The Ultimate Baking Bucket List
The things everyone should bake before they die
The journey, in pictures and words, of cooking every recipe in the Magnolia Table cookbook
When the hubby gave me Magnolia Table as a Christmas gift in 2018, I flipped through it on Christmas morning reveling in all the pictures. As I began to pause on particularly scrumptious looking dishes to read the recipes I found myself saying, “this sounds really” good over and over again. They were not particularly […]
Originally posted 4/24/2019 1 month summary 2 month summary (There wasn’t a 3 month summary because I was traveling for work) It took me 4 months to finish the Magnolia Table cookbook and it was a really great experience. I thought I was a fairly accomplished cook before I started this process. However, after cooking […]
Page 171 Originally posted 2/7/2019 This was GORGEOUS when it came out of the oven, high and fluffy, and I didn’t get a picture because I was making risotto. I love broccoli so this was an easy one for me to like. Mark is not a fan of broccoli and declared it “decent”, so if […]
Page 285 Originally posted 4/22/2019 Okay, there just isn’t a good spin I can put on this. It just doesn’t work with biscuits. They are too substantial. This needs a sponge to work for me. I did them side-by-side and the sponge kicked biscuit’s butt. However, with enough fresh whipped cream it gets to a […]
Age 301 Originally posted 4/18/2019 Last one This is not Aunt Verna’s Wake Cake, but it is a pretty good cake. The cake itself is a great texture, not too dry, and solid lemon flavor, not just hints of lemon. The glaze goes beyond solid lemon flavor to great tangy sweetness that perfectly compliments the […]
4/17/2019 The Massachusetts farmstead provided lots of fruits with which to make jelly – cherries!, grapes, apples, raspberries, blackberries – so I canned a LOT of jelly, but not a lot of jam. It’s a texture preference thing. That said, this is a good jam and if you don’t have a garden you can hit […]
Page 281 Originally posted 4/16/2019 Hard way to learn that your broiler isn’t working properly… need to accelerate that stove replacement. Because of the broiler situation I am giving these the benefit of the doubt and putting them above a 2.999. The peach skins were rubbery and I had to eat around them so I […]
Page 295 Originally posted 4/14/2019 With Chocolate-Cola Buttercream (which Mark gives 4.7) I have heard of this cake for years and never had one so I cannot compare it to a benchmark, but this is a good chocolate cake with a REALLY good frosting. Warning – the urge to drop your face down and eat […]
Page 166 Originally posted 4/22/2019 Used as ingredient in Brussels Sprouts The final product is totally dependent on the quality and flavor of the Balsamic vinegar. The brand I used was obviously not what she used to get something transformed into “a sweet-tart syrup”. This was good on the sprouts but could not stand alone.
Page 186 Originally posted 4/14/2019 With Quick Remoulade Sauce I barely remember either my mom or grandma (or maybe both) making these at the end of the summer when the first frost is predicted and there was a mad dash to gather the remaining unripe tomatoes. They went on a window ledge to ripen in […]
Page 115 Originally posted 4/14/2019 This is surprisingly good. The blueberries add a bit of sweetness and the dressing has the tart that makes this flavor combo so good. I have never had raw Brussels Sprouts before and was expecting them to be more tough, but the shredding and soaking in the dressing takes care […]
4/14/2019 With Whipped Mascarpone This is another one that is a lot of work for so-so flavor. It’s okay, but overall I would spend the time and effort on something that tastes better, like tiramisu or homemade ice-cream.
Page 317 Originally posted 4/13/2019 Couple of things about this dragged it down. First off, the texture is not only dense but is down right chewy. Second thing is that there is not enough lemon flavor in the bread. The glaze is awesome, but the bread is rather bland. So, you get chewy bland bread […]
Page 303 Originally posted 4/7/2019 Her recipe flavor – 4.7 starsMy execution of the cake – 3.0 Not quite a “nailed it” moment but my angel food cake did not come out light and fluffy. It tasted great though! Last post until I get back from a week of work travel… PS – the compote […]
Page 298 Originally posted 4/6/2019 Originally posted with Bevie’s Chocolate Roll I am down to the last few recipes and had not tackled this one sooner because it looked difficult and time consuming. Her description , and the accompanying pictures of the process, didn’t lesson my trepidation. I finally got up the gumption to take […]
Page 297 Originally posted 4/6/2019 Served with Hot Fudge Sauce I am down to the last few recipes and had not tackled this one sooner because it looked difficult and time consuming. Her description , and the accompanying pictures of the process, didn’t lesson my trepidation. I finally got up the gumption to take it […]
Page 240 Originally posted 4/6/2019 With Cucumber Kimchi Salad Last one in the dinner section! I opted for the beef tenderloin so about .5 of the score is due to the cut. This is really tasty and is really simple. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the instructions. Most of it is for the […]
Page 183 Originally posted 4/6/2019 Without the tarragon this would be 4.8 or better. And will probably bump up a notch or two when the maters start ripening on the vine in a few months, but it is still pretty darn good. Bonus – you eat it right out of the pan!
Page 117 Originally posted 4/6/2019 Was not expecting this flavor combination to work so well. These are store bought peaches so I could see this getting a higher score in about 2 months when the peaches are fresh and ripe from the tree.
Page 177 Originally posted 4/5/2019 With Green Chiles Woohoo! This stuff is amazing! I love to grow squash and usually fry it up with zucchini, onion, and garlic because I don’t like it on its own, but not anymore. This is easy peasy to make, low effort/big flavor so don’t be afraid to do it […]
4/4/2019 Wow! I was expecting the chili in this to ruin it but this is really, really good. The heat is subdued instead of assaulting but it does hang around for a while so have a glass of milk with this one.
