I don’t know if I am embarrassed or thrilled. Embarrassed because this is truly SO simple that it hardly qualifies as a “recipe”. But thrilled at the same time because it totally blew my expectations. So simple, so tasty. Even next day, and you know how much I go crazy for leftovers.
BAKED ZUCCHINI TOMATO STACKS (from The Bewitching Kitchen)
1 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick olive oil salt and pepper Fresh tomatoes, sliced (about the same diameter as the zucchini) grated mozzarella cheese Herbes de Provence to taste
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay one slice of zucchini, brush both sides with olive oil, season with a little salt and Herbes de Provence.
Place a slice of tomato on top, season with a little salt. Add shredded mozzarella on top of the tomato.
Bake at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden.
Comments: This was such a delicious side dish, I just know I will be making it again and again. Leftovers were perfect warmed up in a hot oven for just a few minutes. Zucchini tends to get a bit mushy, but for some reason, with the tomato and the cheese on top, it all works well. Give this recipe a try, I believe you will love it too…
First things first, credit goes to Sophia, an amazing sourdough baker I found by accident looking at pictures on Instagram. If you like to gild the lily as far as baking bread is concerned, definitely look at her page on IG (click here). She is also super helpful and I am grateful for the feedback she gave me when I had some issues trying to reproduce her masterpieces. Without further ado, my first braided sourdough inspired by one of her many creations.
For this version, I used my default formula for sourdough, but increased the total flour to 700g, so that I separated it in 400g (main bread), and 300g (for four strands with 75g each). Looking back, I did not need so much dough for the braid, but I was worried and did not want to take risks. Do your math, scale any recipe you are fond of and go from there.
I always allow my bulk fermentation to go for about 5 hours at room temperature and then shape and retard in the fridge overnight. So that’s what I did: fermented the whole 700g at room temperature, divided into two portions, shaped one as a boule and kept the 300g in another container, waiting to be twisted next morning, still cold from the fridge.
Each twist will have two strands, one covered in black sesame seeds, one left plain. I could have done a better job with the amount of seeds to be more homogeneous over the dough, but it is hard to get it all right on the first time… It is also important to twist both ropes to the same extent, in my case one had more twists than the other.
Of course, you can do a real braid with three strands, and I intend to go for it in the near future. No matter the little boo-boos, I love the way this bread turned out.
The crumb will be a little tighter than normal, because the rope will prevent full expansion, but that is not a serious problem…
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Make sure to visit Sophia’s page, and be ready to get seriously inspired!
In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is a chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.
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Starting with a gift from my beloved husband…
Phil surprised me with this beautiful cup, from our favorite artist, Mary Rose Young. He is always searching for her pieces, that can be quite expensive, but every once in a while he lucks out and finds a reasonable deal on eBay. I might have to make a cookie inspired by this beautiful design, like I did in the past (see my cookie post here).
In our kitchen…
This is my favorite acquisition of the season! I used to have to find boxes to put my bakes to take to the homeless meals on Fridays, always a bit of a hassle. Now I simply use this multi-layer system. I can fit all the cookies, brownies, it is fantastic. You can find it here.
In our kitchen…
My second set of bread stencils! I shared my first adventure with this type of stencil in a recent post, you can get these stencils here. I just love using them…
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In our kitchen…
This is my improvised enclosure for air-brushing. It does not have high sides, which is great for maneuvering the gun, but it is big enough to enclose the spray. When the paper inside gets too full with paint, I toss it and put a new one. I cannot tell you how much I love this! You can find special air-spraying boxes and they are expensive and hard to clean. This is just perfect for me…
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In our kitchen…
This was a huge task but I am so glad I finally did it! Organized all my cookie stencils in binders. There is a method to the madness, so they are organized according to patterns, styles, in a way that I can find them without too much hyperventilation.
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In our kitchen…
I love this powder, which is available here. I’ve been using it often in sugar cookies, usually with a little orange zest. Smells amazing as it bakes!
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In our kitchen…
I’ve had these rolling pins for a while, cannot remember where exactly I got them, but they make the most adorable cookies… Speaking about rolling pins, my favorite source by far is Pastrymade, and they do need all the help we can give them. A fantastic Ukrainian company that makes the very highest quality products. Most of mine come from Pastrymade, so I highly recommend them! .
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In our kitchen…
Every year I like to get a new Springerle mold for the season, and this was my choice for 2025. I intend to put it to use very soon… Ordering information here (don’t forget to add the specific cutters, made exactly for that shape).
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In our kitchen…
. We love this one! An extra-wide spatula, that works wonderfully for things like salmon on the grill. You can order it here.
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In our kitchen…
This is called a Gyro-Cut tool and I am quite happy with it. Sometimes getting the Cricut out just to cut a simple shape seems like too much effort. For a template that can be used and discarded, a simple piece of paper works, and the Gyro-Cut does a great job to make it happen. Available here. I just blogged about the cookies made with those templates, and you can see them in my cookie blog (click here).
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In our kitchen…
A Nordic Ware Pirouette Bundt pan… Available here. You simply cannot go wrong with Nordic Ware. The cakes un-mold like a dream. Here is my first adventure with this pan, a little Apple Cider Bundt Cake.
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In our kitchen…
Another great little gadget to hold your phone to make photos or videos. I highly recommend it, simple to assemble and works like a charm! Available here.
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And now it’s time to let our furry friends bark their piece, as they’ve been patiently waiting…
Mr. Osky wants to bark first…
OF COURSE I DO! I am the Oldest, Wisest, THE UNCHALLENGED ALPHA DOG, the one who rules all dogs of All Known Kingdoms in the Known Universe!
