mollygilbert520

Pumpkin Mousse

November 4, 2013 by mollygilbert520 13 Comments

I often wonder what other people at my coffee shop are doing. What are you doing over there, guy with the enormous beard? I see you with your iced green tea, laptop and intense expression. Me? I’m editing photos and typing out recipes and looking at babies on Facebook. Also I’m thinking about if a cookie counts as lunch, and whether or not the Splenda in my daily coffee will one day kill me (yes, I’m cool with cookies for lunch but feel the need to moderate my sugar intake when it comes to coffee consumption — I’m a walking contradiction and I’m fine with it).

Hey, Lady with the great hair and cool necklace — whatcha doing? Writing a collection of short stories? Studying for your botany exam? Pinning cat photos? Oh, and Guy in the Steve Jobs uniform — yeah you, Mr. Rolling-Your-Eyes-And-Screaming-Into-Your-Bluetooth — we get it. You’re important at your important start-up that’s important. Settle down.

All these people and me, we share an “office.” People are always coming and going and going and coming again, and we sometimes smile and nod as we come or go or refill our coffee cups, but we don’t really know each other. I don’t know about their dissertations or their break-up emails or their rampant online shopping habits, and they don’t know about my pumpkin mousse. It’s just weird, I guess. They should know about the mousse.

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Halloween Time!

October 24, 2013 by mollygilbert520 1 Comment

{owl cakes}

We’ve got a week – one week! Then the little ghosts and witches come a’knockin. They’re out to steal your Reese’s. And the princesses and the superheroes and the pumpkins, too. (Except if you live in a frat house and not a regular house, in which case it’ll be a gaggle of “sexy” cats/nurses/referees… and hamburgers? I don’t even know anymore.)

{brown sugar vanilla bean pudding}

I’m a recent convert to Halloween. When I was younger and had to run around the neighborhood begging for candy (in a Pillsbury Doughboy suit, one year), Halloween felt sort of like a lot of work. And when I got older and was introduced to the concept of the high school/college “Halloween party,” the holiday turned stressful — I always found the process of coming up with a costume both clever and sufficiently “sexy” to be anxiety-inducing. Plus at the end of the night I didn’t even get to go home with a pillow case full of Kit-Kats (no innuendo there, just straight up candy bars), so what was even the point of that?

{homemade vanilla marshmallows}

Now that I’m an old lady of 29, I can do whatever the hell I want to do on Halloween. And what I want to do is hand out candy to cute children in ridiculous costumes. And eat miniature Twix bars and regular-sized Reese’s. (I don’t even have to beg for them, it’s fantastic.)

{chocolate peanut butter layer cake}

I also want to celebrate Halloween in my kitchen. I can’t not decorate stuff with seasonal candy (ahem, brown sugar vanilla bean pudding). I can’t stop turning cupcakes into owl cakes.

Want to join me? We’ll turn marshmallows orange and put Reese’s in a layer cake. We’ll bring out the spider-webby, maple glazed pumpkin bundt!

{pumpkin ginger cake with salted maple glaze}

I mean. Talk about sexy.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Peggy’s Apple Cake

October 17, 2013 by mollygilbert520 9 Comments

In most parts of the country, the air’s getting crispier. People are reaching for heavier knits, tucking their feet into adorable suede booties, and taking long, leaf-crunching walks in the chill. In San Francisco, we did that in July (minus the leaf crunching). Our October days are pretty hot (and fog-less!), so I’ve been busy sunning myself (carefully, with sunscreen!) on the roof. The warmth is nice, but it feels pretty weird.

I mean, we all try to pretend it’s autumn out here, making soup and reading Martha Stewart Living and thinking about Halloween treats and costumes but, between you and me, apple picking in eighty degree heat just isn’t the same.

I mean, maybe you drive up to Sonoma county and find an apple orchard, and maybe it’s entirely gorgeous. You’ll probably get a basket and start picking, tasting as you go “just to make sure.” And it will be fun, for about ten minutes. Then you’ll start to really feel the sun beating down on you, because it’s hot, and you’ll wonder why you ate so many damn apples and also when might be an appropriate time to go home and take a nap? You’re sweating up a storm in your trusty “apple picking sweater” and there’s no cute stand selling apple cider doughnuts and decorative pumpkins and warm cider, anyway (not that you could drink anything warm in this heat), so it kind of feels like naptime might be a good idea. So you’ll leave — with eight pounds of apples, minor sweat stains and a deep-seated longing for the autumn of your youth.

Oh well. That’s “autumn” in the Bay Area. We can’t be ungrateful. We’ve got sunshine, after all. And apple cake! And lucky for us, apple cake tastes the same, whether or not we’re wearing cable knits. Happy autumn, all!

