Smith Family Weblog

I made these ghost cupcakes for the party in Nebraska last weekend, and I think I’ll make them again for Halloween weekend.

This marked the first time I’ve made fondant from scratch—it was so easy, I don’t think I’ll every buy it again! I used my favorite one-bowl cupcake recipe for the base, then swapped out the suggested stack of candy for a Tootsie Pop, thanks to a suggestion from my friend Dawn. Over all, a bit time consuming to assemble (thanks for the help, Laura!), but worth the effort.

I made these pumpkin cupcakes for a few girlfriends last week (they accompanied these candy corn martinis). The recipe is from Pioneer Woman, and you can find it here.  Whoops! My mistake. Correct link here.

These square potatoes were surprisingly easy to make (with the help of a mandolin, at least). And, thanks to copious amounts of butter, they browned quite nicely.

This month’s issue of Bon Appetit is filled with recipes I can’t wait to try—and six I already have. I love cooking this time of year. In fact, all I really want to do is cook and eat, and then cook more. And, as long as I’m wishing, I’d like it to be Friday, too—more time for cooking.

Alas, it’s Wednesday, and I’m avoiding sugar and starch. So, in the meantime, let me share a recipe I made this weekend: Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin with Roasted Apples.

I bought a huge pork loin and butchered and butterflied it myself. It resulted in two good-sized roasts and six thick pork chops. I’d highly recommend this recipe, though please note it took far, FAR less than the recommended two hours to come to temperature. Even though it was a bit overdone, it was still moist thanks to the stuffing and prosciutto.

As soon as the other recipes are online, I’ll share them as well!

I made these (giant!) cupcakes–topped with strawberry meringue buttercream–at my friend Carly’s request. There were a couple of other girls that appreciated them as well!

A colleague of mine recently moved the country to operate a farm. They grow farmstand crops like tomatoes, greens, garlic and melons, and they also raise chickens and goats. They have been supplying my favorite restaurant with goat meat this summer, though I haven’t been in when it’s been on the menu. So, it took matters into my own hands and purchased goat chops at the farmers’ market last week.

Bryan informed me he was NOT EATING GOAT, so I invited Tom over Thursday evening—thankfully, he was game. We marinated the chops in lemon juice, olive oil and fresh herbs, and grilled them until they were medium rare. They were mild and moist, and tasted very much like pork chops. We served them with fresh tomatoes and feta. Definitely something we’ll try again!

As my mom will attest, I love to cook huge batches of messy food in other people’s kitchens. So, while on vacation, I borrowed Gramma’s and set to making four pounds of no-knead brioche dough. The recipe comes from a book Doug gave me–Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I knew I would like it based on the butter content alone (three sticks!).

Once I had the dough prepared, I rolled out four separate rectangles and covered them with cinnamon, sugar and orange zest. The recipe made about two dozen HUGE rolls, which we promptly slathered with cream cheese icing. I will definitely make these again . . . just as soon as someone lets me use their kitchen.