Bread and Yeastophobia

I have a confession to make. I used to have a serious fear of yeast. Terrified. I was a big scaredycat and avoided baking anything requiring yeast for years. No breads. No pretzels. No cinnamon rolls. No way. Nooooooo. Way. Why go through all that trouble? There's all kinds of steps involved.. there's proofing... rising.. bubbling.. festering.. living.. breathing... all kinds of junk.
My change of heart about yeast came about 6 years ago.
In 2007 my husband and I moved to Raleigh from Toronto (we lived there for 3 1/2 years before we got here). Before then we were in Montreal but you've heard this before. When we got to Raleigh I remember one Sunday as I was making a sauce (we say sauce in my family... not gravy. because that's just crazy.) I was thinking that we could really use a nice crusty loaf to go with dinner. Then I tried to figure out where the local bakery was. I couldn't find one. Sure the grocery stores had 'artisan' bread but I was looking for a really fantastic bakery like I was used to back home. Truth be told, I started linacucina because I was hungry. For real.
That's when I began making my own bread. It actually started with focaccia. I missed my red and white pizzas. I had a mission. Eventually I got the hang of it and now I bake some sort of bread at least once a week.
Don't be afraid of the yeast, gang! It's super easy and totally worth the time and effort. If not only for the way your house will smell while your creation is baking in the oven.
Whether you're kneading dough with your own two hands (that's how I do), using a mixer or a bread maker (cheater.)  - Ok.. I'm a little bit kidding about the bread maker and cheating. I've had bread done in a machine and it's really not horrible. If nothing else, it's super duper convenient. It's like the crockpot of the breadmaking world. Set it and forget it.
Whatever you decide to make and however you decide to make it, do it. Give it a try. Really. You'll love it and you'll wonder what the big deal was in the first place. Plus it'll give you major domestic diva points when you go around telling people how you bake all your own bread. *hair flip*
Breadtopia and The Fresh Loaf are some great resources for beginners. Check them out!
xo
L

Rustic Loaf

 



 

 

Challah

 

 

 

Red & White Focaccia

 

 

Croissants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Married and Hating Cake

It makes me a little bit sad to think about it, but there are actually folks out there who hate cake. Can you believe it?! It's like the people who hate chocolate. Or ponies. How does that even happen? It happens. And it's ok. I promise I won't take it personally.
More often than you'd think, I get a call from a couple wanting to know about my wedding cakes and almost in the same breath they'll tell me that they don't actually like cake, but they need one because they're getting married. Why? Who says?
I did a little digging about where all this cake business comes from. What's the symbolism? WELL... according to Wiki, back in the day the Romans (...and we all know how the Romans can get..) used unsweetened barley bread. The groom would break a piece of bread in half over the bride's head (really? crumbs in the hair? are we happy about this?) symbolizing "breaking of the bride's virginal state and the subsequent dominance of the groom over her". ....oh laaaawd. First of all I was barely able to type this because I was giving the side eye to that dominant Roman.
Later on, the barley bread (yum?) was replaced by white wedding cakes which, again, symbolized the bride's purity.
In 2013, are we still thinking the cake is symbolic? Notsomuch. These days the cake is not much more than 1. a showpiece and 2. a dessert.
If you're looking for a showpiece and a dessert, cake is not your only option. I know I've said this often, but it's your day and you should do what you want. If you don't like cake... and if your family knows you don't like cake.. why on earth would you want a cake at your wedding? Do something else. I'm doing more and more weddings where couples are opting for cobbler, or an assortment of pies or pastries. I've even had some do cookies. I've even had some not do anything sweet at all! I've done focaccia, cheese and fruit tables.
There are so many options available for all you Cakey Go-Hately's out there. Don't be afraid to switch it up!
xo
L

 

Pastry Selection

 

 

Focaccia

 

 

Chevre Stuffed Strawberries

Do People Really Use an Egg Slicer to slice Strawberries?

Does that happen in real life?
I recently saw a commercial on Entertainment Tonight BBC News or maybe it was an article in Cosmo The Wall Street Journal or probably Us Weekly The New England Journal Of Medicine or something... it was an ad showing how you could supposedly make your life easier by using an egg slicer to slice your strawberries. Are we doing this, you guys?  I don't think I know anyone who even owns an egg slicer to begin with . Is this task that hard?
I'm a little bit fascinated by kitchen gadgets. In general, I'm not a fan. Not because I don't think that some of them are useful. It mostly boils down to laziness. Is the time saved using this gadget worth me having to then wash this gadget and it's itty bitty parts and wires and little holes. I'm not a fan of dishes more than I'm not a fan of gadgets. 
I do own a garlic press, I won't lie. It's a really nice garlic press. I used to use it all the time.. back when I thought I needed to press garlic. I've grown since then, you guys.
Buy yourself a chef's knife. Spend a lot of money on it and get a good one because it'll really be the only thing you'll need for most tasks. A good knife will change everything. Really.
There are some gadgets which are quite useful, though, and I probably couldn't live without them. Favorite gadget? This thing.

