Easter Food Memories

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Even though Easter was two days ago, the food memories I have at this time of year always inspire my cooking. March and April are strange months because they’re straddling the line of the last dying winter produce and the new spring arrivals.

When I think back to Easter meals as a child, the ingredients and dishes I remember are the best options for inspiration. Coconut and carrot cake were always staple desserts on our holiday table, so I always incorporate those ingredients into desserts or baked goods that I’m wanting to develop this particular time of year.

For an easy breakfast or afternoon snack, I love muffins. Rarely will I ever admit to liking anything in miniature form, however, these muffins do just the trick. They’re not too sweet and stay remarkably crunchy, thanks to the dried coconut in them.

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Gluten-Free Blood Orange Cakes

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

These days, we all face the issue of making foods for every diet when inviting friends over for a party. While in New York City this week, my partner and I threw a brunch party for over 20 of his friends, and while only one had a special diet, we decided to make a gluten-free dish for her that didn’t take much effort at all, and actually tastes great to those who don’t have an issue with gluten.

With so many natural and flavorful gluten-free cake mixes on the market now, it was easy to find one to use for the blood orange upside-down cakes we were already planning to make. Ripe rings of blood orange, sprinkled with brown sugar, make anything taste great, but especially a gluten-free cake that everyone thinks is not.

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A Last Hurrah for Apples

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Now that winter is finally on its way out, and spring is almost upon us (quite literally, both in calendar time and with daylight savings time in effect), I wanted to make a last-ditch effort to save the last load of apples I’d gotten from the market and kept around all winter. Because while it’s getting warmer, we’ve still got plenty of cold days and nights ahead, as mother nature likes to remind us this time of year.

My favorite thing to make with apples, and there are many, is a simple apple butter. Although it’s name says so, there is actually no butter in this sweet preserve, best served on biscuits or scones, spread across hot pancakes and waffles, or eaten as a complement to peanut butter on a sandwich.

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How to Make Pie Dough

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

One of the things I get asked about most is pie dough. People seem to be mystified by it. And I’ll quit pretending to not know why: it seems intimidating, fickle, and too much work.

But there’s nothing in cooking that has such a great pay off as properly made and cooked pie dough. And with all the new spring fruits and produce that will be popping up in grocery stores soon, like those ruby-hued stalks of rhubarb, you’ll have a great excuse to make pastry and make pies. The cooking, we’ll get to another time…today is how to make it.

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Yearning for Rice Pudding

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

When the weather starts to show signs of warmth in March after a long, harsh winter, my heart skips a beat. But then that glimmer of hope vanishes with the next day’s blistering cold, reminding me that spring is further off than I’d hoped.

These back and forth weather changes always make me yearn for rice pudding. Mostly because it just tastes so good and is easy to make, but also because I love it piping hot from the stove to warm me up during cold days, or ice-cold from the fridge as a cooling treat on warmer days. It’s light enough to serve as breakfast or a snack, with a little granola sprinkled on top, or dressed up for an elegant dessert, especially if you serve it in coupe glasses.

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