Inspiration. Have any to spare?
This is the part where I take a moment to ask for your help.
This is the part where I tell you how much I need you.
Seriously people…. I need some inspiration. Give it up. Please and thank you.
I think I’ve found myself in a bit of a kitchen rut. What should I make? What do you want to see?
Hot? Cold? Sweet or savory? At what point will you stop putting up with my baking antics? How much cranberry juice is too much cranberry juice to drink in one day? What do I do about this giant blemish on my chin?
Ok… I suppose you should only answer the first few questions above. Send me some inspiration. Send me a dozen eggs. Send me a punch in the skull. I need your creative kitchen juice or your closed fist punches. Let’s be a team about this. I need you… but please don’t actually punch me. I was kidding about that part.
Update: You all are the most lovely people a blogger could ask for. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all the inspiration. I’ve already got a list working from all your suggestions. Keep em coming! I think you’re dreamy!
Aaaand another update: You lovelies have blown me away. Thanks for all the inspiration. Amazing! Let’s hug. I’ll be in my kitchen this weekend and be back next week with some pretty fabulous treats for you. Thank you. One the real…. thanks.
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Seriously joy, I need you to make a really good vanilla souffle. I have tried recipe after recipe & nothing satisfies my gooey vanilla cravings. Vanilla milkshakes, vanilla mudcakes, hot vanilla. I LOOOOVE VANILLA
How about a summer soup! I just made some cold gazpacho that turned out quite nice, but as I was eating the fruit salad for dessert, inspiration hit –honeydew mint soup? Maybe a fruit like cherries or blueberries?
Good Luck
Its blueberry season! How bout fresh blueberry pie?
Ice Tea Infusions! Mint, ginger, blackberry, peach, orange, so many choice…
Candy – I can’t explain my sudden desire to make candy but there isn’t enough information in the blog world to help me. Brittle, toffee, caramels, yummy….
I check your blog allllll the time and make tons of your recipes and LOVE them, but I was inspired by this blog post looking for inspiration [little bit ironic but hey, just go with it]. Anyway, I don’t have any amazing input, but basically ANYTHING with toffee is amazing in my book. Like chocolate toffee cookies, or toffee chocolate crunch or…mmmmm. i’m hungry…
Do a smoothie fest….or give us ideas on easy family meals for hot summer days that kiddos will eat. Sorry – no inspiration, just requests.
what about homemade granola? not too sweet but with an amazng flavor?
or some quiches would be lovely! with summer veggies.
or something with olive oil?
yum! :)
Well hell, I am too slow. You got enough ideas here for the next five years. So my input is…..go on a cruise. Relax and eat! LOL
I love Tres Leche Cake! I would love to have a recipe that is ‘knocks your sock off’ good. Currently I use a cake mix, but would love a from scratch. My Mom has a friend that gets one from her sisters bakery that’s awesome, but she won’t share her secrets. :( If your up for it then so am I!!
Joy, you should fly to NYC. We can have a huge picnic here, and break the rut.
In other ideas, three words. Ice. Cream. Sandwiches. (a fruity version! fresh, cold, baked, delicious I’m sure.)
Hi Joy!
Wow, so funny you want inspiration because I’ve had a recipe idea on my mind for the last week but unfortunately, Im not so great at baking… cooking I’m wonderful, but baking.. well maybe you can be inspired.
Have you ever seen that movies Simply Irresistible which stars Sarah Michelle Gellar? If not, rent it! There are these lovely eclair thingys that she makes that everyone eats and just becomes, enamored with.
The problem for me is, I’m severely lactose intolerant so anything with a cream filling = disaster for me. I love coconut and that is a milk substitute for me, so how about some yummy eclairs, or better yet down home country cream puffs with a sinfully rich coconut cream (milk free) filling topped off with a nice drizzle of honey and some thinly shaved almonds!
Some sort of fruit salad or garden salad with a twist would be great for summer.
Maybe talk more about sourdough starter. Our didn’t look so hot and so we didn’t even try to bake with it. More tips on it? What to make with it? You have so many suggestions already, maybe this one is to file away for fall or winter though.
Hello,
I recently found your site and I love the lovely pictures of all the food. But sadly, I can’t eat any of it because at my house we can’t bake with gluten. This will be a challenge, but why don’t you try to make some things that are gluten free. With gluten free flours. Maybe graham crackers or bread, or cookies…Or Yes! We haven’t figured out how to make gluten free cinnamon rolls yet. You can do it!
i love chocolate croissants, have you done different types of pastries?
