Dory in the Kitchen

In honor of the Sundance Film Festival which is attracting so much attention to my lovely home state of Utah, and mostly just because Robert Redford is so darn fun to look at... ...I thought I'd share one of my most favorite desserts: The Next Best Thing To Robert Redford . For the crust, you'll need 1 cup flour 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 cup pecans, finely chopped Pinch of salt Mix flour, melted butter, salt, and nuts until crumbly, and press into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool completely. For the filling, you'll need 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed 1 cup powdered sugar 4 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix 4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix 3 cups milk chocolate shavings for garnish Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar on high with a mixer until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping and spread over cooled crust. Combine and mix both of the puddings with milk and beat slo...

"You're a good devil," she said, as she walked by my office with two servings of my latest baking offering. I don't have a family to spoil, or kids to surprise with fun lunchbox delights, so my coworkers are the beneficiaries of my kitchen adventures. And today, I surprised them with black cocoa brownies. Super fudgie, decadent, rich, and the perfect brownie texture in my book, I can honestly say that I've mastered this recipe and I'll never use another. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 1 tablespoon no sugar added apple sauce (you can use vegetable oil or yogurt, too) 1 1/8 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs, beaten 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted 1/2 cup King Arthur Flour black cocoa powder, sifted 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan. You want your oven rack to be on the second highest slot in your oven. Not on the ...

We rarely ever had that blue boxed stuff with cheese powder when I was a kid. In fact, I distinctly remember already knowing how to make a roux when I took my first Home Economics class in grade 7. When I say that we made things from scratch in my house, I mean it!! We ate good food. We ate well. But I still enjoyed that blue boxed stuff with cheese powder when I was a kid. In fact, I still kind of do! I might buy a higher end product with organic ingredients and white cheddar powder, but a good boxed mac & cheese is a guilty pleasure of mine. My tastes obviously evolved, thankfully, but when I want a really guilty pleasure, I make this grown up macaroni and cheese, cacio e pepe style. Loaded with cheese, butter, and enough cracked black pepper to make you sneeze, this is a recipe you never knew you always wanted. Adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe, I hope you'll give my dish a try! Ingredients Kosher salt 1 lb. small shell pasta 1 stick chilled unsalted butter 2 tsp. co...

I always liked buttercream frosting, and I completely adored cream cheese frosting, so why not marry them and create the mother of all frostings??? I did it a few years ago and I've never looked back. But before I give you the recipe and turn you loose, here are a few tips to make your frosting successful: First, make sure that your butter and your cream cheese are soft. You don't want your butter to be melting, but you absolutely want them room temperature and similar consistencies. Second, sift your dry ingredients. Lumpy cocoa powder and lumpy powdered sugar will NOT give you a silky smooth frosting. Sift happens, people. Ingredients 1/2 cup butter, softened 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon vanilla extract With an electric or stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese for two to three minutes until well combined. Add your sifted dry ingredients and vanilla and mix on low until all ingredi...

I am one of the few odd bakers out there who don't really like cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies. Call me crazy, but I just don't care for them! Until now. My take on them combines the richness of dark chocolate with the sweetness of milk chocolate, all topped with the flakiest of flaky sea salt. Adapted from the New York Times' recipe , I think this one is worthy of keeping in rotation and sharing with loved ones. Just be sure to have some cold milk handy. Ingredients 8.5 ounces cake flour 8.5 ounces bread flour 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt 2 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature 10 ounces light brown sugar 8 ounces granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 lb chocolate (half milk chocolate and half bittersweet chocolate, at least 60% cacao content) Sea salt for sprinkling Preparation 1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl...

I spend more time in bakeries than just about anywhere else in my travels. Museums are great. Getting lost on foreign named streets is actually a blast. But bakeries are my jam! Nearly every scandinavian bakery has a cinnamon roll in one form or another, but even in their differences they're equally delicious and amazing. My favorite is the kanelbullar, a simple sweet bread dough with cardamon, filled with a blend of butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Curled up and topped with pearl sugar, they're bound to be your favorite, too. Here's everything you'll need to make the sweet bun dough 5 oz butter 17 fl oz whole milk 4 1/2 teaspoons yeast 1 teaspoon salt 90 g granulated sugar 1 tablespoon cardamom 800 g flour Melt the butter in a pan, add the milk, and heat to 98.6 degrees. Dissolve the yeast in the milk and butter mixture in the bowl of a stand mixture. Add the salt, sugar, and cardamom, and then add the flour little by little while you knead the dough with...

