A Genius in the Kitchen...Most Humbly Spoken, of Course.

Because I seem to be in the habit of posting in twos, here are a few pictures of what I like to think are my "Culinary Masterpieces." They all relate to bread baking as my most recent hobby but so as not to neglect other points of cooking, I'll just mention I've been making lots of soups, pasta sauces, and pizzas recently. Cold weather inspired, of course. Next on the list, however, is coq au vin. I am embarrassed to admit to never having made this classic before, so its appearance on my dinner table is long overdue. Also, not depicted (and for good reasons) is my less than successful crumpet attempt. Apparently one needs "crumpet rings" to pull this one off.

This is the first of many future batches of bialys. I had never heard of them before now, and rue the wasted time I spent not devouring these beauties.

Here is the aerial view of the "Cheddar Loaf." It makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich (or, as I used to say, a "girl cheese sandwich")

Interior view, same loaf.

The Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie I made for the family Christmas. This is the pre-oven stage.

Warning: the more you look at this, the more disturbing it becomes (and may not be appropriate for younger audiences...). I recreated the Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie for New Years here in Arlington and used this bake sheet to catch the pie's drippings. Needless to say, I was shocked to discover this image burned to the sheet's surface after washing. The Virgin Mary appears to some, but I get explicit images of monsters.