#mancanbake

Birthdays are significantly different and all together more meaningful than anytime I can remember. Birthday’s are celebrated through FaceTime or Zoom in lieu of big parties with friends & family. One thing still remains the same, the joy a homemade cake and singing Happy Birthday can bring a smile to a child’s face. For tonight’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries, I do more than cook. Through photos and writing I am trying to share and help document these unprecedented times. The process I hope is keeping me grounded and sane and maybe entertaining. I have always felt the most comfortable in a kitchen, whether it be mine or someone else’s. I am good at lots of things, can do almost anything but I know I truly enjoy; cooking, taking pictures and telling stories. Telling stories either through those photos, writing or most enjoyable, oral story telling are all art forms. Story telling goes back centuries and is an ancient and intimate tradition which creates a bond between the storyteller and their audience. The storyteller reveals intimate details of themselves through the telling of the story. The listeners in turn allow themselves to be enraptured by the words and emotions being shared with them and through the potential shared experiences they may have in common. I also tell stories through food and in this story my son wanted a special cake for his birthday. He requested a Vanilla cake with a Chocolate Ganache filling, Vanilla Buttercream frosting and a Minecraft design. I know nothing about Minecraft but he seemed pleased. I also ran out of time and could’t make the chocolate ganache filling. The design and flavor of the cake accomplished the goal. I think his smile speaks for itself. Making people happy through food gives me pleasure and I will continue to do so until I take my last breath. Happy Birthday Felix! . #happybirthday #birthdayboy #birthday #birthdaylove #storytelling #art #cooking #baking #mancanbake #artofbaking #coronaviruscookingdiaries #coronavirusbirthday #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc ##nycmanofmanytalents #foodislove #newyorker #newyorkcity #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 #manhattan (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_gh23pnqxs/?igshid=w31ywjy0tti0

On tonight’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries, i am sharing Blueberry Swirl Lemon Cheesecake bars! Lemon and Blueberry is the perfect pairing and these cheesecake bars are good but I want to tweak the recipe I found to make them great! I grabbed the recipe online but will make them again with either a quick shortbread or traditional graham cracker crust that is thinner and a thicker cheesecake layer so the amount of blueberries I used actually swirls and not just color the cheesecake. These blueberry lemon cheesecake bars are good but I plan to make them again until I get it right. The search for perfection is never ending and sometimes fruitless but it’s also quite delicious at times. Cook like a chef, eat like a chef. Bake like no ones watching but everyone is eating. Who is still cooking and baking? Who’s hungry? Let’s eat! . . . @food @nyc.food @kingarthurflour #blueberry #mancanbake #americanfoodporn #blueberries #coronaviruscookingdiaries #blueberrylemoncheesecakebars #blueberrylemoncheesecake #cheesecake #food52 #cheesecakebars #nycmanofmanytalents #delicious #ilovetocook #mancancook #outrageouslydelicious #chefswhorock #foodislove #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc #washingtonheights #newyorker #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 #manhattan #kingarthurflour (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCseLKcJG5T/?igshid=1l9k2b8ltauq1

On today’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries I will be keeping it simple and give you the pure joy of a Strawberry Milkshake. Wouldn’t life be simpler if we could put all of our petty differences aside and just be humans enjoying the simple pleasures of life on a hot summer day. I am hoping this cool, refreshing and delicious milkshake brings happiness to someone who begins to think of a simpler time when they were young and just got pure enjoyment out of this delicious pleasure. Before they were taught to hate, mistrust, doubt, or have zero sympathy or empathy for their fellow human beings. Maybe one day things will be that simple again in the future, until then, love don’t hate, explore don’t hide, enjoy don’t suppress, open your mind don’t close it, care and share don’t be selfish. That’s all I got. Cook like a chef, eat like a chef. Bake like no ones watching but everyone is eating. Who is still cooking and baking? Who’s hungry? Who wants some? Let’s eat! . . . . . . . . #mancanbake #dessert #milkshake #milkshakes #strawberrymilkshakes #americanclassic #americandrivein #americana #nycmanofmanytalents #delicious #ilovetocook #mancancook #strawberry #chefswhorock #foodislove #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc #washingtonheights #newyorker #newyorkcity #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 #manhattan #cookingwithkids #coronaviruscookingdiaries (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCXr9ujJ6oD/?igshid=5zyblt8ktlzl

On today’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries I give you the wonderment of Cherry & Blueberry Clafouti! Clafouti or Clafoutis is a classic baked French dessert of fruit, traditionally cherries, baked in a buttered pan or dish & covered with a thick flan-like batter. The Clafouti is then dusted with sugar & served warm. It is quick, easy & delicious. I bought some beautiful frozen cherries and I needed room in the freezer so I figured I would give Clafouti a try for Sunday Brunch but I have never made it or eaten it before. I was going to use Julia Child’s recipe but I found this recipe at America’s Test Kitchen @testkitchen & thought I would give it a try. The recipe has you roast the cherries for 15 min to reduce the liquid & concentrate the sugars. If you are using good cherries it really works well. I didn’t have enough cherries so I added some fresh blueberries which I did not roast for more flavor. The Test Kitchen’s recipe calls for Cinnamon which is perfect by the way. It also calls for more eggs, cream & whole milk than Julia uses. It also calls for a splash of lemon juice for the fruit and a lot less flour. It is a bit more like a custard than a pancake and the texture was perfect & delicious like a custard pie! This recipe also calls for a dusting of granulated sugar instead of confectioners sugar which provides some added texture on the top. I loved it! We loved it & I will make this recipe again. Start to finish it was 35 minutes and you don’t need a cast iron pan to make it but I recommend it. Thank you to @cpkimball @testcook for the awesome recipe! Cook like a chef, eat like a chef. Who is still baking? What are you making Who’s hungry? Who wants some? Let’s eat! . . . #americastestkitchen #mancanbake #dessert #clafoutis #clafouti #frenchdessert #frenchcooking #cherryblueberryclafoutis #cherryblueberryclafouti #frenchfoodlover #nycmanofmanytalents #delicious #ilovetocook #mancancook #homebaker #chefswhorock #foodislove #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc #newyorker #newyorkcity #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 #manhattan #coronaviruscookingdiaries (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBezz67JPeo/?igshid=1dkg93er53e94

