Time for an installment of Friday Things:
1. Cooks Illustrated Tested Whole Wheat Flour and if you thought all whole-wheat flours are created equal, you were wrong.
I used to think that flour was flour. It’s not. I am so brand loyal to King Arthur and it’s all I use, with the exception of a random specialty flour. I draw the line at mail ordering flour and buy what’s in the grocery store and sometimes on a unique flour that I buy once a year, I’ll brand-hop but otherwise the King and I are tight.
2. Manchester Glass Set, $128 at Anthro. A wall-mounted set that would be handy for mounting so many things.
You don’t have to put fresh herbs in it, but I’d like to.
3. Need easy, fast, No-Bake Cookie Recipes?
The Huffington Post featured a couple of mine in their No-Bake Cookie Recipes (Slide 2 and Slide 3)
These Peanut Butter and Jelly Coconut Cashew Sandwich Cookies (no-bake, vegan, GF) are fast and easy, with No Added, Sugar, Salt, or Oil
4. Dorothy’s 5 Tips for Creating Business Cards post – Over and beyond about what to put on the business cards, she shares info about how to change your Facebook name, what a QR code is and how to get one; that Google Voice exists and you can have phone numbers forwarded to your cell so you don’t have to put your cell phone on your business cards.
A cornucopia of helpful tidbits and even if you don’t need business cards, you could probably use some of the sidebar trivia and tips.
5. The Kitchn did a story about What Have You Been Most Surprise (or Embarrassed) to Learn in the Kitchen
The reader comments are great. Sometimes it’s nice to know you’re not alone on just discovering certain things.
For me, I’ve recently discovered that whole wheat pastry flour and graham flour are the same thing.
Or despite knowing better, I’ll read recipes that instruct to combine butter with chocolate chips and melt them. This never works for me and the chocolate always seizes. I’m always surprised when I read recipes that indicate otherwise because in my experience, chocolate chips are finicky and don’t like to be mixed with butter. Bars of chocolate are a different story. But I ruined a bag of chocolate chips and a stick of butter the other day because I didn’t listen to my gut that was saying wait a minute, don’t do it. The water in the butter is the kiss of death for chocolate chips.
6. This Stephanie Johnson Torino Train Case, $78 at Kitson. Crocheted anything reminds me of my grandma and my childhood. I fear that this wouldn’t be durable at all and would snag and look horrible in about a week, but it’s sure cute.
7. Smoked Cashew Salsa – It reminds me of the coating mixture I make for Cheezy Kale Chips (raw, vegan, GF)
The Kale Chips are the best kale chips I’ve ever tried because of that coating. Those little bags of (mostly crushed) chips from Trader Joe’s that are really pricey or from Whole Foods that will break your bank account don’t hold a candle to homemade kale chips. You’ll never buy storebought and you can make them in a low 200F oven.
I’ve adapted the coating mixture for “Spicy Doritos” Cheezy Dip as well and it’s great with veggies sticks, on crackers, on bread, or just about anything.
8. Lauren Conrad featured my Cookie Dough Balls on her site
When I created the recipe in 2009 and I never could have imagined that they’d appear on Lauren’s site.
I have memories of putting my then two-year old down for a nap, turning on some guilty-pleasure episodes of The Hills, and eating cookie dough balls.
9. Do you like Sriracha? Here are 20 Sriracha Recipe Ideas
10. Do the Ripe Thing from Cooks Illustrated. If you thought your bananas had to be black as the night for banana bread, they don’t. Nicely freckled and speckled, but pitch black is not necessary and there’s little difference in sweetness between heavily freckled and completely black.
Meaning you can make this Browned Butter Buttermilk Banana Bread with Strawberry Butter sooner rather than later.
However, my favorite banana bread recipe of all time is this one. No frills, fast, easy, with amazing bread results, guaranteed, every time.
What are your Friday Things?
If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.
Anything you’re surprised to learn in the kitchen? Mistakes that plague you?
Flour preferences or loyalties? Freckly vs. black bananas for baking?
St. Paddy’s Day Plans?
Have a great weekend and check back for a giveaway!
wait… what?! WW pastry flour and graham flour are the SAME THING? I feel silly for not knowing this. Congrats on the HuffPost features! And that smoked cashew salsa – oh my heavens. I could do MAJOR damage to that salsa. We’re going out for mexican tonight and obviously the salsa won’t compare. PS: yes I’ll have a margarita and YES I will think of you! and LAUREN CONRAD featured your cookie dough balls on her site! OMG! I was obsessed with her when I was in college a few years ago when the Hills was on TV :) Those little recipes from years ago always seem to make an appearance again right – the ones you never thought would be huge… are! Congrats girl!
happy friday!
Re the flours, it’s only b/c of a recipe I have coming up that I did a ton of research that I know this. Otherwise, would have had no idea!
Re Lauren & the Hills…About 5 yrs ago when the show was still on and Skylar was a baby and would go down for a morning nap or pm nap and I had an hour to kill, I’d sit on the couch, eat THOSE cookie dough balls and watch DVR episodes of the Hills. I remember thinking this is weird..I have a baby now. But I liked the Hills girls. Such ironic twists.
