both, so I was excited to see this recipe. It did not disappoint where flavor is concerned but the recipe itself is frustrating. As stated above, I […]
What do you do if you have a summer “stay-cation” during a pandemic? If you are me you do a ton of yard work and you throw in a gingerbread challenge. Since I haven’t done any curved shapes in a while, I took on something with no flat exterior surfaces that is out of this […]
Page 227 If you are not a fan of seafood gumbo this is not going to convert you. I went old school with it and followed the recipe to make the shrimp stock instead of subbing in vegetable stock. So that may have something to do with it. Luckily I made only a half recipe […]
Page 143 I was skeptical that you could deep fry risotto but I did and it rocks! There is a LOT to like about this recipe. The risotto, which is the base of this dish, is incredibly good. You could stop right there and just eat it as dinner. Since it is a risotto it […]
Page 319 Take a Snickerdoodle, the world’s best tasting cookie and I will argue that point with anyone, knock the cinnamon down by about 2/3, add a soft icing and you have Crew’s cookies. At least, that my impression when I close my eyes and take a bite. I used a slightly larger cutter (with […]
Page 235 Wow. Just, WOW! I don’t normally like fish, but this salmon dish is incredible. I mean, INCREDIBLE! There is enough spice and butter to give everything in the pan tons of flavor, and the Meyer lemons kick it up yet another notch. I was suspicious of the amount of dill, but it totally […]
Page 191 Its hard to screw up sweet potato casserole but this comes pretty close. I love everything about it but the cornflakes. Apparently, Tony the Tiger has an aversion to sweet potatoes, because the corn flakes in the topping pretty much ruin the effect. They are hard and sticky at the same time and […]
Page 51 Fresh Bread Does anything smell as good as bread baking? I mean, other than Snickerdoodles of course. The recipe makes a decent loaf of bread and is simple to follow. The final product is pretty and functional, it makes a good sammich, with a nice crust. What it needs is a little kneading. […]
Page 127 I have mentioned before that I am not a big salad fan, but this is a really hearty, tasty salad. I used chicken instead of salmon, which the recipe allows – in fact, encourages. She points to the many options you have to put your own mark on this dish. I also omitted […]
Page 163 This one has potential but just misses the mark. The sherry vinegar brings in a little tang but it needs more. The cranberries bring in a little tartness but it needs more. In short, it just needs more of everything except cauliflower. I waited to post on this one so I could try […]
Page 173 I had high hopes for this one. I love broccoli, rice, and cheese so I figured this was an easy 4 or better score. Alas, it was not to be. The key to this may be the rice you use. That was definitely the component that dragged the score down. I used a […]
Page 257 Well, well, well. This was better than I expected, and it wasn’t as much work as I expected either. But there are a couple of things that were a bit frustrating about it. For starters, you cannot find grape leaves in the store. I scoured every grocery store in a 15 mile radius. […]
Page 139 As someone who doesn’t like prosciutto I am giving this one a better than anticipated score. The sweet apple and sharp cheese are a fabulous combination. Add the slightly bitter arugula and acid tang of the balsamic glaze round out the flavor wheel so the prosciutto funk isn’t that noticeable. I almost wish […]
Page 141 Prosciutto and Brie – 3.5 stars Caprese – 4.5 stars Steak & Arugula – 4.2 stars Let’s start at the top. The caprese is a personal favorite so it’s easy to get a pretty high score with me because it is what it is and you have to try hard to screw it […]
