De Baking Psychopath

Greetings from the coronapocalypse of 2020.  Right now, I am at home for an indefinite amount of time.  Our county and city have declared a stay-at-home order for all non-essential work and services.  The university has mandated for research labs to reduce to "essential" staffing only, which I am not as a postdoc researcher.  However, I may get pulled to help with clinical service at some point; since pathologists aren't front line care providers, it would likely be if the regular pathologists get sick and need to self-isolate and need backup support.  While we wait for the storm of infections to hit us, I figured now would be a good time to reboot the blog and post some recent baking exploits, if only to distract myself from the vortex that is the news.  So, welcome to the new and fancy redesigned blog! First, an update on life.  Since my last post, I have finished residency.  I went on to complete a clinical fellowship in Liver/GI path...

Our Costco has stocked these lovely tea cookies in three-sleeve packs for a long time now. After years of glancing wistfully at them, I finally lacked enough self-restraint one day last year to buy a box and try them. Bad idea. Imagine crisp mild-flavored gingersnaps with a lemony icing filling. Yeah, the perfect thing to go with a cup of tea. Then, as always happens with me when I discover a new food love, our local Costco stopped stocking this cookie. (enter sad violin music) It was probably good for my waistline/hips, but alas I mourned the loss and have only purchased it at much greater cost for single-sleeve packs at fine imported foods stores. Until yesterday! It has come back to our local Costco. If you are so fortunate to find this cookie on your food store's shelves, don't waste time! Life is short! and will be made better by eating these cookies with your tea! If you can't find it in person, they sell it on Amazon, in all di...

" Would you like a crumpet? " It almost sounds like a line from a BBC miniseries, or it may remind you (at least it did for me) of Mrs. Judson's famous cheese crumpets in The Great Mouse Detective ! I was absolutely delighted to find that making crumpet batter is easier to put together than pancake batter when one has excess sourdough starter to play with! (And don't worry, you can make them even without starter! See below recipe for the link.) What do they taste like? They're like a cross between a pancake and a nice chewy, pillowy, yeasty flatbread. Definitely more of the savory category by themselves but were superb with sweet toppings too! We've enjoyed them with a fried egg on top, or with lovely marmalade, and of course Michael had to spread one with Nutella. It was a novel and exciting way to change up our weekend brunch routine, and the best thing is they're so easy to make and easily stockpiled in the freezer for weekday breakfast...