I find myself researching baking substitues for loads of reasons. I'll swap out oil in favor of no sugar added apple sauce to cut back on the fat. I'll go for heavy cream or half and half instead of whole mix to make my scones all the more rich and decadent. Heck, I'll even swap out avocado for eggs! Today, I found myself needing to find a baking substitute because I forgot to purchase cake flour at the grocery store yesterday. My cart had 30 pounds of flour, 10 pounds of sugar, and two pounds of salted butter, but I completely spaced the cake flour for some delicious chocolate chip cookies I recently saw with the New York times. So, here's a random tip for you: if you have a recipe that calls for cake flour and you, too, do not have any, mix together 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour. Mix well and there you have it...DIY cake flour. I sifted my ingredients in a bowl, stirred them well, and I keep it in a glass jar. Wait, cake flour in coo...

Attention coconut lovers: this is the pie you've been looking for. Ingredients 3 whole eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup flaked and sweetened coconut 1 stick butter, melted 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt Mix filling ingredients well and pour into a 9" prepared pie shell. I'm lazy and I love the frozen shells from Marie Callender's. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. The top will get rather dark, but don't worry, it's supposed to! I love serving mine with a side of meyer lemon curd or something tart to cut the sweetness.

I've been making homemade mustard for a few years and I've got to admit that I've never had so much fun playing mad scientist while coming up with crazy fun flavor combinations! I've looked all over the internet for recipes and I've found the graphic below to be the best "How-To" if you want to get started on it yourself! My favorite blend is a 50/50 mix of yellow and brown mustard seeds, IPA, sea salt, shallots finely minced, and lots and lots of fresh thyme. We're talking a LOT of fresh thyme.

A select group of people have this crazy idea that I'm adopted. I don't know where they'd get that from. I mean, I often refer to my "adopted family in Gloucester, Massachusetts..... I first visited Gloucester on a short, extended weekend trip to visit my oldest brother who lived there. He introduced me to loads of the most genuine, kind, friendly, and loving humans who quickly became my family. Each of them hold a special place in my heart and it feels like a crime that we're not actually related. When it comes to food there, however, nothing can or will hold a candle to  Latitude 43  and the  Minglewood Tavern . All part of the same building/dining experience, Lat 43 and Minglewood are home to some of the best local cuisine a visitor or local can experience.  The views are second to none, located right on the marina, and their menus will knock your socks off.  You've never had sushi 'til you've had it here, the pub food is to die for, especially t...

I feel the need to issue a disclaimer: I do not particularly like cookies. I'll pass on them every time they're offered and I thoroughly dislike making them. Until now. These black treacle cookies are quite possibly my favorite cookie, ever, and I will keep a constant supply of black treacle in my cabinets so I can make these. You're probably wondering what treacle is, right? Well, it's an extremely close relative to molasses, just a bit darker and less bitter. It's still made by refining cane sugar and comes in a few color grades. You can likely find treacle in a fancy schmancy import store like World Market, but I didn't find it in even my fanciest of grocery stores. So I bought mine on  Amazon . It took a while to get here as it shipped from the UK, but I was in such a rush that I didn't pay attention to the shipping location. You can probably find it easier than I did and get it shipped faster. I will  strongly  urge you to either follow this recip...

One of the best part of winter is the extreme abundance of citrus everywhere. The bright squeeze of vitamin C shines a bit of sunlight and warmth into an otherwise overcast Utah day and I always have bowls of clementines and lemons adorning my kitchen table and countertop. But if you're anything like I am, you can't eat them fast enough and you have some that need a little nudging to go towards the light. Well, fear not. I have a great idea: MARMALADE!!! Yeah, making your own jams and jellies and preserves can be a bit intimidating, I get it, but I believe in you and I really think I've made this recipe as simple as possible. You don't even need to buy pectin!!! Here's all you'll need: 4 cups of sliced Meyer lemons 6 cups water 7 1/2 cups granulated sugar First, start by preparing your lemons. Slice each in half, from end to end. Use a sharp knife to cut out the core, and run your fingers along the missing core area to remove all of the seeds. Save the ...

I get it, really, I do. Most people do not like mushrooms. They look weird. They have an unusual texture. I mean, they're fungus! Personally I think they're ridiculously delicious. Their meaty texture pairs well with just about everything and is a brilliant meat-free substitute, but when you roast them.....wow! Known for their umami taste, mushrooms are really quite amazing if you know what to do with them. And if you don't know what to do with them, this recipe is a great jumping off point. Roasted mushrooms. Herbs. Cheese. What's not to love? My recipe is adapted from one I found from Cookie + Kate  but I hope youI'll give it a try. Let me know in the comments what you think! Roasted Mushrooms 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms 1 yellow onion 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only One lemon, halved Herbed & Cheesy Quinoa 1 cup quinoa 2 cups water 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/...