It’s Pi Approximation day! What’s that, you say? Think back to your math class…remember that old Greek guy Archimedes? He’s the one whose famous approximation of Pi (Π) was 22/7, not 3.14 (that Pi day is March 14).

But since we’re food lovers here at Foodista and not mathematicians (unless you count our brilliant engineers, Colin and Jesse) we thought we’d change it up a bit and make it PIE day!

Sorry, Archimedes, but I think it’s still a win-win for us all!

Search Foodista for all kinds of pies, sweet and savory!

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Categories:	Baked Goods	Leave a Comment
Tags:	Baked Goods • desserts • pi day • pie day • pies • Sweets

Aside from cupcakes, madeleines are about the cutest darn things ever. Mini Bundt cakes are right up there too. This past weekend, my friend Tracy brought to our barbecue not one, not two, but three lip-smacking varieties of corn bread – all charmingly shaped as diminutive madeleines and Bundts.

The beautiful fresh lavender that she plucked from her yard that morning was a lovely treat as well!

Try one (or all!) of these delicious corn bread recipes for your next barbecue. Baked in a non-traditional way like these will certainly bring ooos and aaaas from your guests.

Click below for the basic corn bread recipe. Optional ingredients for variations are given in the “Cornbread Madeleines” section:

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Categories:	Baked Goods	2 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • barbecue • bread • Bundt cakes • corn bread • cornbread • madeleines

Oh how I love palmiers! Their delicate and flaky layers, their bits of caramelized sugar…and to make them even more naughtily delicious, dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts!

Mon dieu. So many French pastries, so little time.

Best of all, these little “palm leaves” are a snap to make (if you’re not making your puff pastry from scratch). In less than one hour you can bring a little bit of Paris to your guests in the form of these petite sweets.

Go to Foodista for the easy recipe.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Chocolate • Cooking tips • Sweets • desserts	3 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • Chocolate • chocolate palmiers • cookies • palmiers • puff pastry

When we were starving college students in Italy (starving because we spent all our money on weekend get-a-ways and clothes at Benetton) my friends and I would sit for hours in one of the little restaurants in the Piazza del Campo and sip caffè lattes and nibble on grissini. In America this would be like going to a coffee shop, ordering the cheapest drink on the menu and eating all the packages of crackers on the table. But in Italy the free “crackers” are better. Much better.

The most common type – grissini stirato (straight) – are long, crisp, pinky-finger-width breadsticks that are often found on tabletops in tall glasses.  Grissini were the brain-child of Don Baldo Pecchio who created them for Vittorio Amedeo II, the Duke of Savoy. As a small child the Duke suffered from food poisoning, ironically caused by bread, which at the time was under-baked and thus prone to pathogens. Remembering the small, thin breads his mother made him as a child when he ailed from similar intestinal disfunctions, Don Baldo ordered the Court’s master baker to create thin twice-baked sticks. Keeping them thin and twice baking the bread killed any micro-organism, thus making them clean and safe to eat. It’s said that these hygienic “miracle” breadsticks cured the Duke, who then grew to become the first Savoy King.

Grissini
Adapted from a recipe found in Cooking Light, January 2003

1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1  cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3  cups bread flour, divided
1 1/4  teaspoons  salt
Cooking spray
1  teaspoon water
1  large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2  cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
1  tablespoon cracked black pepper
2  teaspoons cornmeal, divided

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

Punch dough down. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.

Combine 1 teaspoon water and egg white, stirring with a whisk; brush evenly over dough. Sprinkle dough with cheese and pepper. Lightly coat dough with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Gently press toppings into dough; remove plastic wrap.

Sprinkle each of 2 baking sheets with 1 teaspoon cornmeal. Cut dough in half lengthwise to form 2 (12 x 4-inch) rectangles. Cut each of the rectangles crosswise into 12 (1-inch) strips.

Working with 1 strip at a time (cover remaining strips to prevent drying), gently roll each strip into a log. Holding ends of log between forefinger and thumb of each hand, gently pull log into a 14-inch rope, slightly shaking it up and down while pulling. (You can also roll each strip into a 14-inch rope on a lightly floured surface.) Place the rope on a prepared pan, curving into a series of shapes so that the rope fits on pan.

Repeat procedure with remaining strips, placing 12 on each pan. Lightly coat ropes with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450°.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Italian	3 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • bread sticks • breadsticks • grissini • Italian bread • italian breadsticks • Italy • Piedmont • recipe • Savoy King • Torino • Turin

Nothing fills your hungry belly quite like a delicious slice of banana bread hot out of the oven. To me, the more moist and chunkier, the better. Have a warm wedge in the morning with your coffee or after dinner with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This recipe is so scrumptiously packed with bananas you may just find yourself screeching wildly and swinging from your chandeliers jungle style. Knock yourself out, my little monkey friend. Been there.

Depending on the size bananas you use and how much you put in (I actually added a bit more) you may need to increase the baking time. Just insert a knife until it comes clean.

