The Making of a Cookbook

I thought you all might like a little behind the scenes look at the making of our new book. You know, just in case you thought writing a cookbook was glamorous or something.

I promise you, it’s not.

Pajamas? What pajamas?

The entire book (all 58+ recipes) were developed and tested in our kitchen and shot in our living room. From pancakes to margaritas, we did it all.

And oh boy, did we make a mess.

We have three cats, you know. Not that you’d know from these shots. One of them was much more involved in this whole process than the other two. And by involved I mean usually in the way.

Kind of cool to see the process and the final product. The beautiful final product. The book is a sturdy hard-cover book with embossed lettering and thick matte pages, a real testament to the quality and thought that Quirk puts into their books. I can’t stop touching it.

Cover shot, take two. Those burgers were not fun. Although they were delicious.

Now who wants to come help clean up?

Breakfast for Dinner: Recipes for Frittata Florentine, Huevos Rancheros, Sunny-Side-Up Burgers, and More! officially hits stores February 12th. That’s like, less than a month away (eep!) And if you’re in Nashville, San Fran, Napa, and Memphis: get your frying pans ready, because we’ve got book signing events planned in your area during the month of February. We’d love to meet you! You can also buy a super special autographed copy directly from us. Signed by the two of us. Not Sgt. Pepper though. Because he can’t hold a pen.

And uh, don’t miss tomorrow’s post. You may (just may) get an opportunity to win one before the publication date. But shh, you didn’t hear that from me.

Pop Rocks Truffles

I will preface this post by saying this: if you don’t like to smile, smirk, giggle, or grin, or if you can’t stand the feeling of pure, child-like happiness, don’t make these truffles.

Because the minute you rip open a bag of poprocks (and be honest, when was the last time you did this?) and the candy begins to crackle and pop, you won’t be able to help yourself. When they continue to crackle as they are rolled around soft ganache, you’ll smirk. And when you take your first bite of the finished truffle, well, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear.

Talk about a flavor explosion.

Not to mention when you go to do the dishes, washing the candy remnants down the sink. Your drain pipes will sound like miniature fireworks. And, yes, you will smile. Again. While doing the dishes no less.

The truffles are simple, really. Just a soft ganache center, rolled in poprocks, and coated in a snappy chocolate shell. I used a truffle mold for mine, but you could most certainly dip them as well.

I tried 4 different flavors of poprocks, with the resounding favorite being the Strawberry followed by Cherry. Raspberry was pretty good too, although I’d maybe pass on the apple. Sour apple + chocolate = not so much.

Not that that stopped me from eating them, of course.

I will note that these truffles don’t last long. Or, they last just fine with the exception of the popping part. That fades pretty quickly (once the pop rocks come in contact with air and/or moisture their pop begins to dissipate). So you will want to enjoy these the same day they are made for the most dramatic effect. After that, the fruit flavor of the candy still lingers, so they kind of taste like cherry/strawberry cordials, which is definitely not a bad thing, just not quite as fun.

Oh, and if you’re looking for pop rocks (because they are surprisingly hard to find), I got mine online in an assortment of flavors from Old Time Candy. The 36-packs on Amazon just didn’t seem… practical.

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Spinach and Garlic Spaghetti with Pecorino

Sometimes I wonder what you guys think of me.

This chick must live on sugar. She must eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

And sure, I may have posted desserts for the last 42 days straight.

Sorry about that (but you know you liked it).

Here, have some spinach.

This is a typical weeknight meal for us. Mix a carb/pasta/grain with some sort of vegetation and call it dinner. I have to say I think Taylor nailed this one, the salty pecorino and spicy red pepper flakes the perfect compliment to the lightly sauteed spinach that practically melts in your mouth.

Yes, I did just describe spinach as melt-in-your-mouth.

What’s gotten in to me?

But seriously folks, it’s that good. And the fact that it is so simple makes it even better. You could use whole wheat pasta too if you were so inclined, but, well, that’s just pushing it for me. I mean, spinach! Popeye would love me right now. And not just because my name is Olive Oil (clearly it was meant to be).

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce

Who says you can’t have ice cream in January?

Certainly not me.

Put on some mittens if you have too, but once you make this chocolate peanut butter hot fudge sauce you’re going to want to eat ice cream every night.

This recipe is adapted from my grandma Bettie’s fudge sauce recipe, which is probably a bit different than what you’re used to seeing around, but the result is entirely like the classic fudge sauce you’re used to tasting. Since there’s no cream, it’s less perishable, and thus great for gifting (make a triple batch, package them in some pretty jars, and give it to your girlfriends for Christmas or Valentine’s day.)

We also did a maple version that is to die for – but you’re going to have to buy the book to get that recipe.

The key to keeping this sauce smooth and not grainy is cooling it slowly. Resist any urge you may have to pop it in the fridge to speed-chill it. I can guarantee you’ll end up with a grainy mess. Instead, let it cool to room temperature on its own, stirring it every few minutes as it does.

The result is a classic hot fudge sauce, thick and chocolatey and laced with peanut butter. Like liquid Reese’s.

I’ll admit that this, along with the liquid birthday cake I posted last week are as close as I’ll ever get to a liquid diet. Juice cleanse? Yeah right. A hot fudge cleanse is more my style.

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