It probably has a name, but I can't remember what it was. It's a peeler that Julienne's as I peel. I'm not fancy enough or have enough patience to julienne properly, so I use this thing.

My other favorite gadget, is this.

 

I love it because it's Bakelite and it's vintage and I collect vintage & antique kitchen stuff. It's incredibly awkward and not really efficient, so I never use it. Once in a while when I'm feeling nostalgic I'll bust it out and make some pudding with it. My mom had one when we were kids and that was my job when I was little. Now that I'm 25 (I'm not 25) I'm no better at keeping the pudding in the bowl and not all over my kitchen counter. I still love it.
What's your favorite gadget?

Of Food and Language and Culture and Preservation

I’ve been quiet this week, gang, and I’ve got to tell you the reason. Before I do so, let me first warn you that this post is going to be a little bit long and mildly self-indulgent. I’m not going to talk about my products or try to sell you anything. Instead, let’s talk about food and culture.

I think you can learn a lot about a culture through their food. Something that I always notice is that food and eating and mealtime is a social event, no matter where you go or where you came from.

If you go to Prague and swing by a pub for some Schnitzel and a Pilsner, you’ll see lots of conversation & lots of laughter. To look around at these folks, you’d never think of the past they came from. If you were familiar with their history, you would look around at these folks and know how resilient they are. People can come in and shake things up and beer will still be called Pivo. And they will serve you.

If you go to Italy you’ll see people eating at long tables filled with food. There will also be smiles and laughter. Everyone sitting at that table, related or not, will be family. If you sit and eat and we share a meal, we’re family. Family is what you learn about the culture. It’s everything. Calamari is Calamari. And they will serve you.

If you go to France, you’ll see restaurants with Michelin Star ratings. Michelin Stars are awarded to the best of the best in the culinary field. Something to take away from this culture is the appreciation of art. Of all kinds. Food is an art like any other. You’ll go to a 3 Michelin Star restaurant and ask for Escargot. And they will serve you.

I grew up in Montreal. Montreal is a (the best) Canadian city in the province of Quebec. I am so lucky to call Montreal my hometown. I had the best of all worlds growing up. Quebec is a French speaking province.. so I had the luxury of the French culture, an Italian family, and I married a Czech. Although I’m Italian I’ve never felt that, by living in a French city or having Indian, Hungarian, Greek, Jewish, English (I could go on forever) friends, my culture was in any way threatened. No. I’ve always felt that having the good fortune to be brought up in such a metropolitan city was an absolute privilege. Nothing less than an absolute privilege. You can go to Montreal and you’ll see food from all over the world. Really. Montreal is a major foodie city. We’re not big ‘chain restaurant’ people. Montrealers love the diversity. We’ll eat anywhere. We love trying new things. We love the ethnicity. We love the authenticity. I love going to an Italian restaurant and hearing Italian spoken in the kitchen. In a French speaking province which is part of a mostly English speaking country, language has always been an issue. There are some (certainly not all) who are terrified that their culture will somehow be lost if we don’t make everything the same. It’s a little crazy. Yes. And, so is asking an Italian restaurant to call Pasta by any other name on their menu.

xo

L

Easter Traditions

The good times have rolled! Yesterday was Mardi Gras, gang. Mardi Gras is your last chance to party before the beginning of Lent. If you didn't get it all out of your system yesterday, the next 40 days and nights are going to be rough going for you, my friend. The good news is that at the end of your 40 days of giving up swearing, soft drinks, chocolate, wine, your sanity, the luxury of your choice, is Easter. 
We do Easter big in Italian families. It's right up there with Christmas for us. The whole family gets together and we eat - this never happens otherwise (lies.it happens every sunday).
Traditionally a roast lamb is served... except in my family, where we had pasta. We always had pasta. Why get complicated when we all wanted the pasta anyway. For Easter, though, we'd probably have Al Forno (in the oven w/ mozzarella oozing all over the place) which would make my cousin Marco especially excited - he's difficult. My grandmother used to put lamb in her sauce, though... so we've got that base covered.
For dessert we'd probably also get some pastries from the bakery around the corner from my grandmother's house. Most likely there'd be Cannoli, Lobster Tails and Sfogliatele. Cannoli are tubes of pastry filled with either sweetened ricotta and mini chocolate chips, or custard. The Lobster Tails are long horns of super duper flaky pastry filled with Italian Pastry Cream (my dad's favorite), and the Sfogliatele are like a smaller version of a lobster tail but instead of the pastry cream, they're filled with sweetened ricotta.
We'd always have Anginetti, which are also known as 'Italian Lemon Drop' cookies. They're light and a bit sweet, and a bit tart at the same time. Let me tell you this... my love for Anginetti didn't really come to fruition until much later in life. I'm a custard kind of girl. Custard and brownies are my weakness - FYI . Just in case we're ever on a gameshow and you need to know what my two weaknesses are.
 Now that I'm doing the baking, I've rediscovered Anginetti. I want my son to be raised with the same traditions (=food) I was raised with. These cookies were always around. Poor little things. As a kid I took them for granted. Now that I'm 26 (lies.) and have a family of my own, I've started making them. They're lemon. If you love lemon, and even if you hate lemon, you will love these airy, pillows of sunshine. I really can't get enough of them.
xo
L