Chunky Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas
1 small banana, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Fold in banana chunks. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

More on Banana Bread:

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Fruit	6 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • banana bread • bananas • Food • foodista

As Barnaby and I walked to the bus this morning we noticed all the mushy pumpkins that remain on doorsteps in our neighborhood. The once beautifully carved jack o’ lanterns are quickly becoming  pumpkin puree, especially with the aid of the recent rain. I have to admit, all that soft pumpkin flesh makes me want to bake something! Gross, I know, to be inspired by the soggy, rotting pulp of Halloween pumpkins, but sometimes I just cannot help what inspires me culinarily. And, honestly, I caught a whiff of one that actually still smelled quite pleasant. By no means should this be taken as encouragement to scrape the pumpkin off your neighbor’s stoop to make pumpkin bread. Just go and buy some canned puree.

Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup crushed walnuts or pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and nuts if you are using them. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Categories:	Baked Goods	5 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • bread • Food • foodista • pumpkin bread

It’s been darn cold here in Seattle, so I’ve been using any excuse to fire up the stove or oven just to hang out by the heat. My latest excuse was in the form of savory scones. Cheddar dill scones, to be exact. As they baked they filled the house with that lovely something-delicious-is-in-the-oven smell. On a cold day, that is just the smell I love. That and the smell of a real fire going in the fireplace.

If you, too, are a bit chilly, then these little scones are sure to warm your paws.

Cheddar Dill Scones
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

4 cups all-purpose flour (plus a little extra for rolling)
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound (roughly 4 cups) extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and mix on low until the butter is in little pea-sized pieces. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and heavy cream, then add them to the flour mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour, then add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed (about 1 minute). Roll the dough until 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with the egg wash.

Line a baking sheet with Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cheese • Herbs	12 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • baking • cheddar • cheddar dill scones • Cheese • dill • Food • foodista • Herbs • savory • savory scones • scones

I can always tell the holidays are right around the corner because I get the urge to bake. One of my favorite (and easy!) cookie recipes is Russian tea cookies, also known as Russian tea cakes. They are light, buttery and full of nutty goodness. Did I mention they’re easy to make? Stash that in your holiday menu planner!

Russian Tea Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar, divided use
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

In a large bowl cream the butter and flour until well combined. Stir in half the powdered sugar, water and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour, then the nuts. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 325°F.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until slightly brown. Let cool.

Roll cookies in remaining powdered sugar, coating evenly.

Makes 36 cookies.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Sweets	14 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • cookies • desserts • Food • foodista • russian tea cookies • Sweets • tea cakes

Sometimes I just crave an uber-healthy muffin, one that’s chock full of good-for-you stuff like flax, bran, raisins…you know the kind I mean. They don’t have to be big to do the trick. In fact, they usually are so densely packed with goodness they weigh twice as much as the the standard “light and fluffy” bran muffins you find in the nearest coffee shop, but are about half the size and better. This is the kind I like. Anything bigger and it’s just too much.

I call these types of muffins “pipe cleaners.” Don’t make me explain. All the hearty, fibery goodness should be explanation enough.

This is the pipe cleaner recipe I love.

Flax Oat Bran Muffins

1 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup oat bran
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup carrots, grated
1 large apple, grated
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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Categories:	Baked Goods	6 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • bran • flax • Food • foodista • muffins • oat bran

I really want to like healthy bread. Especially the types that I refer to as “bird seed” bread: spelt, sprouted wheat, uber-whole grain packed with nuts and seeds and everything short of wood pulp. All the 60’s-organic-hippy-healthiness you’d ever want, just like my mom used to make. They all sound and look so good, each slice looking like it’ll supply you with about a week’s worth of fiber, but too often they are just dry and crumbly. “Care for a bit of cardboard?”

But I recently discovered one of the best “bird seed” breads I’ve ever had. Dave’s Killer Bread. My favorite is a mini-loaf called Peace Bomb. It’s made of whole sprouted wheat and packed with a “good seed” mix consisting of flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, unhulled sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and some other yummy stuff to hold it together. Now you know why I call it bird seed bread. It’s dense, moist and deliciously chewy. No sign of cardboard in this bread!

An interesting bit about Dave is that he’s an ex-con. When I first heard that I thought that was where the “killer” part came in, but no, killer in this case means really good. While in the clink for other unsavory practices he has taken no lives. Here’s a quote from the package of his Peace Bread:

“I was a four time loser before I realized I was in the wrong game. Fifteen years in prison is a pretty tough way to find oneself. It’s been said that adversity introduces a man to himself; a whole lot of suffering has transformed an ex-con into an honest man who is doing his best to make the world a better place…one loaf of bread at a time.”

Now that’s what I call redemption.

Check out this brief mini-documentary about Dave and his Portland, Oregon-area bakery on YouTube.

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Categories:	Baked Goods	7 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • bread • Dave's Killer Bread • Food • foodista • oregon • Portland