I’m on an ice cream kick. Have you noticed? Third post of the summer. Sorry if it’s getting redundant, but dwelling in Chicago requires living up summer as much as possible. In a few short months winter will be here—for six loooonnngg months. Therefore, I must make and eat as much ice cream as possible. Forgive me hips. Read more

It’s back-to-school time again. And it’s kinda a big year for us. No, no little ones on the way. It’s Kevin’s (aka graduate school husband) last year of graduate school. Next year, we leave for internship. Time flies. Three short years ago, we married, moved to Chicago, and Kevin started graduate school in hopes of becoming a clinical psychologist. Hopes are beginning to turn into realities. And I’m gonna have to rewrite the first paragraph of my bio. One year closer to dropping the sugar momma title! Read more

One man’s dessert is another man’s breakfast. At least that’s what happened with my leftover mascarpone filling from these tarts. Can I tell you—nothing goes to waste at this casa. Nothing. You would think we lived through the Great Depression. Oh, wait. But on a happier note, this leftover treasure made for one, no two, very delicious breakfasts. I’m talking, so good, you don’t need to leave your house breakfasts. True story—we went out to breakfast one morning, stood in line to be seated, and decided to head back home and make this—Mascarpone French Toast. Read more

I’ve written and rewritten this sentence 13 times. How do I compete with this?

Aren’t they cute? And tiny. And little. I have an affinity towards small things. Simon Birch is my favorite movie. And the only movie I can quote every line. “Ah, it’s a horse!” Simon says in a squeaky voice after coming into contact with a large dog. I feel that way sometimes too, Simon. Five. Zero. That’s all the length I’ve got. We short people have to stick together. And that’s why I like mini tarts. They’re just my size. Read more

I’m not sure if I should title this Cupcakes 101, Baking 101, or Melissa’s Baking Philosophy. I did a presentation on this a couple weeks ago and called it Cupcakes 101. So we’ll stick with that. Just know—this isn’t your ordinary cupcake talk. I apologize.

I mentioned doing a presentation. On food. First time ever. Yes, I was nervous. Nail biting nervous. I’m used to presenting logos, brochures, and ideas, but food…I love food. It’s got an extra soft spot in my heart and in my stomach. But I’m no expert. I’m self taught. I guess you could say Martha taught me everything I know via daytime television. That gives me some credibility. But it ends there. Most days, it’s just me, my kitchen, trial, and error. Read more

Last month I made this decadent chocolate chip cake. And topped it with a hand drawn sign. I had every intention of making it available to you, but in the flurry of serving and eating the cake, the sign disappeared. Probably selling for big bucks on e-Bay. Ha!

Ask and you shall receive. A reader asked for the sign this week so I decided to go digging around for my original template. Found—under a stack of unread Real Simple magazines. (Don’t worry, I will read these cover to cover.) So, I did a little scanning and editing and viola! A downloable PDF just for you! Read more

Basil Ice Cream | @thefauxmartha

So excited to finally share what I’ve been concocting this week! Trust me when I say basil in your ice cream is a very good thing. It is! Though it might sound unusual, it’s floral and sweet and creamy and delicious. And the lemon wafer cookie just puts it over the top. The base of this ice cream pulls from our very favorite homemade vanilla ice cream. Bon Appetit!

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Basil Ice Cream


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  • Total Time: 12 hr.
  • Yield: 1 1/2 quarts 1x

Description

This creamy ice cream is made with the addition of basil. It’s pale green naturally and so delicious. Just blend the basil into the milk ahead of time and voila!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 1/2 c. whole milk
  • 1/2 c. basil leaves, lightly packed
  • 2 c. heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 c. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Garnish

  • Lemon wafter cookie

Instructions

  1. In a blender, puree the milk and basil leaves.
  2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven, large enough to hold the liquids if they were to double in size, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, 1 cup of the sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine.
  3. Heat over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and begins to simmer, whisking occasionally so as not to scald the mixture. Turn down the heat as necessary.
  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until creamy and slightly more pale than when you began, about 1 minute. Set aside.
  5. Once the milk mixture comes to a low simmer, carefully measure out about one cup. Pour about 1/3 of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. (You’ll want to work quickly and constantly here so that you don’t curdle/scramble the egg as you temper them.) Whisk in the remaining milk, whisking constantly to combine. Now add the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking continually. Cook for about 1-2 minutes more until the mixture begins to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  6. Pour mixture in a large bowl over a fine-mesh sieve to catch any egg clumps. Cover and place in the fridge to cool, about 3 hours. To speed up the cooling process, place a bowl in an ice bath or place in the freezer sans ice bath for 30 minutes.
  7. Once the mixture is cold, make ice cream according to your machine’s instructions. Ice cream is best after an overnight freeze post churning.
  8. Serve with a lemon wafer cookie (purchased at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s) and a sprig of basil if you wish.
  • Prep Time: 10 min.
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Italian White Bean Hummus | @thefauxmartha

My absolute favorite restaurant serves italian white bean hummus with flatbread crisps as an appetizer. (Please promise me you’ll go here if you are ever in the Chicago area.) I could go just for the hummus and maybe a drink. But you know how that goes—if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.

Because I can’t abstain from the rest of the menu, I learned how to make white bean hummus at home. It’s pretty darn close, and it’s pretty darn good. Although I have yet to try making the flat bread crisps. Not sure if I can pull those off.

Can I tell you the best thing about this hummus? It brings good friends around a table. Put a couple plates of hummus out. Pita chips. Or grilled naan. A bottle of wine. And that’s a recipe for a good evening.

Italian White Bean Hummus | @thefauxmartha

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Italian White Bean Hummus


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  • Yield: serves 8-12 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 15oz. cans of cannellini beans
  • 1/4 c. tahini
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil + more for serving
  • 1/4 c.-1/2 c. warm water (as needed)
  • red pepper flakes
  • parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain beans.
  2. Place beans in a food processor or high powered blender. Add tahini, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and garlic.
  3. Turn the processor on and slowly pour in olive oil. Process until smooth and thick. Add warm water as needed to thin if texture is too thick. Cover and refrigerate.
  4. To serve, place hummus on a plate. Drag the back of a spoon in a swirling pattern around top of hummus (not pictured). Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. Accompany with pita chips, naan, or flat bread crisps.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Food Network.

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