hatchedinthekitchen is moving …

to Boston! So before I spill the Beantown news, I first must explain the lack of posting. During the past three weeks, I’ve taken not one, but two glorious trips to New Orleans, plus worked fast and furious to get our June issue out the door. (When I’m not posting here, I’m a copy editor at Health magazine.) Or, should I say “was”? Starting in mid-June, I’ll be joining the staff of Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen. Just typing that makes my heart go pitter-patter! In case the closest you get to cooking is watching the Food Network, let me offer you a quick education on the illustrious publication that is CI. Actually, I’ll let this recent article from Jezebel do it. I couldn’t have put it better!

mexican chocolate-pepita oaties, part II

I think the world is divided into two types of people: Those who can saunter up to a Ben & Jerry’s counter and order without hesitation, and those who sample mini-spoon after mini-spoon, weighing the options of Cherry Garcia or Boston Cream Pie as if it were Sophie’s Choice.

I fall into the second camp. At first, it’s a delicious anxiety, tasting each candidate in an effort to discern the perfect swirl-to-chunk ratio, whether to go sorbet or all the way. Strategies are useless: I’ve tried “eenie, meenie, miney, moe,” tried to connect with my inner ice-cream voice—last week, I even told the guy behind the counter to cut me off … after six samples, of course. What’s a girl to do when dozens of flavors stare through the glass like puppies at the pet store?

My problem: I want to have it all. Ice cream may be a lost battle, but I think I just hit the jackpot when it comes to cookies.

Mardi Gras Blackberry Queen Cake

I had every intention of baking a King Cake for Fat Tuesday … that is, until my friend Lauren tackled one last weekend. Her tale was harrowing: anxiously waiting for the yeast to proof, rolling out the sticky and uncooperative dough into a perfect rectangle, dyeing icing. In the end, she was rewarded with two gooey, sugary cinnamon rings so sinfully decadent that a single bite was a one-way ticket to the dentist—or confession. I knew it would be worth it, but just the thought of being at the mercy of rising dough was enough for me to say “uncle.”

So instead, I racked my brain for easy desserts which featured Mardi Gras’s traditional colors: purple (which symbolizes justice), green (faith), and gold (power). Food coloring is outlawed in our kitchen, so I knew my colorbox was going to have to come from Mother Nature. I settled on blackberries, rosemary, and lemon, and when I stumbled upon this Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake recipe on 101cookbooks.com I knew I was on to something.

mexican chocolate-pepita oaties, part I

“Good things come to those who wait.”

I know, I know we just met, and I’m already toying with your emotions. But the first run of these cookies—toasted oats, spunky cayenne, velvety semisweet chocolate—promises back-of-the-Toll-House-chocolate-chip-bag greatness but still needs a little tweaking. Based on these healthy cookies from Cooking Light, I added Mexican spices (cinnamon and cayenne), pepitas, and ground golden flaxseed. (Stealthy flaxseed and its omega-3 manages to sneak its way into most of my baked goods.) So, consider this your sneak preview, the drumroll, a “taste” of good things to come.