Oh boy do i have some great recipes from both of my grandmas back in Croatia. But lets wait for next time with those. My two all time favorite cakes are both well known, and are the ones my mom always made growing up. One is our winter favorite called Linzer Cake (or tart) and this is how it looks http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/recipes/9911601250_linzer-tart-a-recipe.jpg, just in case here is a quick recipe for it the way my mom made it:
5 oz of each: sugar, flour, ground almonds, butter
3 egg yolks
peel of one lemon
cinnamon and ground cloves (I put quite a lot to make it a nice space cake)
4 oz of apricot marmalade
…and the real favorite, anytime cake and with no flour in it, it is the richest cake!
The Reform Cake:
13 egg whites
14 oz granulated sugar
14 oz grounded walnuts
make snow from egg whites and slownly add sugar and walnuts…you can bake it in a square or circle pan, we used to make it loaf looking, but important think is to make frosting layers as thick as cake layers, around 3/4 of an inch…we usueally made 3 layers of each
for frosting:
13 egg yolks
13 tbsp sugar
10oz chocolate
10oz butter
frosting is cooked in a double boiler and it is delicious! I’m sure there are many versions of this cake out there but this is how my mom made it, and mommy’s cooking is the best of course :)
Joy, how ’bout you come up to Seattle for a visit and I’ll make you some of my mom’s recipe for Melt-in-Your-Mouth Blueberry Cake. Mmmmmmm! But I love your blog–it’s the first one I look for each day! How about some kind of bread pudding (the kind that’s still a little soft and pudding-y) topped with some kind of berries…I wish I had a recipe for that (a healthful recipe would be nice, too!). Or grapenut or Indian pudding would by yummy, too. (Why am I in a pudding mood in the middle of summer??) Whatever you come up with it will be wonderful–it always is! :-) xoxo…
Joy,
I adore your BLOG. It’s amazing how many wonderful suggestions your faithful followers have come up with! You have quite a fan base, my dear and I can see how much you appreciate them.
I fear my idea might not be too appealing, but why not toss it in the ring anyway, just to be different?
What if you took a few of the yummy goodies you already have mastered & try to re-create them using really wholesome ingredients & natural unrefined sweetness (not unlike your own) ;) Raw organic dairy, pastured organic eggs, Kerrygold butter (from pastured cows)… you get the picture….
I’m currently using sprouted whole grain flour for everything I possibly can, and while many things are good, only a few are “truly great”, so I would love it if a professional who’s work I can completely respect, would figure out a few things that can be truly great & wholesomely nutritious at the same time! Did you know that if you sprout a wheat berry before eating, or drying, grinding into flour & baking, that it digests like a vegetable? You body suddenly has access to every single iota of nutrition in that wheat berry. Imagine a carb becoming a vegetable! That excited me & that is why I’m suggesting this absurdity. If it doesn’t turn you on, there are plenty of ideas above….
no harm done…
I can’t give you any answers I’m afraid, I felt the same about 2 months ago but then I started this little Farmers Market, and now I’m being “hit” with inspiration very regularly! It seems as though the more I put myself out there, the more that people realise who I am.. If that makes sense… A friend of mine at work just challenged me to a Cookie Bake Off, despite the fact he’s never lifted a wooden spoon before, so this should be fun!! :)
Can anyone help convert Stef’s Milchbrot recipe into cups, etc?
I Googled it, and for the first time Google has let me down…
FRENCH MACAROONS!:D please?
Cool. You have lots of people who actually have ideas, while I am in the same rut as you are. I HATE this weather. IT is hot and humid and my air does not keep up,unless I want a $1,000.00 electric bill. (NO – no I don’t) So I refuse to turn on the oven, and only run the dryer at night. . . . LOL! So I get in a terrible food rut.
However, my garden is starting to produce something besides spinach and lettuce, and I’ve got TONS of basil, so some new thing to use basil pesto in? A new idea for zuchini? (something savory – I’m zuchini bread reciped out) Uhhhhm, tomato recipes for later when the ripen?
Thanks for your blog Joy. I enjoy it.
How about a post about substitutions on some of your favourite recipes?
For example, rather than using shredded potato, I have lately been trying to use potato flour to make awesome potato pancakes, and had some pretty okay results. Cornmeal pancakes is tasty too.
Are there any non-wheat flours that work really well for cupcakes or muffins?
So yes, substitutions!
last night 2 thoughts occured: your mom& dad are such strong influences on you, i was wondering who inspires/influnced them? also–state & country fairs!!!! (now i have to look the movie up—)
Just want to let you know I posted your fabulous Puff Pastry with Gruyere and Prosciutto–I made them with my daughter and one of her friends and they were a huge hit! Thank you!
What about a cashew butter cookie made into an ice cream sandwich using dulce de leche or caramel ice cream?
What I’d LOVE LOVE LOVE:
simple, kid-friendly, vegetarian dishes
I get so overwhelmed at the grocery store, farmer’s markets, and even just reading foodie blogs. My “go to” dinner? Air-popped popcorn. How about some specialty posts (kid-friendly, gluten-free, whatever) and then a series on Basics (or how not to hyperventilate at Kroger’s… baking for the cuisine-challenged?)