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Thin & Chewy Chocolate Chippers

October 8, 2013 by mollygilbert520 15 Comments

Gather round you friends of mine (we’re Wilderness Girls and it’s coo-kie time)…

Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? No?

Okay then. All times are cookie times, at least in my mind. It’s never a not good time for a cookie. Or a double negative.

What’s your philosophy on the subject of cookies?

Maybe you’re a thicker-cookie-with-some-oats kinda gal. Or maybe you prefer a crispy-edged, sweet-and-spicy molasses and brown sugar kind of cookie? There’s a chance you’re a fan of a smaller cookie (to make your muscles look bigger), like these little cornmeal cookies. Or maybe you’re trying out a gluten-free (but peanut-butter-full) lifestyle?

The point is, we’ve made a lot of cookies here, you and me. There were the snappiest of gingersnaps, chewy snickerdoodles that taste like the holidays, fancy chocolate French macarons, shortbread cookies chock full of pistachios, New Yorkish black and white (and pink!) cookies, cookies to bring (deeply chocolate) world peace, and at least four different variations of that classic, the chocolate chip cookie. And that’s not even the half of it.

So what’s one more cookie, really? I think it’s only fair that we explore all of our options.

This recipe is for the thinnest, chewiest chocolate chip cookies that you ever did see. They taste deeply of caramel and are almost lacy, their chocolate chips bursting like topographical mountains from the flattest of cookie plains.

What do you think? Are you into it, or do you require more body, a little extra umph, in your chocolate chip cookie? I didn’t think I’d love these, since I’m more of a classic, medium-thick cookie gal, but I was wrong. I couldn’t stop reaching for these flatsos — their intense, caramel flavor is addicting, and I like the way you can almost fold them on top of themselves before taking a big, chocolatey bite.

Thin and chewy chocolate chippers – get into it! It’s cookie time.

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Harvest Farro Salad

September 27, 2013 by mollygilbert520 3 Comments

Happy Friday, friends!

For me this week was busy busy, good good. In the good column, I (sort of) entirely ditched my sinus infection, made some headway on my cookbook project, I got to play field hockey (albeit kind of poorly) on Tuesday, bought the prettiest orange tulips and caught up with a good friend on Wednesday, had some ice cream (while catching up on the Mindy Project) on Thursday and also accompanied Ben on a very thrilling (and rather expensive) trip to buy a surfboard. Quite a week, I tell you.

I’m keeping it short and sweet today, so everyone can get on with it and enjoy the weekend. Make some farro salad, maybe? Toss in those late summer (early fall, now) tomatoes and anything else that shouts “eat me!” from the Saturday market stalls? Is that an inappropriate thing to say?

I made this salad for a baby shower a few weekends ago when peaches were still good and juicy, but I also think it’d work beautifully with apples or pears, instead. I love how the toothsome farro is brightened with fresh arugula and herbs, slicked with good olive oil and sherry vinegar, tumbled with sharp cheese and sweet fruit. It lets us enjoy the last of summer’s best produce while offering an open hand to fall — it’s something to put in the good column, I think.

Enjoy the weekend!

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Double Chocolate Baked Doughnuts

September 19, 2013 by mollygilbert520 3 Comments

Just give me a dang doughnut.

I’ve been sick for nine days. My body thinks it’s funny to not let me hear things with my ears. My throat feels like medium grade sandpaper and my voice sounds like that of a dying cow. Sinusitis, I’m done with you. GIVE ME A DANG DOUGHNUT.

Do we spell doughnut like dough + nut? Or is it just donut? I think we as a society should come to some agreement here. I feel like “doughnut” is the proper literary spelling and “donut” is the proper lazy person spelling. I’m the kind of person who can’t be bothered to sift flour for a recipe, pretty much ever, but I also think I’m fancy, so I’m going with doughnut.

In any case, why don’t you just give me a dang double chocolate doughnut already?!? A baked one! With sprinkles!!

I want the rainbow ones, please.

Thank you. I’m sorry I yelled at you. With my sad, raspy, bovine voice. That was the sinusitis talking, and sinusitis is dumb. You are my friend. I will share my doughnut.

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Emily & John

September 13, 2013 by mollygilbert520 16 Comments

I owe you a recipe (doughnuts), and you’ve got a good one coming your way soon (doughnuts!), but when your little sister gets married over the weekend and it’s absolutely perfect and you make yourself sick with excitement, blog schedules get neglected. It’s just a fact.

But! We’ll make do. Anyway, see how gorgeous it was?

Look at those flowers! Gorgeous blooms for gorgeous maids (if I do say so myself. I mean, I’m saying so. Myself).

