Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Crystallized Ginger

Posted in Chocolate, Christmas, Cookies by

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Crystallized Ginger

No Christmas, in my opinion, is complete without a tray of cookies to finish off a fabulous meal. This year, I’m participating in Patience Brewster’s online cookie exchange! If you’re not familiar, Patience Brewster is an artist and designer of handcrafted ornaments. What a fabulous way to share recipes and get in the holiday spirit! I’ve been baking up a storm at Chez Bowman –  so far I’ve made 3 or 4 types of cookies (including these – ahem, famous ones), English toffee that I distributed to my coworkers in cute holiday packaging (all Martha Stewart-like), and my favorite holiday culinary tradition, Challah (a Jewish holiday classic, that’s become a staple in my family’s WASPy Christmas breakfast – more to come on that recipe in the coming weeks).  Continue reading →

Candy Cane Chocolate Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

Posted in Cakes, Chocolate, Mint by

Candy Cane Chocolate Cake

Sometimes I think there’s nothing better than Christmas time at home with my parents. My mom and dad live in a 19th century, stone town house in Pennsylvania, and every Christmas, with wood fires burning, we hang our stockings and sit by the fireplace laughing, eating and drinking until it’s well into the early morning. My parents go the extra mile when decorating the house for Christmas. Their tree is adorned with antique ornaments, beads, garlands and Christmas lights. Every fireplace mantle is swathed with fir tree branches, and our front door is crowned with a homemade Della Robbia, welcoming all family and friends that come to share the holiday spirit.  Continue reading →

Bourbon Molasses Cookies with Bourbon Buttercream (a.k.a the “Drunken Debbie”)

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Bourbon Molasses Cookies with Bourbon Italian Meringue Buttercream

Last weekend, my friend Soffia and I competed in the Brooklyn Cookie Takedown, a cookie competition held at the Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn.  To compete, all you have to do is bake 250 cookies, and show up to the venue and hand them out. Not too bad, right? Um…yea – easy, except that it’s 250 cookies (think 20 dozen cookies!).  These were to be made in my tiny, tiny kitchen that lacks a stand up mixer. That’s right people, everything you’ve seen on this site to date is made with the use of my handy-dandy (pun intended) handheld mixer.  Continue reading →

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Creamy Caesar Dressing

Posted in Brussels Sprouts, Vegetarian, Winter Recipes by

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Creamy Caesar Dressing

One of the many amazing things that I love about living in New York City is the endless list of restaurant options.  It can be overwhelming for an avid home cook, because while I enjoy staying home and cooking, I also thoroughly enjoy discovering new restaurants and dining out. Often when it comes to choosing between cooking something at home, and going out to eat, I’ll choose the latter.  While this significantly depletes my wallet, it contributes heavily to my recipe catalogue.  I love sourcing recipes from restaurants that I visit, and whenever I am feeling a lull in creativity in the kitchen, I look to some of my favorite restaurants and dishes for inspiration.  Continue reading →

Kentucky Bourbon Cake #BundtBakers

Posted in Bourbon, Cakes by

Kentucky Bourbon Cake

I’m trying so hard not to talk about the weather, because it’s so boring, I know, but I just can’t help myself.  It’s frigid here in NYC, and I’m just not ready for it. Yesterday marked the lowest recorded high temperature since 1882.  That’s right, at a muggy 33 degrees, this time of the year has not seen these kind of temperatures in over a century.  So what can we do to keep ourselves warm? I’ll tell you what – drink (responsibly of course).  Because when life brings you frigid temperatures, keep yourself warm with a strong drink and a slice of this Kentucky Bourbon Cake.  It’s cold outside, and bourbon keeps you warm, it’s really just science. Continue reading →

Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Peanut Butter by

Homemade Nutter Butters

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend brought home a single serving pack of Nutter Butters and left them on the kitchen table.  I don’t know where or why he got them, but they sat on our table for a week without being touched, taunting me.  We don’t usually keep a lot of snacks in our apartment, partially because grocery shopping in New York is the worst, and mostly because I just don’t like having snacks around – I’m weak and get tempted too easily.  Cheez-Its, for example, are simply banned from the apartment because I could eat the whole box in one sitting.  I’m not proud.  Continue reading →

Creamy Carrot Soup with Potato

Posted in Carrots, Dinner, Fall Recipes, Soup by

Creamy Carrot Soup with Roasted Potatoes

One of the things I love best about cooking is that you can never stop improving your skills in the kitchen. There are always new dishes to try, techniques to master and menus to plan. While I’ve never had any formal training, learning most of what I know from watching my parents at home and my culinary idols on the Food Network, I like to think I know my way around a kitchen, at least for the most part.  But one thing I’ve never been super confident about, and a skill that is absolutely essential to be a serious cook, is knowing how to properly use a chef’s knife.  Continue reading →

French Tomato Tart and my trip to Paris and Provence

Posted in Dinner, Summer Recipes, tomatoes, Vegetarian by

Easy Tomato Tart

A few weeks ago, my family and I went on an unbelievable trip to France.  We spent 10 days living the good life  – our time split evenly between Paris, the city of lights, and Provence, the land of olive groves, vineyards and picturesque mountaintop towns. I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. Absolute joie de vivre. 

Paris

Paris Cheese

In Paris, we rented a beautiful apartment in Le Marias, and enjoyed all of the local shops and groceries to every extent we could.  We were lucky enough to be staying just around the corner from a wonderful boulangerie-pâtisserie, and every morning we planned our day over steaming cappuccinos, freshly made baguettes smothered with sea-salt butter,  and flaky, buttery pastries.  Continue reading →

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Posted in Apples, Doughnuts, Fall Recipes by

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Every Sunday, I have a routine of visiting my local farmers market and stocking up on fresh fruits and veggies for the week. Recently, my favorite produce stand has gotten into the habit of bringing these deliciously spiced, absolutely scrumptious apple cider doughnuts with them every Sunday. So naturally, apple cider doughnuts have found their way into my weekly routine.  Continue reading →

Apple Butter Bundt Cake with Cider Caramel Glaze #bundtbakers

Posted in Apples, Cakes, Caramel, Desserts by

Apple Butter Bundt with Cider Caramel Glaze

Last weekend, my sister, Sam, and I visited our good friend Lydia in Massachusetts.  Lydia is incredibly talented in the kitchen, and has taken her talent and passion for all things sweet to create her own brand: Sweet Lydia’s.  She’s pretty much a celebrity in her home town, and is known by everyone as the woman who makes the delectable marshmallows and sweets that she sells in her store.  I really admire how Lydia has taken her passion and turned it into a successful business.  She works so hard, and it’s so exciting to see her business grow.  Continue reading →