Category Archives: yummy treats

Cheese Table

I love this beautiful display of cheese, bread, fruit, and honey that Sunday Suppers created for Darcy Miller’s The Bride’s Guide! This might be my perfect dinner…with a little chocolate, of course.

{image from here}

Breakfast for Dinner

It’s been chilly in the Bay Area lately and cold winter nights always make me want one thing: breakfast for dinner. Something about a plate of pancakes and bacon or french toast always warms me up. These blueberry-cornmeal pancakes with orange maple butter are a favorite of mine, but next I’ll be trying these lemon ricotta pancakes with sauteed apples, and this baked french toast.

pancakes

{image from here}

Petits Sucres

My friend Dani just got back from Paris and brought me some of the chic little sugar cubes she spoke of in this post…aren’t they the cutest?  A cup of tea is just that much more charming with a heart shaped sugar cube.

I don’t think you can buy them here in the states…or has anyone found them anywhere here?

sugar bowl

better heart sugar

{and for once, photos by me!!}

Agua Frescas

Turns out I am not the only one obsessed with agua frescas…Seems that Matt Armendariz feels the same way.  Lucky for us, he shares some delish recipes- just click here!

aguas-frescas-blog

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding

For Christmas, Melissa and Sam gave me a collection of cookbooks (in addition to other goodies like hand made fleur de sel caramels!) from my favorite chef, Ina Garten. Naturally, I just had to test out some recipes over the holidays. I made rum raisin rice pudding (which tastes just like the Haagen Dazs ice cream flavor!) from this Barefoot Contessa cookbook and practically licked the bowl. If you like rice pudding, you MUST try this!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum
  • 3/4 cup white basmati rice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 5 cups half-and-half, divided
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 extra-large egg, beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the raisins and rum. Set aside.

Combine the rice and salt with 1 1/2 cups water in a medium heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stir once, and simmer, covered, on the lowest heat for 8 to 9 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. (If your stove is very hot, pull the pan halfway off the burner.)

Stir in 4 cups of half-and-half and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until the rice is very soft. Stir often, particularly toward the end. Slowly stir in the beaten egg and continue to cook for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the remaining cup of half-and-half, the vanilla, and the raisins with any remaining rum. Stir well. Pour into a bowl, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Serve warm or chilled.

rum raisin rice pudding

{Image from here}

Churros y Chocolate

What could be better on a wintery night? Recipe for homemade churros and chocolate bisque here, from Cannelle et Vanille. Yum!

churros

{image from here}

We’re off!

We ended 2009 with the Ruby Press Christmas Party at Crown & Crumpet yesterday…yay!!  {And don’t be fooled by these party pics from the tea room- there was plenty of champagne flowing as well!}  What a great way to end the year- with our fabulous team.  Thanks so much for all that you do- Angela, Kate, Terra, and Kadie!  We wouldn’t be Ruby Press without you!  And to our blog readers- we may not have met the majority of you, but we feel like we know you.  Thanks so much for checking in with us each day and for your sweet and thoughtful comments!  We’re all really looking forward to a wonderful 2010 together!

xxMelissa and Sam

P.S. Wanna see the photos I took at the party on my iPhone?  {These professional shots are from the fabulous Kristen Loken!}  Follow me on Twitter- I’ll be posting them today!

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Vesuvio & Birdbath

Okay, when I started reading this post about Birdbath taking over the old Vesuvio Bakery space, I almost cried- but when I read a little further down and learned that out of respect for this iconic 89 year old New York City Bakery, Birdbath {a green bakery} kept the entire facade intact {including signage!!} my frown turned into a huge smile!  Bravo Birdbath!!

vesuvio

{A vintage postcard of Vesuvio!  Now really, how many bakeries get their own postcard? If you don’t live in NYC, you may still recognize this storefront- it’s been included in many fashion shoots over the years.  Image from here.}