Midwest Nice

Thursday Things

A bowl of tomato-based fish stew is in a black bowl on a blue background. There are bread crumbs, chili flakes, and fresh cilantro scattered around.
  1. Now that Home Cooking is over (weeping face here), I had to keep the spirit of the show alive by making the most fabulous fish stew ever. I loved it! Seth loved it! I will be making it again and again. Maybe even subbing crab or shrimp for the next batch.
  2. I watched Good Will Hunting for the first time this weekend while eating the fish stew. I'm a fan! 20 plus years after the fact. I laughed, I cried, I stared at young Matt Damon.
  3. Then, for whatever reason, I watched the pilot episode of One Tree Hill as well (Hulu has some weird suggestions). I had forgotten A) how angsty that show is. I mean. C’mon. and B) how many needle drops they have. It was like a new song every three minutes.
  4. But we all know there’s only one true OTH song.
  5. We’re going to plant our garden this weekend now that the frost is finally gone! We’ll be doing lots of tomatoes and peppers and squash of all kinds. Do you have a garden? What is your favorite thing to grow?
  6. I put on a full face of makeup yesterday. Eyeliner, blush, mascara. The works. (Or, at least, my works.) It felt really good! I also gave myself a manicure because #SelfCare.
  7. I gave me friend Hilary some of my sourdough starter and realized, yet again, that I need to update my recipe for sourdough naan. Keep on the lookout for that coming soon! In the meantime, I have updated my recipes for Melba’s lasagna, browned butter chocolate chip cookies and brioche burger buns, if you’re craving any of those!
  8. My friend Laura is a very talented (GLUTEN FREE) baker and made the most gorgeous geode macs! The talent of it all.
  9. Hamilton the movie is being released in July. THIS IS NOT A DRILL PEOPLE.
  10. I watched the Bon Appetit chefs make their perfect at-home coffee and now I have to make some more cold brew ASAP.

Rhubarb Crisp with Oatmeal Topping

This Rhubarb Crisp with Oatmeal Topping is the perfect springtime dessert! Tart, sweet, light, and crunchy. Serve it with vanilla bean ice cream and you won’t be sorry!

A cast iron skillet is filled with rhubarb crisp with oatmeal topping. The pan is surrounded by serving dishes, spoons and vanilla ice cream.

This rhubarb crisp recipe is so good it converted a non-rhubarb lover (hi, hello, me!) into an effusive fan with just one spoonful! Wonderful tangy and sweet taste aside, this crisp comes together in just a few minutes and is ready to be devoured in under an hour!

A serving of rhubarb crisp recipe with oatmeal topping in a clear glass dish with a scoop of ice cream on top.
...

Read More

Thursday Things

a pot of rhubarb compote sit on a stove. A red spatula is in the pot.
  1. I’m over the moon that it’s rhubarb season! I picked some early stalks and made a quick compote with a bit of sugar and lemon juice. It’s so tangy, zippy, and good!
  2. I made petit fours this weekend for the first time in like three years and I’ve learned a few things for next time. Mainly, that I’m going to cut them into rounds because the squares are dang near impossible to coat! I also put the above mentioned rhubarb compote in the layers and it was divine! Here's to really celebrating rhubarb season.
  3. A client recently gifted me with a sweet vintage butter stamp and I’m just in love. How cute, how dainty, how totally unnecessary. But who doesn’t want printed butter?
  4. Seth and I watched Money Pit after two separate podcasts I listen to mentioned it in the same week and I gotta say – I really liked it! Vintage T. Hanks and Shelley Long. It was cooky and funny and outlandish and just plain good!
  5. My nieces turned three yesterday. I love them so much. They’re perfect.
  6. Seth and I sipped on jalapeño, cucumber, and cilantro margs while eating chopped chicken fajita salads for Cinco de Mayo. They’re totally going to be added into our summer cocktail rotation.
  7. Speaking of cocktails – Charlie Berens making the supper club classics was so funny. Support your local dairy industry plz.

Brioche Burger Buns Recipe

This post was originally published on May 16, 2018 and was updated on May 5, 2020. This brioche burger buns recipe is perfect for grilling season! It produces eight of the most tender and buttery buns you ever did taste!

Brioche Burger Buns lined up on a parchment lined baking sheet

I am over the moon about this recipe for brioche burger buns. (I'm kind of in love with the new pics too!) They elevate an ordinary burger or sandwich to make something really special.

What is a Brioche Burger Bun?

A brioche bun is a burger bun made from brioche dough. But what exactly is brioche dough? It’s an enriched, yeasted dough containing a fair amount of butter, eggs, and milk. It’s got a bit more sugar than a standard bread dough recipe that lends a delicate sweetness to it. The resulting bun is soft and dense. A brioche burger bun is tender, yet sturdy, and can hold one heckuva burger.

An close up of a brioche burger bun on parchment paper with sesame seeds scattered around it.

What are Brioche Buns made of?

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Yeast
  • Salt
  • Milk
  • Butter
  • Eggs
a layout of all the ingredients needed for this brioche burger buns recipe.
...

Read More

Thursday Things

A couple stands in formal wear under a gazebo. The man is wearing a dark blue jacket, jeans, and cowboy boots. The woman wears a lace dress and beaded sweater.
  1. I threw Seth a little Quarantine Prom on Monday night. It was so much fun! He never went in high school and now seemed like the perfect time to rectify that situation. We got dressed up, I ordered a boutonniere and corsage, we had dinner at a hot new restaurant (it was our kitchen). I even borrowed a disco ball, party lights, and streamers from a friend to create a dance floor in our living room. It was amazing!
  2. My friend Laura also got romantic with her hubby and remade a wedding dessert for him on their anniversary this year. How good does a Heath Bar Cheesecake sound rn?
  3. I cannot stop watching these videos. Marty is so talented!
  4. Weird question – do you brush your teeth with hot water? Seth does! And I find it immensely disturbing.
  5. My sourdough naan seems to be making quite a few people happy so I think I need to redo that post and retake the photos for y’all.
  6. I made a batch of Sarah’s Jam Bars with some browned butter and omg so good! Obviously, I had to use Seth’s strawberry jam. I can’t wait to make them again! Did you bake anything fun this week?
  7. Podcast news! I have a new show (again)! “You’re Wrong About” is an amazing show where the hosts, Michael and Sarah, go over popular and well-known media events and retell the story from the perspective of the person who was maligned or slighted or just totally portrayed incorrectly. I’ve listened to their whole series on the DC Snipers case, Marie Antoinette, and am now working my way through Nicole Brown Simpson’s murder trial. Highly recommend.
  8. Listening to Fran Drescher discuss her famous fashion moments is everything. (Also the whole cast put up a Zoom table read of the first script and I have watched it multiple times.)
  9. Lastly, and very, very sadly, Hot Chocolate is closing. For good. I am heartbroken and appreciate your privacy during this difficult time.

How to Make Browned Butter

Once you know how to make browned butter there’s no end to the depth of flavor you can add to your dinners and desserts! Read below for the entire step-by-step tutorial.

A woman holds a clear glass bowl of full of browned butter. There is a spoon in her right hand and her nails are painted light blue.

Maybe this is something I should’ve shared before reposting my (absolutely amazingly delicious) Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Ah, well, I’m nothing if not someone who loves being a day late and a dollar short. (Actually I hate it. Help me!)

Perhaps, though, we should back up a little bit and figure out what exactly is browned butter?

...

Read More

Menu
Search
Homepage link×