Stacey Makes It

I'm what you would call a honey junkie.  If there is honey at a farmers' market, 9 times out of 10, I will buy it.  I'm pretty sure all the honey vendors have a picture of me with a caption on it that says, "(Honey) Sucker."  If they give me a sample, I'm pretty much honey in their hands.  The 1 out of 10 times I don't buy it is probably because I don't have enough cash on me and I feel like it's wrong in some way to go home with no produce yet still weighed down by giant glass jars of heaven in syrup form. Let's just say I'm only one dimension away from being a cartoon bear stuck in a tree. I'm already chunky and yellow and enjoy tight T-shirts.  Here is some of my massive honey collection: In case anyone is curious, from top to bottom, left to right: Orange Blossom honey from the Alemany Farmers' Market - yummy and floral in a good way (vs the bad way where it tastes like soap - I'm looking at YOU, disgusting rose candy) ...

Ode #5 to the Flavor Bible .  Flavor Bible... you complete me... Stacey's Cinnamon Ginger Rum Cake Ingredients: 1c unbleached white flour, organic 1c whole wheat flour, organic 2 tbs cornstarch 1.5c sugar, organic 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 2 eggs, organic 1/3c canola oil, organic 1c whole milk, organic 1/3c water 1/3c dark rum 1.5-2tbs grated fresh ginger 9x9" cake pan with cake liner, 3 silicone cupcake cups First I preheated the oven to 350F and then I combined the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Then I combined the eggs and the oil and whisked it a bit.  I grated the ginger into the rum, and then added that to the eggs and oil.  I added the water to the milk in another measuring cup.  I poured the ginger mixture into the dry ingredients and then about 1/2 a cup of the water/milk mixture into the dry ingredients as well.  I microwaved the rest of the water/milk for 2 minutes to get it hot while ...

I have this Snickerdoodle recipe from  The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book , but I always felt like they were too flat.  Here is my rendition. Stacey's Snickerdoodle Ingredients : 1.5c sugar, organic 1.5 sticks butter, salted, organic 2 oz coconut oil 2 eggs, organic 3c white flour, organic 1/4c cornstarch 1 tbs cinnamon 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cream of tartar 1/4 tsp salt For rolling: 1/4c sugar, organic 1 tbs turbinado sugar, organic 2-3 tsp cinnamon I preheated the oven to 375F.  Then I microwaved the butter and oil until the butter was partially melted.  I added the butter, sugar, and cinnamon to my standing mixer and mixed until combined.  Then I added the eggs and mixed until fluffy. Then I threw in the dry ingredients and turned the mixer on and off to the "stir" setting in a pulsing fashion until it was mixed.  Turn it on full blast "stir" and you'll have a flour-covered kitchen.  Once it became dough, I rolled 1....

My mom's favorite candy is when I make these and use them to make rocky road (of course with homemade marshmallows and premium chocolate). Stacey's Candied Spiced Hazelnuts Ingredients : 7.3 oz hazelnuts, peeled (instructions below) 1/2c sugar, organic (3.5oz) 1 tbsp (.5oz) butter, salted organic 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp nutmeg (freshly ground) I usually only find hazelnuts that are in the peel (if shelled - I've never tried to shell my own hazelnuts) so the best way to peel them is to toast them a bit, then rub them against each other in a towel.  I used my toaster oven.  I keep my nuts in the freezer to make sure they don't go rancid.  So, I put them into a baking tray straight from the freezer into my toaster oven at 350F for 15 minutes.  When they came out they looked like this, peels cracked. I then dumped them into a towel (as many as could fit comfortably without falling out when I gathered the edges together). Once the edges were gathered together...

This is a twist on the recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book , which has great recipes, by the way.  :)  It's the Apple Crisp recipe, but I thought I'd throw some marzipan into it for some added decadence. First you prepare the fruit filling: Then you use it in the crisp recipe: Stacey's altered Fruit Filling ingredients : 7 granny smith apples, organic (peeled, chopped into 1/2" cubes) 2 tsp cornstarch 1 tbs dark brown sugar, organic 1 tbs white sugar, organic Stacey's altered Crisp ingredients : 3/4 cup whole raw almonds (local from farmers' market) 3.4 oz marzipan (I used 33% almond version from The Gourmet Corner ), cut into little cubes 1/2 c unbleached white flour, organic 2 tbs dark brown sugar, organic 1/4 c white sugar, organic 1-2 tsp cinnamon, Saigon (from Costco) 1/8 tsp nutmeg (whole nutmeg, freshly grated with a rasp) 1/2 tsp sea salt, fine 4 tbs unsalted butter, organic (1/2 stick) I've made this r...