Cooking Method: Baking

Ginger Ale Pork Chops

If you are a fan of ginger, you must try these Ginger Ale Pork Chops. It literally couldn't get any more ginger-y! It has powdered ginger, ginger ale, fresh ginger, and crystallized ginger. It's a tad sweet because of the ginger ale (NO, do not use diet ginger ale!), but it's delicious and topped off with walnuts and golden raisins.

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Harvey Wallbanger Cake

Harvey Wallbanger Cake. The Harvey Wallbanger is a mixed drink made with vodka, Galliano (a sweet, herbal Italian liqueur), and orange juice. According to folklore, a bartender named Donato "Duke" Antone invented the Harvey Wallbanger in 1952. It's said he named it after a Manhattan Beach surfer and bar regular named Tom Harvey, who is a complete mystery. The cocktail became popular in the early 1970s. I have no idea who decided to make a cake from the cocktail, but it's a rather good idea. I did not have Galliano, so I used Cuarenta y Tres or  Licor 43, which worked well.

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Cornmeal, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomato Madeleines

These Cornmeal, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomato Madeleines are about as good as it gets! For some reason, I happen to own 4 French Madeleine pans! I love the savory flavor that the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes impart. These are great to serve with a glass of wine.

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Elvis Presley’s Favorite Pound Cake

My friend Chris made Elvis Presley's Favorite Pound Cake. It was really the best pound cake I have ever had. It has such a great texture and the vanilla really shines. According to legend, Elvis could polish off the entire cake in one sitting. This somehow doesn't surprise me! There seems to be many versions of this cake, but Chris's is the bomb!

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Crispy Baked Parmesan Eggplant

I love eggplant, especially eggplant parmesan. This Crispy Baked Parmesan Eggplant is a healthier version, minus the marinara sauce. If it says "crispy", I'm all for it!

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Hot Dogs in Puff Pastry

My brother David sent me a box from Omaha Steaks for my birthday last month and there were these jumbo hot dogs. Then I saw that Ina Garten made hot dogs wrapped in puff pastry, which really should be called Hot-dogs à la Pâte Feuilletée. I had no buns, but I did have and ALWAYS have frozen puff pastry. So of course, I made this for dinner because - Je t'adore hot dogs!

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Socca

This recipe for Socca is from Drinking French, by David Lebovitz. I decided to make it because I have leftover chickpea flour from my Onion Bhaji recipe. Socca, farinata, torta di ceci, or cecina is a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour. It originated in Genoa and later became a typical food of the Ligurian Sea coast, from Nice to Elba island. The great thing is that it's gluten-free. It has a very interesting texture and is really good served with an ice-cold rosé from Province.

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Onion Bhaji

This Onion Bhaji recipe comes from a wonderful chef and talented photographer from London. Her name is Dimple and she has a vegetarian FaceBook page that I have contributed to for years called Sharing Food With Shivaay Delights. It's a fantastic source for interesting vegetarian recipes.

Indian food is one of my desert island foods. I suppose I would have to add Italian too! Anyway, I have always loved onion bhaji. I saw Dimple make these online using a muffin tin, which appealed to me. I couldn't find my regular muffin tins, so I used a mini tin. I really don't like deep frying things. These came out very flavorful, though not quite as crispy as usual, it's lower in fat and just as good. The recipe calls for gram or chickpea flour. I am very lucky to live super close to a large Indian market, though Bob's Red Mill had this flour as well.

The next time I am in London, I would love to meet Dimple in person!

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Fire Crackers

I came across this crazy recipe for Fire Crackers in Southern Living magazine. They are also known as Alabama or Cowboy Crackers. The recipe seemed so strange to me, that I decided to make them. Truth be told, I only used 1 sleeve of crackers. I thought it might be a bit much for my husband and me to eat an entire box of oil-saturated saltines! I like anything hot and spicy! You have to leave them overnight in a Ziploc bag before you bake them. And it turns out they are really good, especially with an ice-cold beer!

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Beef Pot Pies

This Beef Pot Pie recipe is adapted from the Pioneer Woman. It's hearty and comforting and just what we needed. If you don't have puff pastry, you could cover it in mashed potatoes or even tater tots!

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