Wedding Favors

Bomboniere, or favors, are gifts given to guests as a 'thank you' for being part of your special day. Traditionally they are accompanied by Confetti (Jodan Almonds). I spent five minutes days googling researching the  history behind Confetti... they are supposed to symbolize the 'bitterness' (almonds) of life... and the 'sweetness'(candy) of love. They're usually bundled in groups of 5 representing Happiness, Health, Longevity, Wealth & Fertility.  Who knew? I think Wiki just made that up. No one ever eats those things - except for my sister. It's good to always have at least one person in the family to dump your Confetti on. I kid. I'm only hating because they take forever to make and I can't do it. No one can ever make them as pretty as the store bought ones anyway, so save yourself the headache.
Times, they are a changin' in the wedding favor department. For one, not everyone does favors anymore. A nice change is that instead of letting your guests leave with a dust collector and some candied almonds, couples have started making donations to their favorite charities on behalf of their guests. I have nothing bad to say about this. I think it's a socially responsible thing to do and really really thoughtful on the bride & groom's part. I would rather leave a wedding with a note letting me know that a donation to a charity has been made on my behalf than get another ceramic figurine to stick in my credenza.
If you're not a crazy hippie making donations (I KID!) another wedding favor tip is to give your guests something useful. The best bomboniere I ever got? A pie server, an ice cream scoop and a napkin holder. Seriously. I use these things all the time.
These days budget is always a concern. Weddings are expensive. After paying for the venue, caterer, dj, photographer, dress, tux, officiant, yadda yadda, yadda yadda... the last thing you need is to start uninviting your dad's co-worker's sister (why is she invited again? where's that seating chart??? MOM!!!).
A great option is giving away food as a wedding favor. Everybody loves to eat! It shows your guests that you appreciate that they took a shower, put on the shoes that hurt their feet, and wore a tie to be at your wedding and it won't break the bank. I do a lot of wedding favors. I've done everything from caramel & chocolate covered pretzel rods to boxes of mini cannoli. Prices start as low as $1 per favor and can be customized to fit your theme & colors.  Here are just a few examples..
xo
L

 

These were for a Sweet 16

 

 

 

 

These can be customized with labels matching your wedding theme

 

 

It's Almost Wedding Season & We're Talking About Trends

While I am happy to provide my clients with some holiday/birthday party/Thursday evening/just because it's raining/or sunny snackery, a very large part of my business comes from the wedding industry.

Wedding cakes, cupcake towers, dessert tables, wedding favors. If you need something sweet for your big day, I'm your girl. Spring is always a busy time of year for weddings. The weather is usually gorgeous and things are fresh and in bloom and new beginnings are happening all over the place.

Trends are big in bridal. They come and go, and because of that a lot of couples are hesitant to step out of the box. The "what was I thinking" concern is a valid one. Meh... I say go for it anyway! Trust... take it from the girl who had a traditional Italian wedding reception in a hall. There was nothing out of the box about my wedding. Don't get me wrong. Loved my wedding. Had a great time. I'm even still married to the guy I invited to it ;)  

My point is that I see a lot of couples during our consultations, who spend more time discussing what everyone else would like to see happen at their wedding. I know planning can get overwhelming, but my advice is to remember that this day is primarily about you. It's your party & you should sit on hay bales and have a masquerade carnival Vegas night if you want to! The worst that can happen when you look back at those photos wondering 'what was I thinking' is remembering that you were thinking 'Right after these photos of me and the bridesmaids 'pretend laughing' are done I'm about to bust moves like a rockstar and get my Stanky Leg on!'

xo

L

Here are some examples of trends done well. (...if I do say so myself ;)

'Country Chic' - Simply elegant, really romantic

'Celestial' - Stars in the night sky. Not all cakes have to be white

'Speakeasy' - 1920's Flapper inspired cake

'Modern' - Clean lines, contemporary, geometric