Page 231 Originally posted 4/4/2019 With Creamy Cucumber Salad Okay, last fish recipe done and only one more to go in the dinner section! I LOVE the creamy dressing for the cucumber. So I am going with Mark’s high score because if I didn’t like cucumbers I would love this. Also going with the high […]
4/4/2019 Another really yummy soup. I wish I had this book back in Massachusetts because the long winters could be filled with hot creamy soup after hot creamy soup. The roasted cauliflower and vegetable broth make this ideal for your vegetarian friends, and the smell of the herbs simmering is De-vine. Another keeper!
Page 163 Originally posted 4/3/2019 With Red Wine Béarnaise Sauce The sauce is a lovely maroon color, which is a little weird, but it tastes pretty darn good. All the store had was the really skinny stalks and this would probably be better with thicker ones, but was still good enough for Mark Wilson to […]
Page 123 Originally posted 4/2/2019 Served with Layered Arugula Salad with Pear Vinaigrette I cannot believe I am giving something with blue cheese this high of a score! I hate the smell, would rather sniff an old shoe, but the vinaigrette completely neutralizes the stank. She says this is 15 minutes prep but it took […]
Page 121 Originally posted 4/2/2019 Served with Buttered Walnuts I cannot believe I am giving something with blue cheese this high of a score! I hate the smell, would rather sniff an old shoe, but the vinaigrette completely neutralizes the stank. She says this is 15 minutes prep but it took me that long just […]
Page 234 Originally posted 4/2/2019 With Red Cabbage & Mango Slaw If you like fish you will love this! I VOLUNTARILY took a second bite and I really do not like fish. This is actually really easy to do. Since I did not want a fish smell hanging in the air I cooked it on […]
Page 223 Originally posted 4/1/2019 Served with Sticky Poppy Seed Jam I love fried chicken, I just hate to cook it. Grease gets splattered everywhere. And a good piece of fried chicken is hard to achieve. Alas, I shamed my mama tonight by failing to get it right and had some over-browned skin, but even […]
Page 225 Originally posted 4/1/2019 Served with Fried Chicken I love fried chicken, I just hate to cook it. Grease gets splattered everywhere. And a good piece of fried chicken is hard to achieve. Alas, I shamed my mama tonight by failing to get it right and had some over-browned skin, but even cooked poorly […]
Page 170 Originally posted 3/31/2019 This is another dish that brings back memories for me. The smell of cooking cabbage transported me back to my grandma’s kitchen, circa summer of 1972. This is a great dish to cook on a busy weekend where you can put it in the oven (or crock pot?) and go […]
3/31/2019 Served with Candied Pecans and Whipped Cream First bite was a 4.2 but by the last spoonful it was down to 3.9. The orange/chocolate flavor combo gets to be a bit much and the last 3 spoonfuls were a slog to get through. This made the best texture for a bread pudding I have […]
Page 294 Originally posted 3/31/2019 Served with Chocolate-Orange Bread Pudding and Whipped Cream First bite was a 4.2 but by the last spoonful it was down to 3.9. The orange/chocolate flavor combo gets to be a bit much and the last 3 spoonfuls were a slog to get through. This made the best texture for […]
Page 244 Originally posted 3/30/2019 Lebanese Salad – 4 stars The fatayar is good but dry and needs some kind of sauce. This is one you can change up the filling to suit your family’s particular favorite flavor combos if you so desire. Mark Wilson graded the salad because I don’t like cucumbers so I […]
Page 149 Originally posted 3/30/2019 This proves that not only has she collected some fantastic recipes, she created a few on her own. The pepper gives it a real kick and the savory ingredients give the 1/3-less-fat cream cheese some body. (I grabbed the wrong box from the fridge for the pic but used the […]
Page 309 Originally posted 3/30/2019 Almost as good as the lemon pie for overall flavor, this is much more tart. The crust bottom comes out beautifully but the outer edge of the lemon curd topping gets verrrrry chewy and really needs to be cut away. Once trimmed, it was very popular with everyone – we […]
Page 179 Originally posted 3/30/2019 These get extra points for being so extra stinkin’ cute and fun to eat if you use your fingers. All in all they are tasty and conveniently sized for serving. The outer skin is a bit of a turn off because when you slice through the stack it will tear […]
Page 185 Originally posted 3/28/2019 With Garlic Butter – .1 stars What a waste of time. Maybe it was the lack of “meat” on the leaves but these were just plain inedible. I steamed them for almost an hour and they never got to the point where you could strip anything off the leaves that […]
Page 151 Originally posted 3/27/2019 Served with Fresh Garden Salsa This is actually super easy to assemble and quick to serve if you do some advance work. Boys gaming night on Saturday? No problem, just fry the meat up earlier in the day and slice the avocado while it cooks as they arrive. Voila! My […]
Page 187 Originally posted 3/24/2019 I make this several times a year using my own recipe which is basically the same. If you are Southern you probably have one yourself already. If not, then this is a good one. Personal complaint: the recipe doesn’t specify the shape of the dish and it matters. I used […]
Page 250 Originally posted 3/24/2019 A tenderloin is an incredible, albeit expensive, cut of meat. I cook one for Christmas dinner every so often and this is the recipe I will use from now on. The marinade is what makes this so delicious. I forgot to get a picture until I had already cut it […]
Page 145 Originally posted 3/24/2019 Served with Fresh Tomato Salsa Both of these are great recipes for any level of expertise. Since the chips you eat it with will likely add salt, I recommenced taste testing both with the chips as you are adjusting the added salt when combing the ingredients. I like lime so […]
