We’re happy to announce the arrival of our latest cookbook, SPOON: Soup, Stew & Chowder Recipes for Autumn/Winter, on Amazon! Filled with 25 delicious recipes, including some favourites from the farmers’ market like Moroccan Chicken & Date Tagine and Salmon Chowder.
I’ve been buying cheddar bunnies for the kids’ lunches, but I’ve just found a recipe for homemade cheddar crackers that I love! These are very quick to make, especially if you cut them into squares. Overacheiver that I am, I cut them into little butterfly shapes. And really, if you have kids, they always want to help out, so you can give them the cutting-out job. (I did.)
These are much tastier than goldfish crackers or cheddar bunnies, and they only have five ingredients–no preservatives!
Tomorrow we will be hosting my son’s end of season soccer party. I know, it’s a crazy idea, and we had a field booked for it, but the men’s soccer league comandeered the field for their finals. Fourteen boys and their families–it had better not rain!
I’m planning to make strawberry-rhubarb soup with basil, and to serve it in little shot glasses, topped with whipped cream. It’s delicious, and the kids and their frinds all like it too.
I love cooking with fresh herbs, which grow abundantly in my garden all summer. I don’t love paying $5 for a tiny baggie of fresh herbs at the grocery store in the off-season, though, so I decided to plant a windowsill herb garden of thyme, sage, parsley, cilantro and dill. Rosemary overwinters here, and I have a couple of varieties growing in pots on my patio.
Once upon a time my fanciest kitchen stand mixer consisted of me using a wooden spoon to mix cookie dough. Then a few years ago, I got a KitchenAid Artisan mixer for my birthday.
I loved my KitchenAid. It mixed dozens of cookies, whipped up gallons of cream, and beat meringue for hours through my French macaroon making phase. Unfortunately, it was done in by bread dough, a few days after the warranty ran out, of course.
The cost of replacing the motor was pretty close to the cost of replacing the whole unit, so I decided to look into getting a more powerful mixer, one that could handle kneading bread dough. My dad, who lives clear across the country, was also looking for a mixer, so we shared the task. My dad loves shopping, so he did the legwork while I did the online research.
The 450W KitchenAid gets good reviews, has a stong motor, and is also pretty to look at. It comes with a 5 qt bowl. It only has a 1 year warranty, though.
The Cuisinart has a much stronger motor at 800W, and a 3 year warranty (5 year on the motor). It comes with a 5.5 qt bowl and it has a timer–handy if you need to mix for more than a couple of minutes. The top flips up to reveal an additional accessory outlet where you can use blender and food processor attachments. The downside–it resembles a sewing machine.
So I bought the Cuisinart, and it’s a workhorse. It’s not nearly as pretty as the KitchenAid that my dad bought, but fot all of the baking I do, it was the right choice.
It sounds insane, but I’m going to try this recipe out tomorrow. I love Alton Brown’s recipes, so this should be amazing!
Update: I made this for Sunday dessert and it’s amazing! The icing tastes slightly citrusy, and the cake is wonderful. You’d never know that it was made with avocado.
The gals at Spoon have served up fresh, delicious soups at the local farmers markets, and are now working on a cookbook to share their recipes. Yes, African Peanut Stew will be in it!
Email us at spoonorders@gmail.com to join our email list to receive advance notice of when and where you can get the cookbook. We’ll email everyone to let you know when it’s available.
