Being at home in the kitchen is always so inspiring, opening up my mind to simple dishes I might not have thought of putting together myself. Until just a couple hours ago, I had fully planned on posting an entirely different recipe, but while I was sitting at the kitchen table, putting together a post, my mom was in the kitchen, chopping and drizzling, and tossing. And I, as usual, got my fingers into what she was making for the … Read More
Veggie-Lovers Pesto Pizza
Looking back at my childhood and thinking about the food my mom put on the table each night continually blows me away. Not because the food required complicated cooking methods or multiple-step preparation, but because it was real. Biscuits didn’t come from a can, but from a mixingbowl, beef stew not in a can but from the magical process of stewing beef, potatoes, and carrots. And pizza could be found in the oven in imperfect shapes and layered with homemade … Read More
Fingerling Potato Salad
Summer is just around the corner, or at least that’s what my calendar keeps telling me. But if you took a trip to my neck of the woods, I’m convinced you would agree with me when I say it feels much more like October than the middle of May. As far as states go, Iowa is the biggest tease of all. Hot, cold, rainy, sunny. Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if it starting snowing tonight. In response to this cold … Read More
Pecan-Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
I am what you might consider one of those annoying people who likes getting up early, with the exception of some Saturday mornings when I sleep in until (gasp!) eight or nine, I’m usually up and at it around seven. And being a morning person, there is nothing I love more than a good breakfast or morning ritual. Sure, I have my own morning rituals at home, but it’s when I am up in Minneapolis/St. Paul visiting J. and my … Read More
Whole Wheat No Knead Bread
Despite what we all might want to believe, mothers really do know quite a lot about their children. Just a couple months ago, J. and my mom had dinner together without me, and my own dear mom decided to take it upon herself to share with J. what she thought was my best and worst trait. This happens to be one and the same: “My daughter is impulsive.” And boy, let me tell you, this is one time I will … Read More
Banana Pudding Trifle
Before getting to regular posting news, I have an exciting announcement…. Espresso and Cream is losing .blogspot.com and switching to a .com! All that basically means for you all is that when you are searching, typing, or sharing how to find Espresso and Cream you can save yourself the extra effort and type in www.espressoandcream.com. Readers who go to the old .blogspot.com address will automatically be re-directed to the new one, and for the next couple of days if some … Read More
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
Do you ever just miss home? I’m not sure age really matters, because when I think about home it’s not the place or the building, it’s that feeling and stage in life when you knew that someone else was there to take care of you and have your back. Growing up with divorced parents, I traveled a lot between Iowa and Florida, so getting homesick was rare. Now, living on my own for the first time, I still don’t get … Read More
Make-Your-Own Nut Butter
Hi, my name is Madison and I love peanut butter. I also love ketchup, and it’s a well-known fact in my extended family, since every time we eat either turkey or ham, I go searching through the fridge of the aunt and uncle’s house I am at in search of ketchup to bring to the table. Unfortunately, this is one duo that does not work well together. Though when J. returned from Europe in January, he did bring me back … Read More
Magnolia Bakery’s Vanilla Cupcakes
The first time I tasted a Magnolia Bakery cupcake was in the fall of 2008 while I was in New York for The Rachael Ray Show. For those not familiar with Magnolia Bakery, it gained wide-spread recognition outside of NYC when Carrie Bradshaw, aka Sarah Jessica Parker, on Sex and the City declared the bakery her favorite place for a mini-cake fix. Being a devoted SATC fan, I was determined to play Carrie Bradshaw for the day (er…5 minutes) despite … Read More
Homemade Pop Tarts
I really, truly want to think of something beautiful and eloquent to write about these homemade pop tarts because boy are they deserving of everything good I could write. But the only thing that I can think of, having just finished eating one, is OH MY GOSH. This, my friends, is what a toaster pastry was intended to taste like before it turned into the processed, flavorless, under-filled brick you have come to know as a pop tart. I have … Read More
Homemade Granola: Base Recipe
Remember that time not so long ago when I made Whole Wheat Granola Breakfast Cookies? Well, it turns out I am not only the type of girlfriend who likes to bake for her boyfriend, I am also the kind who likes to make her boyfriend’s mom think I’m trying to kill her son by means of serious allergic reaction and anaphylactic shock. Because adventurous eater and fruit and veggie loving me fell in love with someone allergic to more items … Read More
Best Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread
The way I see it, my job with at Espresso and Cream is to sort through all the millions of recipes out there and share with you only the best, and most reliable ones. And trust me, there is a lot of junk out there to sort through, and after tonight I am sure that even the best and most trustworthy sources fail every now and again. Two containers of cornmeal, 1 1/2 dozen eggs, 1/2 a gallon of buttermilk, … Read More