And yes, it’s always the ‘little’ recipes that blow up. The hard ones or ones with good photography..don’t. lol
Oh my those cookie dough bites look heavenly!
I love Siracha! Those recipes will go to good use!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.blogspot.com
I love that Cooks Illustrated test! They are amazing, I trust them complete when it comes to kitchen test. Congrats on the LC feature :)
As much as I take any website or authority’s word for it on something sight unseen, I take C.I.’s word on things!
Very,very rarely do they ever steer me wrong!
I love the sound of the smoked cashew salsa, but I’m not sure I want to take the time to smoke those nuts. I could try a short cut with a couple of drops of liquid smoke, but I know a little goes a long way. If I’m not careful, I’ll bring out the “ash” in those cashews. Ewww…that would be some dreadful salsa! I am a fan of King Arthur (my mom is too), but I also buy Bob’s Red Mill for smaller amounts of specialty flours. Hubby just put whiskey on my grocery list, so I think that’s a hint he wants his homemade Bailey’s tonight. I’ll let you know how we like it (but I already know we will)!!
I would totally be buying smoked cashews if I was going to make that! Ashy cashews and liquid smoke…yes, oh boy, that wouldn’t be good! They sell Bobs and Hodgson Mills in the groc stores here for the real specialty flours whereas with KAF it’s mail order so sometimes I’m in a jam and HAVE to have the flour I need right then and there and deviate from KAF so I don’t have to order it. Ok Lmk how the Baileys turns out!
Congrats on the features, so exciting! :) I loved that article in The Kitchn too – some of those things were absolutely hilarious!
Wow so may good Friday Ideas! Where to start…..
I love Lauren Conrad… you are lucky!
King Arthur forever! The only flour I do not get from them is einkorn – I buy Jovial. When I got married last year, my favorite wedding present was from my aunt who gave me a huge gift card to King Arthur, so I actually do mail order my flour often! It’s one heavy shipment! :)
Heading over to check out that Sriracha list right now…
I love that someone gave you a KAF gift card for your wedding. Some people want fancy china patterns and fancy appliances; you wanted flour. THAT is awesome and what a great, great gift that clearly got put to use! I wish more people gave practical gifts like that!
Interesting post Avery, I definitely did not know that whole wheat pastry flour and graham flour were the same thing. I guess this means graham wafers are….healthy? ;)
I only figured it out b/c of a recipe I’m working on; otherwise, never would have known!
I can’t stand ripe bananas. Even too yellow, not even brown spots yet, is too much for me. Jason thinks I eat them “raw.” And Sriracha? Other than ketchup, I don’t need any other condiment! Ok, maybe mustard ;-)
Great compilation – I have to keep an eye out for your Friday Things from now on! : ) I also use King Arthur and I’m a big fan of The Kitchn! Your cookie dough bites look terrific!
Once a week or 2x a month, I do posts like this. Fun little factoids and things I stumble across online that I think may be nice to share!
…and just saw your homemade Baileys Irish Cream on The Kitchn – that is so cool…congrats!! : )
Thanks for noticing it! :)
oooooh, love the wall mounted glass containers! And if it makes you feel better, I’ve never even heard of graham flour. :) Sriracha recipes?!? Yes, please!! Congrats on your cookie dough bites being featured on Lauren’s website. Happy Friday!
Thanks, Michelle! :)
FLOUR. I could write an entire blog post on it. I am a loyal KAF baker. I recently picked up a bag of Gold Medal because that was the only flour my local store had. I was disappointed in my baking results…. and the amount of lumps I had to sift out of it. KAF is like silk. I have been asked before if I work for them because I mention it so often. Nope…. just really love their product!
Also congrats on being on Lauren’s site! How awesome is that?!
Congrats on being featured on Laurens site! VERY cool and well deserved!
I hope all is well! Has been a while! Hope your daughter is doing great! <3
Hey sweetie! Great to hear from you!!! Hope life has been treating you well!! We’re great – busy as ever, but all good stuff!
xoxox
My Friday thing is (although I can’t eat them unless agar is substituted) jello molds! I had a party and my neighbor brought one in the shape of a brain that was pretty awesome, now I want to get some molds and play with agar. There’s a pick of it here if you scroll down a bit:
https://scrumptiousgruel.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/todays-post-as-a-meal-in-courses-reel-party-pie-brains-and-a-clifford-original/
There’s also a recipe for a new gin-less take on the Negroni, my Friday drink;)
Congratulations on all your recipes being featured! You deserve it, the stuff I’ve made from your site rocks.
Oh you’ll have to LMK what all you’ve made! I’m sure you’ve told me, but refresh my memory next time you comment!
I know I’ve made and posted about an EZ Cheezy bake, and the cookie dough balls. I’ve also made the cinnamon roll baked donuts- tho I made them in the shape of muffins. I’d have to look through my list of stuff I’d tried to see what else. Hah, my to make list is even longer though!
Well thanks for trying all of those and now that you say so, I do remember you telling me about them over the year(s)! <--- Wow :)