Emily married John. They did it. They’re happy and lucky in love. Husband and wife!

I made the bride waffles for her wedding day breakfast. They were the best I’ve ever made, but we were all jittery and boozy and covered in hairspray, so I didn’t get the chance to take a photo. In any case, I used this recipe, and they were light, crispy, and wonderful. Bride-approved.

Later that afternoon, John vowed to reach all the tall things, and Emily vowed to be on time (and when she can’t be, she vowed not to lie about how far away she really is). They both vowed to love each other truly, wholly, unconditionally, for life. The sun shone bright and crisp in Malvern, PA, and they were married.

As the sun started to set and the sky turned all shades of pink, we drank whiskey cocktails and ate shrimp and grits and slurped ice cream from a custom Little Baby’s cart. We toasted my sister and new brother with champagne, and we danced like maniacs. My dad wore blue suede shoes. We gathered around the fire pit and sang along with the guitars. We made s’mores. Prize-winning horses frolicked in the distance. I couldn’t even make this up.

As sisters, Emily, Casey and I look out for one another. We’re by each other’s sides for the good times, and we’re there for the not-so-great times, too. This weekend was a good time. Here’s to a lifetime of this kind of happiness — to waffles and dancing and sunshine and friends and family, new and old.

(First, fifth, sixth and seventh photos are courtesy of my talented cousin, Ben Fenton. Second, third and fourth photos were taken by the father of the bride, @BruceRits.)

Indian Summer Peach Pie

September 4, 2013 by mollygilbert520 2 Comments

Excuse me, internet. What is with the death-to-summer attitude? The plaid-sweater-wishlisting, suede-bootie premiering, baked-apple-pumpkin ridiculousness all up in you this week? Just slow your roll, internet. I mean, I like cider doughnuts just as much as the next girl, but get it together! It’s totally still summer.

Today counts as summer! Who’s with me? It’s hot out, and there are still stone fruits at the market. Can’t we hang on to this for a few more weeks, please? Pretty soon even I will be overflowing with words of praise for hot tea and apple cake and football, but not yet. Not yet!

Let’s make one last peach pie. Let’s dress down and take our shoes off. Let’s dine outside! We can serve our pie with cold and melty ice cream. We can make it last.

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Party Figs

August 22, 2013 by mollygilbert520 7 Comments

These figs like to party. Which is good because next week is my 29th birthday.

29! Almost aaaaalmost 30! Not that I’m rushing. Let’s bust out the sprinkles. Or, as my sister’s first grade student calls them, “them sprankles.” To me, nothing says PARTY like rainbow sprankles. Sprinkles. They’re like the tiny party hats of the food world. Only more flattering and without that uncomfortable rubber-band chin strap.

Party figs! They’re the best of both worlds. Sophisticated elegance (fresh figs) meets lowbrow nostalgia (white chocolate and rainbow sprinkles). Eating them is like seeing Grace Kelly at the Dairy Queen. Or “The Situation” at Buckingham Palace?

Similes aside, I think you’ll want to make these before fresh figs disappear (a.k.a soon). Sweet in both flavor and appearance, they make a playful end to a late-summer dinner gathering, or else just a fun and colorful snack. Either way, it’ll be a p-a-r-t-y.

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Vegan Caesar

August 15, 2013 by mollygilbert520 4 Comments

Firstly, THANK YOU. You guys sent me some great emails full of clever speech advice, and I now feel confident that I’m going to crush it (read: not totally embarrass myself) at my sister’s wedding in a few weeks. You are the best.

Secondly, I’m not a vegan. I just thought we should put that on the table. I’m pretty obviously non-vegan, actually, if we take butter and cream into account, which we probably should, considering my affinity for both.

Still, there are times and places for the butter and the cream (most times and most places, at least for me), but it’s important to know that those things are not the only things. (If they were, I probably wouldn’t fit into my pants.) Turns out there are other things out there, exciting things, just as rich and creamy as my old friends, but infinitely better for my future cholesterol levels/pants.

By “other things,” I mean cashews. Soaked overnight and blended into cashew cream. Have you tried this? You should. It’s the base for this smooth soup and the fantastic Caesar dressing you see before you, and it’s becoming a habit of mine.

This recipe came to me from my cousin, Ben. He’s both the kindest and toughest guy you’ll ever meet; he recently completed his second Ironman, so he’s legit. (Like, 2.4 mile swim then 112 mile bike ride then 26.2 mile run legit.) Don’t mess with Ben. Try his salad dressing! You’ll feel so good about your healthy, cashew creamy Caesar salad that you’ll briefly think about training for a marathon before chuckling at your own insanity and then letting yourself have double the ice cream for dessert. Being a non-vegan vegan is fun.

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