Baking and Cooking Blog – Evil Shenanigans

Fresh Pasta – Mushroom Ricotta Ravioli

I had often wondered how hard fresh, homemade, pasta would be to prepare.  In my mind I imagined that it would be an all day process.  I was wrong.   That said, I did use a pasta roller to roll the pasta into sheets.  That made the process SO easy.  If you have to roll [...]

Bolognese Sauce

I am not a very patient person.  When I want something, I kind of want it now.  That can be a problem when what I want is bolognese sauce.    The trick to good bolognese is to take your time with each step, letting things get brown or simmer completely before moving on to the [...]

Apple Bacon Fritters with Maple Bourbon Glaze

 I love doughnuts.  There is something wonderfully fun about fried dough smothered in a sweet glaze.  Doughnuts are perfect for parties, meetings, brunches, and breakfasts with a hot cup of coffee.   If you have never had a homemade doughnut you really must try one.  They are pretty easy to make, you can even make [...]

Mushroom, Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Would you believe me if I told you stuffed chicken was something you could make during the week?   I would not have believed you until now.  This is the perfect make ahead dinner, just get the chicken breasts stuffed and trussed and stash in the fridge for dinner up to two days ahead.  If [...]

Peach Upside-down Cake

 As Summer winds down, and we start to see the Summer fruit dwindle in the stores, I find that I am on one last Summer dessert push.     I know, in a few shorts weeks, that the fresh Summer peaches will be replaces with the depressing peaches we get most of the year.  I am [...]

Irish Soda Bread

 I’ve said it before, and I will say it again.  Ireland changed my life. On my first night in Dublin my husband and I found a bustling pub in the Temple Bar District which served traditional Irish food.  Now, most pubs sell Guinness stew and soda bread, but this pub had bangers and mash, roasted [...]

Bacon Cheddar Cookies

Yes, Cheddar Bacon Cookies.  Now, before you ask, no this is not a sweet cookie.  It is a savoury cookie perfect for appetizers for serving with a salad or soup.  They are so good! These cookies are addictive.  They are the perfect base for savoury spreads and toppings, but are just as delightful all on [...]

Bruléed Apple Tart

Inspiration comes from a lot of places.  Sometimes it is a basket of fresh fruit, sometimes it is a picture, and sometimes it is a television show.   Last week, while watching Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word, inspiration struck in the form of an apple tart.  Gordon baked sliced apples on a round of puff [...]

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

 This recipe is something of a triumph for me.    I have long suffered with an inability to make a light and tender angel food cake.  The cakes always, without fail, fall in the oven or just after removal from the oven.  It drove me mad!   Now I am confident those days are behind [...]

Cheddar and Gruyère Gougères

When I was in my Laminated Dough class in culinary school we made gougères.  I have never been the same since.   After reading what gougères were I was certain they would be awful.  I mean, a gougère is nothing more than pâte à choux  with cheese mixed in, but I always associated pâte à [...]