gwendolyn faith is not a crayon.
I work in advertising. I play in the kitchen.
I’m part tweenager. (Look at my iTunes playlist.)
I’m part Grandma. (Look at my oversize cardi collection.)
I’m part Romy or Michelle. (Look at the height of my hair.)
I love the Lord even more than I love cheese. So, a lot.
I wish my life were a musical, but other than that, I’m pretty content.
Smitten Kitchen’s Blueberry Boy Bait, which a 15-year-old girl entered in the junior division of the 1954 Pillsbury Bake-Off and vowed brings all the boys the yard. I’d be happy to test her theory, but then I’d probably have to share.
I have big news. Something even bigger and better than the Baked Rigatoni with Sausage Meatballs, Spinach and Vodka Sauce I made last week.
I’ve accepted a job in Chicago at Starcom as the Associate Human Experience Strategist on the Procter & Gamble account!
In a nutshell: I’ll help unearth brand-relevant consumer insights and develop media strategies and plans that will resonate with the target. (Advertising folk, Human Experience Strategists are essentially the account planners of the media world.)
I report to work three weeks from today. Until then, I’ll be at home in Collierville, reading, cooking, seeing friends and spending some time at the Justine office. And finding an apartment from afar. Oh, that.
Stay tuned for my adventures in the Windy City! And in the meantime, make the rigatoni.
Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza proves fruit belongs on a ‘za, especially with sauce made from strawberry jam, balsamic reduction and Sriracha.
I’m blogging about dinner to take my mind off the heart-wrenching Grey’s Anatomy finale*. (I’m basically rending my garments.) Luckily, Smoked Salmon Quesadillas with Creamy Sriracha Cilantro Sauce deserve their own blog post, whether or not I need a distraction. Make ‘em when you need a quick, easy meal to brighten your day!
*Scandal is also a satisfying diversion, but the show’s on a commercial break right now.
Time at home is for catching up with my friends from high school, logging hours at Justine, making a dent in my reading list, watching too much television and cooking dinner for my family.
Dinners like Thai Chicken Enchiladas, which my parents deemed worthy of company. Swimming in coconut milk and red chili sauce, these enchiladas are packed with chicken, shredded cabbage, carrots and onions, and a hefty handful of cilantro and crushed peanuts.
It’s a good thing I’ve got a lot to do this week.
(Even if “Watch The Office from start to finish” is at the top of my to-do list.)
Otherwise I’d be drinking the addictive enchilada sauce out of the pan with a straw.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies and Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies, aptly described by one blogger as “the only chocolate chip cookies I ever need to know how to make for the rest of my life,” for my thesis committee members.
Blueberry BBQ Salmon, my dinner a few nights this week. I made the blueberry barbeque sauce over the weekend, and in the evening when I come home for dinner, I cook a piece of salmon en papillote with a little olive oil and lemon juice in the oven at 450F for 12 minutes. When the salmon’s ready, I layer on the barbeque sauce, and — voilà. Suddenly I like salmon!
Okay, okay, I liked Salmon in Luxurious Green Sesame Pipian, too, but I think I prefer the fruit ‘n fish combo here.
roasted sweet potato and chorizo lettuce wraps, unwrapped.
I threw together a sweet, fresh Strawberry Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction for dinner in less than 30 minutes, including the time I took to make another round of balsamic reduction after I scorched the first batch.
Simple, healthy and delicious — and destined to be even more delicious when tomatoes are actually in season! (Duh, Gwen.)
In my perfect world, I’d invite my friends over for homemade ice cream every weekend. (In my perfect world, ice cream would be a health food, obviously.) In my not-quite-perfect-but-still-wonderful world, ice cream socials are a rare treat — but since homemade ice cream takes several steps to prepare, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Here’s the Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream I made for Megan, Erin, Melissa, Sam and my roommates, Mollie and Shannon, recently!
Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream | From Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer
- The Cake, cut into small cubes
- 3/4 c. homemade honey butterscotch sauce
- 2 c. whole milk
- 1 T + 1 t cornstarch
- 8 T cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1+1/4 c. heavy cream
- 2/3 c. light brown sugar
- 2 t light corn syrup
- 3 or 4 drops butter flavoring
- PREP: Put the cake cubes in a large bowl. Toss with the butterscotch sauce and let stand so the cake begins to absorb the sauce. Mix about 2 T of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and the salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
- COOK: Combine the remaining milk, the cream, the sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat and boil for four minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about one minute. Remove from heat.
- CHILL: Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag into the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
- FREEZE: Turn on the ice cream machine; as it whirs, pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister. Drop the butter flavoring through the opening in the top of the machine, and continue to spin the ice cream until thick and creamy. When ready, pack the ice cream into a storage container, layering it with the cake. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer for at least four hours or until firm.
The Cake | From Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer
Don’t make The Cake for your next birthday party. Sturdy and absorbent, The Cake holds up in ice cream better than a typical homemade or box mix cake, but it doesn’t shine on its own.
- 3 T unsalted butter
- 1+1/2 t vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 t. fine sea salt
- 3/4 c. sifted cake flour
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Butter the bottom (but not the sides) of a 9-inch square baking pan, or line it with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave. Add the vanilla; set aside.
- Combine the eggs, egg yolks, both sugars and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip for eight to 10 minutes, until very thick, light lemon in color, and tripled in volume. Fold in the flour. Fold in the melted butter mixture.
- Pour into the baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes on a rack, then unmold and cool completely.
