I love to bake!

The only thing that makes winter worth it is it's baking season!

I don't like the cold, I don't like the wet (don't care that it's the rain that keeps it green here - it's still wet, dank, and cold!), but I love the baking.

It's Mr. Hinkelgruber's workmates' bad luck that they're my lab rats. Friday was 'snack-day' and they got a pumpkin roll - never have made a jelly-roll, and it's a twist on one - but wasn't the most difficult thing I've tried.  Gonna try a giant Hostess Snowball cake again - last week's attempt was a giant failure - so, I'm regrouping and putting my own twist to it.  I'll let you know how it goes.  There are garlic knots rising and ready to bake (if they're any good, my Thanksgiving guests will have these to choose from in the bread basket) and later I'm thinking cheesecake.  (Well, in the spirit of full disclosure, the young college boy is coming home and cheesecake is his favorite!)

Got a request?  Post a comment, and see what happens!

Heading fast to the holidays

Halloween is officially over - the Hinkelgruber home looks strangely empty with the decorations taken down and put away. But you know what that means - the holiday season is in full swing.  Oh, I know...you're thinking, "It's not even Thanksgiving, yet!"  But we all know that the next three weeks will fly by (ooh, got to sample dinner roll, pumpkin pie, and other various dessert and pastry recipes - Beau, get my new workout planned!) and we'll all be in full scale panic mode (panic already beginning).

Halloween - Mrs. Hinkelgruber's Favorite Holiday

The house is festooned with spiders, bloodshot eyeballs, and skeletons.  We had a great time this year at the pumpkin carving party.  Mr. Hinckelgruber thinks it should be renamed to 'eating chili and drinking beer' party, but why change the name of one of the best days of the year?

Update to the menu!

It turns out that Mrs. Hinkelgruber turned another year older this week, and to celebrate, her eldest son is taking her to breakfast on Sunday. So, to those of you accustomed to joining the Hinkelgrubers for pancakes on Sunday...you'll have to join us on Saturday!  Yes, I know, it's the day of the annual "Carve a Pumpkin for Mayhem Makers" party, but that's in the afternoon.  Pancakes are in the morning - let's say 8:00 am - just as if it were a Sunday.

As for breakfast Sunday, well you'll have to check with (as my old client Mr. Jedwab would call him) "The Crown Prince."

Fall in Portland really can be the best!

I've said it many times:  there's no better fall anywhere than Portland, OR!  When it's not raining, it's really the best weather anywhere.

And, in keeping with our own tradition of either wine or apples, today was wine!  Mr. Hinkelgruber and I drove to Carlton and the northern Willamette Valley's wine country and bought our wine for the fall.  (To quote Mr. Hinkelgruber, "Well, this should last until about Christmas...")

Perhaps next week will be apples....

Fall really HAS arrived!

So last week seemed more like summer, but I guess fall really has arrived since the rain is rolling in.  I have a love/hate relationship with fall - love it because when the weather is good, it's spectacular; hate it because when it's bad you really know that winter is around the corner.

The good thing about fall means the food gets 'fuller', the kitchen gets warmer and the baking happens more often.  Might have to bake this season's first loaf of bread this week!

Fall has arrived - sort of!

Heading into fall (my favorite season, by the way) the menus are becoming heartier.  And, maybe, that's what I like about fall - richer, heartier fare.  Chillier weather gives Charlie an excuse to really cook more and me an excuse to bake - hmmm...wonder what I'll bake this week...something chocolate, I'm feeling.