On today’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries I made Raspberry Bavarian Cream with my daughter. As I have said before, my kids are big fans of and are in Love with both Julia Child and the movie Julie and Julia. My daughter has been begging me to make Raspberry Bavarian Cream with her since she first saw the movie. The funny thing is I have never actually made it so we thought we would give it a try. At the time we made it we couldn’t find fresh raspberries so we used frozen which worked fine. It’s actually a pretty time consuming recipe but we had fun making it. It had great raspberry flavor and my daughter loved it. Not ever making it before and not ever having eaten it, I thought it would be more like a pudding or a Boston Cream but it was actually closer to an aerated mouse. Either way it was still delicious! I am calling it a success. Who wants some? Who is still cooking? . . . . . . . . . @juliachildfoundation #mancanbake #dessert #juliachild #juliachildfoundation #frenchdessert #frenchcooking #raspberrybavariancream #frenchfoodlover #nycmanofmanytalents #delicious #ilovetocook #mancancook #homebaker #chefswhorock #foodislove #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc #washingtonheights #newyorker #newyorkcity #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 #manhattan #cookingwithkids #coronaviruscookingdiaries (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBXUsz2JOfZ/?igshid=1494gt4kcwx4i

On today’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries let’s talk about Banana Bread. Excerpts of the following comes from PJ Hamel who wrote about the history of Banana Bread on the @kingarthurflour website. Ironically, Banana Bread is actually one of the most searched bread recipes across America. Hamel’s research found that Banana bread became a standard in American cookbooks when baking with baking soda and powder became popular in the 1930s and appeared in Pillsbury's Balanced Recipes cookbook in 1933. Banana bread really took off when it was included In Chiquita Banana's Recipe Book in 1950. Bananas aren't native to most of North America, and not until refrigerated shipping in 1900s did bananas become a household staple. The Great Depression forced people to get creative and not waste food. At the same time, Royal and other baking powder/soda manufacturers began mass production making them available nationwide. Scarcity breeds innovation and the desire to use overripe bananas, paired with the availability of baking powder, inspired many enterprising cookbook writers to come up with recipes for banana "quick bread" (no yeast). . . . . . . . #mancanbake #americana #bakingfun #bananabread #banana #quickbread #baking #bakingfromscratch #baker #foodlover #nycmanofmanytalents #delicious #ilovetocook #mancancook #homebaker #manhattan #chefswhorock #foodislove #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc #washingtonheights #newyorker #newyorkcity #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CArirwXpVHb/?igshid=1rfehh7eqaj0t

What do you do with homemade pizza dough that you cant store in the freezer because there is no room and you don’t want it to go bad? Well you make fried dough of course! On today’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries we are making fried dough. Fried dough is a big carnival, county fair or street fair delicacy but it is also a simple treat you can make at home. Just add a little vegetable oil to a thick bottom skillet and some pizza dough and you are good to go. I stretch out and flatten the dough in small pieces while heating some vegetable oil on medium heat in the pan. When the oil is hot, you add the dough and fry until golden brown and crispy. Once done frying, let them drain on a aper towel and cover them in Nutella, maple syrup, jam or jelly or eat them plain with a coating of powder sugar. So Delicious!! Who wants one? . . . . . . . . . #mancanbake #italianamerican #dessert #frieddough #italy #italiandessert #frying #frieddessert #italianfoodlover #foodlover #nycmanofmanytalents #delicious #ilovetocook #mancancook #homebaker #manhattan #chefswhorock #foodislove #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc #washingtonheights #newyorker #newyorkcity #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAoC7RCHA1R/?igshid=1p5dx3omn5ign

On today’s episode of the Coronavirus Cooking Diaries I made Ricotta Fritters. Ricotta Fritters are like a cross between mini doughnuts and a sfingi. They are light, dense and delicious! That may sound like an oxymoron but it is so true. This is a simple recipe which calls for eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and Ricotta cheese. There is not much sugar in them so you coat them with powder sugar after you fry them. I made chicken wings for the kids this weekend and filtered the oil. I had wings left over and decided to fry them up for the kids again for dinner. Since the oil was there why waste it! I took the opportunity and I whipped up a quick batch of Ricotta Fritters for dessert. The whole bowl, about 30 of these disappeared in no time. The kids devoured them like they were popcorn! Who wants one? . . . . . #mancanbake #ilovebaking #dessert #lovetobake #ricottafritters #italy #italiandessert #frying #frieddessert #italianfoodlover #nycmanofmanytalents #delicious #ilovetocook #mancancook #homebaker #outrageouslydelicious #chefswhorock #foodislove #nyc #nyc🗽 #nyclife #nyclifestyle #scenefromny #scenefromnyc #washingtonheights #newyorker #newyorkcity #newyorkny #newyorkcitylife #212 (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_6ZkoFJfaF/?igshid=iaq32298ts83