cooking ala mel

Whole Wheat Ciabatta

November 3, 2014

I’m back after a pretty long hiatus with some crusty, carby goodness! Ciabatta bread. Now, I have no true reason for not posting for such a long time… I was on rotation for the past 6 weeks, but that’s neither here not there. I was busy, but not overly so! Now, I’m off for the next two months, so I won’t let that amount of time ever pass between posts again. And now, since I’ve been talking about diabetes and telling patients not to eat many carbs for the past month and a half, I think it’s high-time to share none other than: a bread recipe!

This is probably one of my all-time favorite bread recipes to make. It results in a crusty bread filled with air bubbles that is absolutely perfect for toppings. All of those nooks and crannies are just asking to be doused in butter, garlic, and cheese for a killer garlic bread! It’s great for dunking into soups, and it’s also sturdy enough for a sandwich! [Read more…]

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

September 15, 2014

This past weekend, my crazy cat lady came out a little more than usual, in the form of homemade felt catnip toys. On Saturday night. Because it’s totally normal to stitch up toys for your kitties instead of socializing with actual people. Hah. I also just recently ordered a subscription for a Meow Box for the kitties… I promise I’m not insane. It’s just so darn fun to see how excited they get when they know something is just for them.

Because it’s gotten super cool in Buffalo in the past few days (I’m talking in the 50s – Fahrenheit), I’ve decided it’s just the weather that’s making me love extra on my kitties. Cold equals more kitty cuddles, and you gotta keep those kitties happy to keep the cuddles coming, right? Right. My garbage disposal got all jammed up, so I couldn’t really wash any dishes, so there is that, too; I couldn’t really bake anything, which is normally what I do as soon as it gets cool out. I DID, however, manage to make this bundt cake earlier in the week to get a little bit of fall baking in early, as it seems that Mother Nature has decided it’s fall here already. [Read more…]

Classic Double Chocolate Brownies

September 8, 2014

Sometimes, all you need is a classic brownie. Just like the kind that comes out of a box, with the crisp, crackly top and fudgy center. To get that, you can’t really “healthify” it much, seeing as it’s the sugar involved that creates that perfect crackly top, but to get that perfect brownie, that calorie splurge is so, so worth it.

I did make these with white whole wheat flour, because I can’t leave well enough alone. You can’t tell in the slightest, though! Still makes them rich and gooey, since they still have plenty of butter and sugar. 😉 [Read more…]