I patrol our domain with a slow but determined walk. And I bark the bark that pierces ears without mercy.
Star would like to point out that she patrols it all much much better, navigating edges of precipices without hesitation. Pack rats know no peace in the Kingdom of Tatarrax! Frogs, squirrels, birds, the eventual careless grasshopper, nothing is off-limits to this incredible huntress…
It is hard to believe so much power and might lies behind those sweet dark eyes…
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I am a great patroller myself, particularly of the Higher Territory of our Palace!
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But to be honest, I prefer to play ball with Mom and Dad. I play until I am spent, and then I play some more…
Every evening after my humans are done with some silly dishwashing and kitchen tidying up, I make sure to ring the patio door bell over and over until they realize it is time to go out and play with the Prince!
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I find it all profoundly silly. I prefer to just be my Badass Self… The ball can chase itself, for all I care.
Well, we all know he likes to play Bad Ass but he can also be pretty mellow and cute, even at his advanced age (he will be with us 15 years next month, so we believe he is close to 16 years old now).
Cute? Do you really think he is cute? Cuter than me? Cuter than my cute little sister?
Well, well, well… We don’t play favorites in the Kingdom, you are all adorable and well-behaved…..
EXCEPT… when you steal food from the countertop!
Or when you come back from the backyard covered in burrs, and we all know how much “fun” it will be to get them off your delicate fur…
But, all things considered, Summer has been pretty nice for the pups…
They watched a lot of TV…
Ziggy Star Barker took extended naps in her favorite spot…
And Prince Freckles of Tatarrax did the exact same thing…
At times, when the stars were correctly aligned, The Alpha Dog allowed himself to relax next to a lesser Whippersnapper…
That’s all for now, folks! We will see you again when the New Year of 2026 starts… Until then, have a wonderful time!
Honestly, not sure what to call them… they remind me of the sous-vide egg bites sold at Starbucks, but are more complex in flavor and texture. Low-carb, perfect for a light lunch. Leftovers, kept in the fridge, heat surprisingly well in the microwave, no rubbery texture. Love them!
COTTAGE CHEESE FLOURLESS MUFFINS (from The Bewitching Kitchen)
3 large eggs 1/2 cup cottage cheese 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 bell pepper, seeded, de-veined, chopped small ½ cup spinach, chopped ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon paprika dash of nutmeg grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Heat oven to 375F. Spray a muffin tin with oil. Reserve.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, and spices. Whisk very well until everything is incorporated together. Add the veggies and the mozzarella cheese, fold to combine. Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until all puffed and golden on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Comments: I have a slightly problem digesting bell peppers, usually red and orange are not too bad, but when I made them a second time, I used black olives instead of bell pepper, and loved the way they turned out. If bell peppers don’t love your digestive tract, consider that change. I was quite happy with the way they re-heated a couple of days later, when I had them for lunch. Will definitely make this recipe again and again, I hope you’ll give it a try.
I cannot take credit for the design, it is from a cookbook I highly recommend: Cupcakes for Any Occasion, by Rachel Lindsay (click here to order it). She used lemon cupcakes for her version, I opted for chocolate, going for a reverse creaming method that is so simple and easy to bake.
CAMPFIRE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES (inspired by Rachel Lindsay)
for 10 cupcakes: 100g all-purpose flour 25g unsweetened cocoa powder 140g white sugar 1/4 tsp salt 50g unsalted butter, room temperature, soft 1 large egg 120ml milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 + ½ tsp baking powder
for the buttercream: 226g butter, very soft 452g powdered sugar 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or more to adjust consistency) 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch of salt 6 Oreo cookies, crushed fine orange, red and yellow food gel coloring Pretzel sticks (four per cupcake) mini marshmallows (1 to 2 per cupcake)
Heat oven to 350F. Prepare a muffin type pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Reserve.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, butter and sugar into the stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Mix on a medium speed until all the butter looks like small pieces of sand. Add half the milk mixture, mix to incorporate until smooth. Give it a final minute mixing in high-speed. Add the rest of the milk, and whisk until fully smooth.
Add to the lined pan, a little more than half full. These cupcakes rise a lot. Bake until a toothpick comes clean, about 16 minutes. Let cool completely before icing.
Make the buttercream. Whisk the butter in high speed for five minutes. Add half the powdered sugar, mix at medium-speed until fully smooth. Increase speed to high for 30 seconds. Add the other half of the sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla and heavy cream. Whisk in medium to high-speed until smooth. Adjust consistency if needed.
Keep half of the buttercream in the mixer. Add to it the Oreo crumbs. Transfer that to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Divide the rest of the buttercream (around 110g portions) to smaller bowls. Dye each portion red, yellow and orange. Place them over plastic wrap as straight lines side by side. Make a sausage with that plastic wrap and insert into a piping bag fitted with a medium size leaf tip.
Decorate the cold cupcakes first with “stones”, using the Oreo buttercream. Add “flames”, stick Pretzels to make the decorations, using small marshmallows for additional touch.
Comments: I love the way the addition of Oreo cookies make the buttercream perfect to mimic stones. That could come in handy for Halloween designs in the future. I made a little mistake and used Pretzel sticks to insert the marshmallows, but in the cookbook she advises using toothpicks, and they will work a lot better, so keep that in mind if you want to try these. I am so happy with the way they turned out!
One extra bit of advice: when you pipe the “rocks”, smooth the surface with a brush to make them more round and smooth. I did not do that to some of them, and wish I had. Once the buttercream hardens you cannot quite smooth things out.
Bewitching Kitchen 