I’d like to see a refreshingly new mini croquenbouche, in an unusual or interesting flavor!! I’ve done a lovely chocolate & mocha flavored mini ones. But something summery would be fun!! Vanilla Bean Pâte à Choux with Lemon & Boysenberry Custard!! Oh Yum!! I can see them now….3 little mini cream puffs piled on a plate with crispy, shiny, golden strands of carmelized sugar spun around them! And a few berries as garnish! Beautiful! Let’s have a dinner party with that as the dessert!!
YOu could make some flan or churros, they remind me so much of when I lived in Spain.
pancakes pancakes pancakes! i love all your recipes, but the pancakes are by far my favorite. i’d love to see what other fabulous pancake creations you can come up with!
Another idea………
My 17 yr old daughter went to an overnight slumber party at her friend’s home. One of the other mom’s brought an ice cream sandwich lasagna. Apparently it’s multiple layers of ice cream sandwiches separated by layers of frosting or cool whip or I have no clue. I just know my daughter can’t stop talking about it!
Hi!
I just made palmiers yesterday and they were such a HUGE hit. It took me all of 10 min to make them but they looked so elegant and tasted so delicious! I grated some lemon jest and rubbed it in the sugar before rolling out the puff-pastry. It was the perfect summer treat! Thanks for the recipe.
As for inspiration, you could try some eggless recipes. Like substituting eggs with natural alternatives for a healthy and tasty treat. I have friends who are vegans and baking cakes or cookies for them is such a pain due to the lack of good recipes out there. Maybe you could help me out with that :)
Hey Joy,
Since you’ve inspired so many of us on a regular basis, we are all so happy to try to give back a little.
Here’s one of my fave recipes. It’s called “Black Heart Cookies” and I usually make it when I’m feeling grumpy or sassy. Enjoy!
http://bitchinlifestyle.tv/Recipes/Bitchin-Kitchen/Recipes/Black-Heart-Cookies.html
SImple. Frozen blueberries.
something kid-friendly, easy, and not terribly fattening. too much ask for???
Tell us why you bake…. my motivation lately is to nurse a broken heart, but boredom, excitement, anger, passion – all motivate me to get into the kitchen as well.
I love your blog and it provides a much needed smile lately – so I hope you include many of the above suggestions by other readers in future posts…. I’m also encouraged to start experimenting a bit myself and am including your blog link on my bloglist that I regularly follow.
Summer drinks – alcoholic and non-alcoholic – recipes and reviews would be lovely if you have the time with all the ideas above!
caramel swirl brownies! I have been trying to find a recipie but I can’t find any that are made without using a brownie box mix. I know that you are just have a bit of a block, but with all of your devoted followers it won’t be long till you are baking up a storm and dazzling all of us once again!
Rose Bakery Cookbook always does it for me, the photos are so inspiring and the recipes do not mut on off even ona less energetic day.
How about cupcakes with avocado icing? I just read something about substituting avocados for butter in chocolate cake. Avocados might substitute for butter in icing too, and make a pretty color! Or how about aloe ice cream?
I have a huge crop of cherry and heirloom tomatos coming soon! I need some ideas as to what to do with them! The yellow pear tomatos I will eat like candy, but I’ve got bloody butcher and cherry and some others that I want to do something with… more than the regular ‘tomato salad’ I make. :)
I love this site! I’m going berry picking soon and will be trying your blackberry pie bars!
Love your blog! Sorry if this has been said or if you’ve already done this but I would love to see some freezer meals! I’m expecting my first baby in December and I’m guessing things are going to get hectic! TIA! : )
Whatever it is I’m sure it will be wonderful…can’t wait.
how about something lovely, lemony, sweet and tangy on a turquoise platter of some sort. pretty and delish :)
favorite childhood desserts
desserts containing fruit
anything w/ chocolate :)
Watermelon cupcakes!
I have been making crepes like crzy here and have the sweet crepes down, but I am looking for some fantastic savory crepe recipes. Oh and it is coming up on preserve, canning, and pickling season and this midwest girl is always on the prowl for something extra yummy to put up in the pantry.
i saw someone suggested a flourless chocolate cake. . . you did flourless peanut butter cookies, so how about a cake??
i’ve seen recipes before for flourless chocolate cake and wanted to try it, but haven’t yet.
Hey Joy,
Do you still have an Easy Bake Oven in the back of the closet, maybe at your parent’s house? If so, can you come up with something fun for some very bored little girls to try? I’d be ever so obliged.
One word – BLUEBERRIES!!
I love you, Joy, and find you incredibly inspiring. With almost 250 suggestions, you don’t really need mine. But, how about something with brown butter?